Soul of Bahía Foundation celebrates Earth Day with beach cleanup event
In celebration of Earth Day, the Soul Bahía Foundation recently organized a beach cleanup event at the Herrera River estuary, which is lies between the towns of Río Grande and Loíza.
More than 350 people participated in the event, including many middle school and high school students, when 4,000 pounds of trash were collected from the coast.
The initiative was supported by the Fahad Ghaffar & Glenda Family Foundation and the municipalities of Río Grande and Loíza, as well as the Scuba Dogs Society, the Gonzalo Aponte Foundation, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Hogar Teresa Toda, the Coca-Cola Company, Pan Pepín, and the Stefano Foundation.
“One of the solutions to stop pollution and environmental deterioration is education and action. In this way, we pin our hopes on children and young people so that, through the teaching of sustainability and conservation practices, they serve as agents of change and protect our planet,” said Marcela Cañón, executive director of the Soul of Bahía Foundation.
“The work with the environment is done by uniting many souls and organizations. Let’s work together because everyone’s strength is needed to achieve sustainability,” she said.
Rolando Padua, president of both Paulson Puerto Rico and the Soul of Bahía Foundation, said: “For more than a decade, we have carried out educational initiatives that support our commitment to the environment and the communities in which we are present.”
“With these activities we seek to raise awareness to reach the hearts and minds of children and young people and teach them a different perspective of their natural environment and what conservation is,” Padua said. “From early on, we planted the seeds for the development of a generation of citizens who are more considerate of their community, island and planet.”
The initiative closes out the foundation’s environmental campaign, “Conserving Life, Avoiding Extinction,” an effort that aims to increase public consciousness and educate people about the importance of protecting endangered species and contributing to help stop the phenomenon.
The campaign featured different talks in schools and other settings in which young people and adults participated. More than 20,000 young people have participated in these talks and workshops during the foundation’s environmental campaigns.
The Soul of Bahía Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works in collaboration with the Bahía Beach Resort and other public and private organizations to protect the environment, educate the public and perform community work.
Bahía Beach Resort is one of the 21 resorts worldwide to receive the “Certified Gold Audubon International Signature Sanctuary designation,” and it is the only Caribbean resort to hold this distinction.
