On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, Blue Lagoon Island’s Project B.E.A.C.H. united hundreds of Bahamians for a massive coastal cleanup effort, participating in the Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup. This year, the focus was on the critical task of restoring mangroves and clearing debris along the southeastern coast of New Providence, specifically at South Beach. Despite consistent cleanup efforts, volunteers collected hundreds of pounds of trash near the public South Beach Pools, highlighting the persistent challenge of illegal dumping in the area.
In total, a staggering 2.6 tons of debris were removed from the beach. Bacchus Rolle, Parliamentary Secretary of The Bahamas Ministry of Public Works & Utilities and Member of Parliament for South Beach, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “We have one country and one earth. We must ensure we teach Bahamians and the next generation of Bahamians what it is to secure and sustain the environment. Unfortunately, what we see here today is not coming in from the sea; it is us,” he said. “We have a dumping problem, but it is not isolated to South Beach alone; this is a nationwide issue. We have to get our people to understand that we have to stop it, and we have to stop it now.”
The cleanup event drew a diverse group of participants, including the Governor General’s Youth Award (GGYA), Boy’s Brigade companies, local private and public schools, Girl Guides, Brownies, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, Aliv, Cable Bahamas, Caribbean Bottling Company, Toastmasters Visionaries, Island Luck, South Beach Constituency members, Veolia Aqua Design Bahamas, Bahamas Storm Chasers, Bahamas Weather Watchers, the National Society of Leadership and Success from the University of the Bahamas, and several Rotary Clubs of the Bahamas.
The event was part of the global International Coastal Cleanup, a movement that encourages individuals to actively remove trash from beaches and waterways, identify the sources of debris, and promote behavior changes to reduce pollution. Organized by Blue Lagoon Island’s nonprofit Project B.E.A.C.H., the initiative received support from sponsors including Ocean Conservancy, Circular SEAS (local distributor of Coca-Cola), Bahamas Waste, Bahamas Wholesale Agencies Ltd., Arawak Port Development, Born Free, Tropical Shipping, Power Boat Adventures, ALIV, IL CARES Foundation, Rubis, Sandy Toes, Empire Fitness, and Nassau Agencies Limited.
The cleanup initiative in South Beach serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of individual responsibility in protecting the environment. It underscores the need for concerted efforts to address the issue of illegal dumping, educate the public, and promote sustainable practices to safeguard the future of our planet.
