The Curse of Plastic Ocean Waste Now Part of the Cure

Much of the natural beauty around it remains intact but the town of Santa Teresa is no longer the undiscovered surfer’s paradise. Located near the southern tip of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa was once a sleepy village but was discovered in the 2000s by adventure-seekers attracted to its white-sand beaches, consistent surf-break and world-class nature reserves within walking distance. Today, this piece of paradise is experiencing growing pains.

As tourism has increased, so has the volume of trash, and the community is struggling to keep plastic waste from winding its way onto Santa Teresa’s pristine beaches. Carolina Chavarría, the Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper, is addressing these discomforts head-on. A native Costa Rican, she worked for many years in Africa and South America, designing and managing environmental and social-development projects. She returned home in 2010, and moved to Santa Teresa, a town she had long been in love with. When residents there decided to put in place a concerted effort to safeguard and protect their town’s beaches, they […]

Full article: The Curse of Plastic Ocean Waste Now Part of the Cure

More about ocean plastic:

• The Surprising Solution to Ocean Plastic
• Plastic degrading in the oceans release chemicals into the water
• Update: Remember the Young Man With a Plan to Rid Oceans of Plastic?
• Microplastics in our mussels: the sea is feeding human garbage back to us

Water Warriors and Other People Stories

• A tribute to California’s ‘First Lady of Water’
• She Saved a River. And a City.

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