Hi from Mexico and Scotland!
Did you know that 46% of marine litter is the direct result of people dropping litter on or near our rivers and coastlines? Volunteers have recently been in touch with 2 communities on the Clyde Sea Lochs who are keen to talk about sustainable solutions to marine and beach litter as opposed to dealing with the issue after the fact through beach clean ups. We are also interested in looking at the idea of reducing reliance on single-use plastics in these areas through speaking with community residents and visitors and following in the footsteps of nearby islands who have adopted a zero waste approach.
In Mexico, our volunteers have set up a fortnightly green explorers club working with children and young people to share ideas around the environment. We have been working closely with communities living in or near the local Biosphere and we will be able to increase our volunteer support through a recent grant to work alongside local producers and growers particularly around environmentally friendly production methods and switching from non-biodegradable packaging. The growers and producers have the opportunity to sell their goods and connect with other local enterprises at our bi-monthly Green Market. In Sisal, we have continued working with the local community via the university in the area and 3 student volunteers accompanied us on a visit down the Usumacinta River to deliver workshops for Earth Day working with over 100 local children and families.
