Beaches Go Green provides awareness and education around the waste that we produce and how it affects our planet— particularly single-use items and plastic pollution in our oceans. Their work aims to simplify complex environmental issues so that everyone can make sense of them and make changes in their own lives for the better of the planet. Learn more here!
How do you get the word out about your mission?
Beaches Go Green engages our community with free environmental education in many forms. We offer monthly speaking engagements, PSAs, quarterly environmental themed movie nights, single-use plastic awareness art installations, and we partner with local businesses to encourage less wasteful practices. We believe that every small change that we can inspire will add up to big things. We educate the public on composting, sneaky plastics that appear in common items, the importance of recycling right, and more.
What are the 4 Rs and how do we implement them?
The 4 Rs are refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle. Refuse disposable plastic and single serving items whenever and wherever possible. As the consumer, the impact of refusing makes a clear statement to the producer that you will not take on the responsibility of excess waste. Make decisions that reduce your carbon footprint. Cut down on your consumption of goods overall and especially those that contain excessive plastic packaging and parts. Reuse durable, nontoxic straws, utensils, to-go containers, bottles, bags, and other everyday items. Recycling is a very small part of a much bigger solution to our waste, it should be the last resort in the waste hierarchy and not an excuse to keep old buying habits.
What other programs do you have?
Our Beaches Go Green Change Maker Scholarship is awarded to two deserving high school or college students who have demonstrated a significant interest in protecting and preserving the environment and have made a positive impact through education, programs executed, and initiatives that drive our mission. The two $2,500 scholarships are given to those who stand out as advocating stewards of our planet. We also have a Reusable Bottles for Sports program that connects community sponsors with local sports teams and schools to provide custom reusable stainless steel water bottles, with the intention that athletes will use them over single-use plastic beverage bottles. We also have school clubs that host beach clean up events and educate students about how to protect the planet.
What recycling tips can you offer?
Many people count recycling as our primary eco-friendly behavior, and continue to buy products with the idea that they will be recycled. The fact is that only 9% of all plastic is recycled globally and only 7% in the USA, so much of what you think is being recycled actually ends up in landfills. Educate yourself on what your local recycling company takes, make sure all containers are empty and as clean as possible to reduce contamination levels, make sure nothing smaller than a credit card makes it into your recycling bin, and never bag your recyclables as they are hand sorted. Things you can recycle in a curbside recycling bin include plastic bottles, glass, paper, non-greasy cardboard, metal cans, soda cans, and plastic containers.
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