The Beach Rangers are born!

In 2019, the RECON foundation of Bogotá and their allies, decided to support the initiative that since 2014 we have been working on in order to implement a recycling system on the beaches of Juanchaco, Ladrilleros and La Barra.

After numerous meetings and visits to the territory, we finally managed to formulate a pilot project, to finally design how the culture of recycling can generate an alternative economic income for people who live in remote communities such as those of the Colombian coasts.

This project is about giving the opportunity to 6 members of the community that we called THE BEACH RANGERS.

We proposed, to turn this program into a proper study, so that we could evaluate, the actual amounts of recyclable materials washing ashore with the tides, and how to wash them, transform them and commercialize them in the territory without having to transport anything to Buenaventura or other inland cities. 

This study is helping us evaluate how to create a business model that benefits these communities in an economical way and also helping to mitigate plastic pollution.

We are inviting different brands and national and international companies to support the work of our BEACH RANGERS, thanking them for keeping the beaches of the Colombian Pacific clean and healthy with the sponsorship of gear, drinks, snacks, or anything you would like to offer them for doing this work!

Different brands, companies and people have already responded to this call:

CATALINA PATIÑO @catalinapatinoa and MARIA JULIANA MORALES @mariajulianamorales, who traveled from Bogotá to Juanchaco with a whole bunch of clothes and gifts that they collected from their friends, Thank you so much for this!

DANIELA URIBE @danyuribe25.

The company COLOMBINA @colombinaoficial, which has supported us so much, also sent snacks so that the BEACH RANGERS have energy during their days.

KURIWAJI @kuriwaji, a brand of ancestral medicines in Bogotá, Expresses their gratitude to the BEACH RANGERS with superfood capsules so that every day they are healthy, strong and with very high defenses.

So, if you have a brand or a company that want to send recognition to our team, for being the coolest in Juanchaco, please contact us at: info@ecopazifico.org

The support of RECON and their allies also consists of implementing 5 more recycling stations, which give continuity to our eco-trail project, THE MAPARE ROUTE, and which provide both habitants and visitors, the opportunity to dispose their recyclables in a proper manner.

These are:

• Plastic
• Glass
• Metal
• And Styrofoam

Although CARTON is also a recyclable waste, it does not apply in regions as humid as those of the Pacific, it disintegrates in just a few days. That`s is why we recommend to the population, to put it in the compost and use it in the garden.

From February 24 to March 1^st, we hosted the first of the five Permaculture action weeks in this program.

The wonderful team of INSIDE HUB @insidehub, with our wonderful humanitarian clown TALYA WEINBERG @weinbergtalya and permaculture teacher DROR NOY @freedror accompanied this educational process, by educating the children in the community about the importance of identifying the different types of waste that is generated in their community.

From Monday to Friday as extracurricular activities, the children learned through music, theater, Acro Yoga, dance, art, and collection of MAPARE, (Material to Revive) the importance of separating waste, RECYCLABLE, ORGANIC and SANITARY, with methodologies such as Social Clown, Circle work, Art of Hosting, Multiple Intelligences, Chaordic Model, Mindfulness, and Dragon Dreaming.

We also began the installation of recycling station #4, and the first one of the 5 stations! which today you can find on the street of the “Antenna” in Juanchaco.

This station was built by Jhonny and Oscar, workers from the recycled plastic lumber factory: ECOPLASTICOS El TRÉBOL.

They understand the important work that Ecopazifico does to protect the beaches and they also understand the importance  of protecting our jungels, and forests by replacing conventional wood with construction materials such as recycled  plastic lumber made with post-consumer plastic that is collected and recycled from different companies of the region.

To celebrate this first week, 11 volunteers from different parts of Colombia joined us  to clean the beach of MEDIA PLAYA, in alliance with our friends from the spectacular CASA AZUL HOSTAL.

In just one day we managed to collect approximately 300 kilos of Styrofoam, Plastic, Flip Flops, glass, and metals.

We are immensely grateful to the formidable volunteers who at the last minute decided to join our clean up.

We also want to give special thanks to the BOTANICAL PARK LA DESPENSITA, for opening their home and hear to our project.

On the Sunday of this spectacular week, we ceased with a beautiful educational and artistic activity with the MAPARE RANGERS (kids) who received their awards for their participation, good behavior and commitment during the permaculture action week.  

We also want to express our gratitude  to the entire community for demonstrating more interest and support in this process, and to  all the institutions, companies, and people who collaborate and donate so that Ecopazifico’s operations flow with ease and grace.

Check out how we did:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=ecopazifico&set=a.2633740906910407