Youth Leadership, Marine Conservation, and Solid Waste Management
Art Medium: Creative Sign-making
Partner: Semillas del Oceano
Location: Izabal, Guatemala
Worldwide, over 80% of ocean pollution is the result of land waste mismanagement. In Izabal, Guatemala, as in many coastal communities, habitants experience a daily barrage of plastic trash that washes up on their beaches and pollutes the ocean.
A group of 17 teachers and students got together to analyze this problem and propose solutions to reduce the amount of solid waste in their nearby marine ecosystem.
Using creative sign painting to draw attention to the issue and how it negatively impacts marine animals in particular, they initiated dialogue in their school. As a result, together with school officials, a recycling and waste management program was implemented, and students educated on the causes and effects of ocean waste.
"The workshop taught me about responsibility - since we must be responsible for our consumption and our garbage. We must improve the way we dispose of our waste, be able to find a second life for the products that we can continue using and we must separate our garbage so that it does not reach the oceans
-Karen Arias, Participant
