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International Coastal Cleanup September 20, 2008
2008-09-14
Jadira asked to open a Blog on the upcoming international coastal cleanup on Saturday, September 20, 2008. Please find the 2007 ICC report attached in Pdf format along with an article and radio interview on PJD2 here.
Click here to Read More
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Some shots from last year.
Glass bottles account for most trash - 5th December 2008
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| St. Maarten 2007 ICC Report-1.pdf | 399.45 KB |
So we will get a new commissioner for the environment with whatever govt forms now. Think it's going to make much difference? Same faces, different seats.
Plastic bags serious litter problem on St. Maarten beaches - 9th November 2008
Politicians have carjacked the environmental bandwagon. I hope the SXM Pride Foundation had LoJack installed. With over 600 environmental supporters on the bandwagon, Loulou is already certain of a landslide victory in the next elections.
Preliminary results from this morning ICC at the Mullet bay beach.
Volunteers: 634
Trash bags: 205
Groups participating:
The Sint Maarten Police Force
The Sint Maarten Tourist Bureau
Sonesta Maho employees
Windward Islands Bank employees
FEDEX
Oyster Bay Resort guests and activities desk
The Philipino community
The LIONS CLUB
The LEOS
Rotaract
Interact
The Scouts
Academy school students
Academy PSV
Learning Unlimited school
CIA school
The ICAN foundation mother and her kids
The Small Bussiness Development foundation and their students
Group absent from the International Coastal Cleanup, the largest volunteer event worldwide: the Sint Maarten elected government.
Sponsors for this year;
The LIONS CLUB-tools
The SHTA-Tools
The Windward Island bank-banner and pencils
FEDEX-tools
ZEE BEST french bakery- best croissants on earth
VOLVIC water-water and banner
Oyster bay resort-breakfast rolls.
Hopefully by Sunday I will have an accurate pounds/kilos of the total amount of trash bags
Results of the data cards will be finalised in 2 to 3 weeks.
The ICC is not ever as yet, as we have small sattelite cleanups scheduled,
Monday, 12 meter will be conducting the ICC, a school in Cole Bay next week and on October 2nd. crew from the Mariner of the Seas cruise ship.
Thanking all volunteers who came out to help, and big thanks to WIEMS (medical emergency services) who made sure volunteers cuts and bruises were taken care of. And Mr. Brooks and other snorkelers who cleaned the Mullet water shoreline.
Sint Maarten PRIDE foundation
POUNDS; 3'071.5
KILOS; 899.1
The weighing scale went berserk after the 100th. bag and started weighing only in kilos.
Some weird beach trash; a bed mattress, a rusty ceiling fan,an old fridge
The bed mattress could be left behind by campers, this is unacceptable as it is leaving all trash behind like bottles and picnic items.
The ceiling fan and fridge could have been dumped by contractors not wanting to drive to the landfill.
And lots and lots of wood and other construction debris was found.
A big thank you to Mr. Dan and Joan Verwoord who weighed all bags and of course to Clean Sint Maarten N.V. this company picks up all trash bags and debris during the International Coastal Cleanup every year.
I was sure there were more people than last year and there were, 274 more. The video from last year plus links to the results and the video from 2006 can be found at this link.
International Coastal Cleanup Video 2007 - St. Maarten
I'm off on a little trip soon, but when I get back I would love to chat with you about building on what you have now and I would be willing to offer my help. Perhaps next year arranging for the sponsors and groups involved to split up and do separate beaches and coastline. I know it's a lot of work, but I feel there must be someway to make better use of 630 odd volunteers and spreading them out.
I think it should be noted that 99% of the garbage collected today did not wash up on the beach, but was dropped there by locals and visitors to it. Every year it's the same, so much garbage and odd things, last year I remember a refrigerator, this year a ceiling fan. It would be so easy for govt to set up a regular beach patrol/ cleanup crew, but as we all know, this is a govt that follows, not leads, as it's going to be up to all of us to show them the way.
Again, great job people, I think this goes to show that more and more people are becoming environmentally aware in SXM.
I found this on Island Times.
Debating the issues - 13th September 2008 - Sxm Pride Foundation
Caribdude
Jadira
it was a wonderful day.
I couldn't believe the number of people who were there.
It gave me a good feeling to see so many people who really care about our island and our environment.
Pat yourself on the back for organizing the whole thing.
And to all who took part , they should pat themselves on the back too.
This is one of those days when we all can feel good about what has been achieved.
When we pull together, we can make a difference!
Barbara
Photos and blog here.
If you have FACEBOOK, please go to Sint Maarten PRIDE foundation group and then to the International Coastal Cleanup event, for more photos.
Also, Ricardo at AVS has uploaded a video on www.avsnewsonline.com, look to your left for "special report"
PRIDE indeed will look into new ideas for next year, but everyone has to keep in mind that as far as beaches go, Mullet Bay Beach is the last wide open access beach we have left.
Access for parking, access for medical emergency, access for large trucks for trash pickup.
I hope everyone is listening to what I am saying and will try to further stop government from blocking access (yes, they do this when they allow developers to build in such a way that the public cannot get to the beaches anymore) Dawn beach WESTIN has 5 parking spaces for the public. On the other end in front of Mister Busby there is a narrow access to the beach and no parking whatsoever for the public.
Furthermore, I took notice that the next beach to probably be taken from us will be the Belair beach, There is a Planning Permit on review 'Aria the Mare" until October 13th. This PP is for the development of the Belair Beach next to the catastrophe of Barbaron. Now we know that the owner has closed the gate to this beach on many occasions in the past.
I don't even want to think what will happen when Mr. Ansari decides to go ahead with the development of 3 high rises at Mullet bay beach.
I am in full support of a sub-department "stranden-beaches" under the department of ROB.
We should have beach patrol, young men and young ladies that patrol our beaches for illegalities, littering, criminal activities, young people that can be trained like the VKS wearing light clothing/uniforms.
We sell our beaches abroad in advertising campaigns, our beaches have an economic value to the tune of hundreds of millions per annum.And yet, we allow the beaches to be trashed, and developers on the beach to take over as owners of the estate.
I loaded some pictures on to Facebook also. I loaded them in a public link so even if you don't have facebook you can view them.
here is the link.
ICC 2008
When are they going to really clean up this area?
sxmislandtime news
Robberies will decline not stop (because there will always be one who is going to try) when we realize where the problem is. A lot of people critize the police about these robberries. yes it is there job to stop them, but what is the problem. O lot wanted the marechausssee to come back, they are here and what?. When the police said hey did not need marechaussee in the office but poeple on the street they were criticize that they do not want no help ect. Today we are seeing that putting more help behind a desk to investigate rather on to street to prevent and apprehend these criminals is not the answer.I said once that there people out there that no matter what will criticize police, but i ask you put aside whatever problem you have with the police, personal or other and let us see where the problem lies. We need police on the streets 24-7. Everyone knows that sxm does not have enough. We are hearing year in year out we are understaff. What is our minister and sxm politicians doing to end this. It is time we demand more respect and action on their side. people putting more people in the office to investigate crime after the fact is not sxm needs, we need prevention by more patrols out there. yes the patrols wll not catch all, because no where in the world that happens. But when we prevent the couple that will happen, detective will have time to really investigate them and solve them and not like it is going now, just taking the complaint and no time to really investigate, because the complaints just keep coming in. PREVENTION is the way to go and we have to make our leader do something now.