BoomerGirl Diary

An acquaintance of ours here in Costa Rica makes jewelry from beads that she orders and seeds and shells she finds along the beach. When we were at a beach looking for these items, we were shocked at noticing more trash on the beach than the seeds and shells. It got me to thinking about something that I then shared with her. Why not organize a once-a-month trash-collecting social event? Select a different local beach and have the village show up there the second Sunday of each month. Everyone could bring food and drink to share after the garbage collecting is done.

I thought it would be fun to have some fun trash CONTESTS. Along the lines of awards going to who fills the most bags, have certain pieces of trash "pre-marked" so that whom ever brings THOSE pieces back also get a prize. Fun, huh? I also thought it would be a grand idea to take all the trash (you wouldn't believe what we find) and make a sculpture out of it ... leaving it near the beach entrance for a dramatic reminder to each visitor to be responsible with their litter. A sign near the sculpture could read, "Local residents, intent on keeping our beaches clean, picked up all these items from THIS beach. PLEASE HELP KEEP THIS AREA, AND OUR WORLD CLEAN by disposing of your trash properly."

I can't help but remember as a child going to the zoo and seeing the display of items behind a glass case with a notice that read "All these items were retrieved from animal cages". SEEING damages done is often more shocking than just reading or talking about it. I know after seeing what people threw into animal cages, I often thought of it and how it impacted ME … so hopefully it did others as well. The same idea might work on the beach.

It is so saddening to be walking along the beach and see so much STUFF. Plastic containers, cans, bottles, lost shoes, toys, medicine bottles, dishware … it goes on and on. The other day we found a Barbie doll … LEG. Another time we came across a bicycle handlebar grip.

In telling someone local my idea, it was suggested that we should offer a huge prize to anyone who actually collects a PAIR of matching shoes! That is funny because you see SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many shoes along the beach but never a PAIR. Hee hee

I will have to look into this garbage collection thing … I think it is a GREAT idea! Like many good ideas, it just takes ONE PERSON to get the action started! Even HERE, where ...

It's a Jungle Down Here