People Stories

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.

Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper Carolina Chavarria has led the campaign against mainly plastic marine debris along her area’s beautiful beaches, and is now being helped by Bionic. Photos by Carolina Molina.

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 […]

More about ocean plastic:

Water Warriors and Other People Stories

Summary
Article Name
The Curse of Plastic Ocean Waste Now Part of the Cure
Description
As tourism increases, so does the trash. The community struggles to keep plastic waste from Santa Teresa's pristine beaches. Carolina Chavarría: waterkeeper
Author
Publisher Name
Waterkeeper Alliance
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

Scathing report released detailing Navy’s handling of Red Hill fuel spill

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released some scathing reports Thursday over the…

1 week ago

Growing Food Instead of Grass Lawns in California Front Yards

Photo: Morgan Boone, a volunteer with Crop Swap LA, harvested lettuce at the La Salle…

3 weeks ago

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

3 weeks ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

3 weeks ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

3 weeks ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

1 month ago