“Trash for Tours” volunteers loading bags of collected garbage onto a pick-up truck.
PHILIPSBURG–The St. Maarten Nature Foundation and Pelican Peak hosted their first “Trash for Tours” event on Sunday, November 24, in which volunteers could go on the Pelican Peak experience free-of-charge in exchange for collecting garbage.
Approximately 30 volunteers gathered at Dock Maarten last Sunday, next door to the cruise ship terminal, to do a local area clean-up. If a volunteer collected two bags of trash, he/she earned a free ride on Pelican Peak’s zipline and access to three viewing decks located on the Pelican Peak hillside.
“Protecting our island and putting environmental initiatives in place isn’t at the expense of local business and our community, but [it is – Ed.] rather a necessary precaution. Tourism sustains over 90 per cent of the local economy and without the natural beauty of our environment it’s very likely that many of these tourists will not return.
“At Pelican Peak, we know we have to do our part. Last October we launched the first leg of the ‘Plant a Million Corals’ initiative, with local coral regeneration sites, also in partnership with the Nature Foundation, Dr. David Vaughan and, with the global oceans charity, SeaLegacy.
“With ‘Trash for Tours’ we hope to inspire the local community of St. Maarten to join in on environmental initiatives, build awareness about the importance of protecting our island while also having some fun,” said Pelican Peak Operations Manager Jesse James.
Under the guidance of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation, the volunteers collected more than 70 bags of garbage from beaches and roadways in Philipsburg.
The foundation said it used reusable garbage bags and gloves for the clean-up activities because “plastic bags add an additional strain on the environment due to their harmful impact on nature and because plastic does not biodegrade.”
“We had a great team of young volunteers to clean up the area around Dock Maarten. All volunteers were very eager to collect trash and most of them collected much more than the two bags needed to ride the zipline.
“… I think the initiative of ‘Trash for Tours’ is great as it educates and actively involves the youth with the significance of a clean environment and it rewards them for their environmentally conscious effort, hopefully inspiring them to continue to keep our island clean and green,” said St. Maarten Nature Foundation Manager Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.
Pelican Peak said it plans to continue with Trash for Tours. If persons have a group or organisation that would be interested in participating in a clean-up, Pelican Peak asks that they send an e-mail to
info@pelicanpeaksxm.com. Persons may also visit Pelican Peak’s website at
www.pelicanpeaksxm.com.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92803-trash-for-tours-volunteers-riding-the-pelican-peak-zipline-pelican-peak-nature-foundation-host-first-trash-for-tours-event
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