Working Towards a Litter Free Community

“My vision is that humans will work together to take care of our planet and help solve the great problem of garbage. It is very simple,  do not worry about the quantity, instead pick up one piece of garbage at a time, and always start with the piece nearest to you.

I would like to invite everyone in our community to engage in this action and see for yourself how your small actions will make a big difference, not only right here, but to all life on this planet.”
- Alison Date

Alison Date is a determined woman working to clean up the district of Chame.  It is her nature to practice what she preaches, and for this reason she can often be found in local river mouths, on beaches, and in ditches, collecting the trash that continuously accumulates. Since arriving in Panama,  Alison has found herself fixated on achieving the goal of a community with zero litter. I know what you are thinking, “a garbage free neighborhood in Panama is unheard of!” You’re not alone, I must admit I too was a little overwhelmed by Alison’s ambitious goals. But when I took the time to hear Alison’s plan, a grassroots project digging in on the local level, my skepticism faded. I was left with a feeling that can only be described as inspiration.

By involving local businesses, offering education in neighborhood schools, and lobbying for better infrastructure, Alison is working to tackle the trash problem and to mitigate  the negative effects it is having on our society. “By empowering the beach community to take the problem of garbage into their own hands, even on a small scale, we can set an example for others,” explains Alison. It is from this perspective that Alison’s project, Libre de Basura (Free of Garbage), was born.

Libre de Basura, is a volunteer community project that anyone can be a part of. The group has three main goals: to foster community involvement, offer information and education on proper disposal of garbage and recycling in local schools and finally to help organize community cleanups. With several local cleanup efforts already underway, the project has begun to catch people’s attention. While the project is still in it’s infancy, and therefore small, it’s actions and benefits will be large.

The first Libre de Basura project aims to clean up the grounds in front of the Roberto Eisenmann School in Coronado. Since the school is located on the side of the busy highway that passes though Coronado,  picking up the mounds of garbage daily, will only offer momentary relief.  It is Alison’s belief, and the foundation of the project, that the solution lies in developing a system that is supported by the school itself, private businesses, government entities and most importantly each individual in the community becoming personally involved and responsible for helping to make this change happen.

With the help of the Village Mall administration, Libre de Basura is developing a plan to reduce the litter that accumulates at the entrance to the local school. One of the ways in which they will do this is by creating better infrastructure and offering a place for people to responsibly dispose of unwanted items. “A lot of people want to put their garbage in the right place but the lack of sufficient receptacles and garbage collection causes the bins that do exist to over flow. There is also a mindset that occurs when there are no places to put trash and when trash is already everywhere, that encourages littering to continue. Until not throwing garbage becomes the wide spread cultural expectation it takes  personal resolve and  commitment not to litter. This level of commitment comes from a deeper understanding  and respect for our interconnection with all life.” Alison explains that a large part of her effort will be dedicated to lobbying for increased infrastructure and the financial investment to create and maintain garbage free public spaces.

By involving students in this discussion, the project is igniting critical thinking and passion, not only for the project, but for a cleaner community.  In this way, the public elementary school will  serve as learning ground, for the students and also for volunteers and leaders in other communities. This initial effort will offer an opportunity to discover the best way to accomplish creating zero litter and maintaining safe, and beautiful public areas.

The path to a cleaner neighborhood will take persistence, dedication, and time. It will involve the actual removal of garbage and willingness to develop a sense of connection with the environment. It is possible, and the results will be rewarding. Creating a cleaner community and planet will take everyone using less plastic, and recycling that which is used. It will require every single person to take responsibility for not littering. Finally it will take a willingness to lead example in an effort to help educate others.

Items, such as plastic bottles and bags persistently find their way from our hands into rivers, lakes and the ocean, some of these materials never fully decompose, while others leave behind tiny particles that will remain in water we drink and food we eat. Our health as humans relies directly on the health of our rivers, lakes, oceans, soil and air. The health and happiness of future generations relies directly on you to create change in your community today.

Get involved. Alison and Tomasa of Libre de Basura can be found most Tuesday mornings  between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., cleaning up  the litter in front of The Eisenmann school. Join them, or pick up some garbage off the street, beach or walkway somewhere in your day to day life. When visiting one of Panama’s natural treasures, carry an extra garbage bag and set an example, not only by bringing home your own debris, but also by collecting something that was left by others. In this way, Panama will be improved by your presence.
 
Finally you can help by participating in beach cleanups in your neighborhood. Libre de Basura organizes beach cleanups on a Sunday each month, date is dependent on the tides. The January Beach Cleanup will take place on January 10, 2016, starting at 8:00 a.m. The meeting point is the public access by the Coronado Bay building. Garbage bags, gloves and drinking water (please bring your own bottle as we don’t want to create more plastic trash) are provided by La Playa Newspaper. Thank you in advance to the Coronado Bay administration for helping us with our efforts to dispose of the collected trash.

For future cleanups visit Playacommunity.com/events  | To join the Libre de Basura community visit the Libre de Basura Facebook page.