Limpiemos Yucatán Fundación G.M.A

Daniela Parra Rodríguez and Fernando Méndez Alfaro’s invite us to be part of “Limpiemos Yucatán Fundación G.M.A”, a project dedicated to the conservat ion of the Yucatecan coast.

It all started with the esmeralda brewery, together with them, we did a campaign to promote the Yucatecan coast and identify the environmental pollution problems we have, as well as the concern to preserve the state’s fauna. We have three axes: we seek to promote responsible tourism, waste utilization and ctizen participation and awareness. We began to give this project a voice and we started the first event in July 2019.

Our first beach cleanup in Chuburna gave way to the movement “because it belongs to every- one, let’s clean the beaches”, where little by little it gained strength despite the pandemic, it was here where we founded “Limpiemos Yucatan”; in 2021 we began to be in charge of the sanitation program of beaches and mangroves of the Secretary of Sustainable Development throughout the state, where we cover from Ce- lestun to Cuyo, we currently have support from several local companies, universities, coastal communities and civil associations.

Picking up trash
Photography: Fernando Méndez Alfaro

Since 2019, thanks to the strategy that we have implemented, we have collected more than 53 tons of waste from the coastal zone and mangroves of Yucatan, with the help of more than 4,000 volunteers, the waste we normally find are pet, glass, cans, biological waste, tires, fur- niture, etc. The most that we battle is with micro plastics, which are synthetic particles that come from petroleum derivatives. They are difficult to degrade and their origin is found in industrial activity and domestic consumption, being present in detergents, toothpastes, skin products such as scrubs and sunscreens, and even in many synthetic clothing fibers, among others.

As Limpiemos Yucatán G.M.A. Foundation, we seek to generate a more conscious and participatory community in the state and our goal is to generate as much impact in the coastal municipalities, to the degree that each one of them has a sense of ownership of their natural resources and that, in the future, our work is to generate proposals in favor of the environment and conservation of our natural resources on the coasts.

Currently, our hot spots are excess waste in harbors, dog overpopulation and presence of feces on beaches and mangroves, predation of wildlife by feral dogs, biological and infectious waste located in recurring areas, clandestine dumps, fires in mangroves as a result of hazard- ous waste and excesses of Styrofoam and plas- tics in the tourist coastal area. After monitoring the beaches of Yucatan, we have red lights on almost all the beaches; we are working on a plan for 2023, where we will be dealing with all the problems with coordinated strategies with the state government and other organizations.

“We seek to generate a more conscious and participatory community.”

Thanks to all the work together with the volunteers and allies, we have seen a constant improvement in various areas of the state, where every time we visit it we find less waste, and as Limpiemos Yucatán Fundación G.M.A., we will continue working for a Yucatán zero waste and of better quality for all. You can follow us on our social networks for more information and/ or participate in the following campaigns.