Mess on the beach

I hope this video and just the sight of our beautiful beaches cause enough outrage to change the way people look at our most amazing resource.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAB8PG6ZO9E

This video was shot the morning after Noche de San Juan at Ocean Park, a well-known and popular beach in San Juan. I would like to be smug and say something like, "well, that's in San Juan." But Jobos looked pretty much the same this morning. And our beaches will look this way after the 4th of July (and after the 3rd this year since that's Friday and the "official" holiday) and Constitution Day and...and...and...

This obvious lack of respect for the incredible beauty of our beaches and ocean is probably my biggest disappointment in living here in PR. It hurts to see this and it makes me very sad. Many of us, puertoriquenos and norte americanos alike, try to make some little difference, but that's all it feels like sometimes: very little difference. There are a lot pissed-off people expressing their outrage on Facebook. I hope somehow that outrage turns to action instead of a shaking of the head and a sad, "well, that's the way it is. There's nothing I can do."

This is a translation of the text in the Ocean Park video:

Unfortunately, the video is long.

I wonder how many offenders were arrested for throwing trash in public areas.

I guess that there were none with so many people.

I expected to find at least Tito Kayak, protector of the environment, picking up trash...or at least tied to a palm, protesting this disaster...but I guess he's still asleep, after all it is not yet 10 am.

And when I left the beach, I met a couple of tourists who could not believe what they were seeing ... asked me because if this island is so beautiful, why is there so much trash...I tried to explain there is generally less trash...they responded: ohh, it must be cultural...I never felt so embarassed

but I guess those that spent the night in the ocean, today say they spent a brutal night.

The penalty to Puerto Rico. The penalty.

Feel free to share this link with any of you/our friends, especially here on the island. I hate preacing to the choir. Let's ALL make a difference, here on the island or wherever you are.