The goal of this particular workshop was to assist primary school teachers in Sonora to create educational programs and projects that focus on the environment. Since this group of teachers wanted to work on cleaning the beaches in San Carlos, I felt that I could be of some assistance since I had already done research on the topic and had theories relating to how it might be accomplished. I also included a list of items that could be considered in the budget, an example of a schedule, and suggestions for the proposal they need to present to Pronatura if they hope to receive funding for their ideas. I suggested we try a cleanup before school was out this session, which gave us about three weeks to plan and conduct a beach cleaning. I would like to mention that aside from the fact that the beaches will be cleaner, there are other benefits to this program that are not as obvious.
Volunteers are essential to the battle against the garbage.
The majority of the students and teachers had never had the opportunity to be on a boat before this excursion. This event may have allowed them to feel how powerful the ocean waves are, and to see many islands and wildlife near to San Carlos that they never knew existed. Perhaps a sense of respect can be created, to replace the current consciousness. The coast becomes their classroom, a wonderful natural laboratory, exciting and intruiging. A Beach Cleaning On the 23rd and 24th of June, over one hundred and fifty students and teachers, in groups of around twenty, cleaned several beaches in San Carlos.