Littering & Environmental Education

[Keith R]

Chiri,
Perhaps Puerto Rico's Waste Authority can help with ideas, training. They are conducting an extensive education campaign in cooperation with the PR Dept of Education. Their school-based composting project recently received the Environmental Quality Award from USEPA.
Regards,
Keith

http://www.ads.gobierno.pr/secciones...ta-epa_30-.htm

[Keith R]

Originally posted by Jwb
I hope this forum offers solutions to the terrible littering problem that I observed on my last visit. Beer bottles and plastic containers were all over the side of the roads, how disgusting!

I have sometimes wondered if the "adopt a road" program now so prevalent in the US would work in the DR. Find a local business, such as a hotel or supermarket or rum company -- or even a local branch of one of the political parties, what the heck! -- that adopts part of a highway and arrange to keep it cleaned up.

Anybody think it could work? Maybe start with the North Coast highway between PP and Cabarete, and the highway between Las Americas airport and Juan Dolio to the east and to SD to the west?

Regards,
Keith

[linamia]

Originally posted by Larry (ILoveDR)
If a child is taught in school not to litter and then goes home to witness Mami and Papi and Tio and whoever commiting those very same acts, what is the likelihood that the he/she will do any different?

There has to be some kind of incentive given or punishment levied. Otherwise, poor habits are just passed on from one generation to the next.

Larry

Larry I agree with you, bad habits are easily passed from generation to gernerations, so are good habits.

Teaching kids not to litter starts with the parent. I have done it sucessfully to Dominican children. At times making them pick up whatever was improperly discarded.

[Keith R]

Lina, don't you think it can go both ways? Kids sometimes can influence the thinking behavior of their parents. I certainly know that the twins have often made me think about why I do what I do, why I think what I think, and what sort of example I set vs. the one I should set.

Best Regards,
Keith

[Jwb]

I'm under the impression that most of the people who litter the streets are from the lower economic scale (dont stone me yet). I say that because from my observations most of the trash that I saw were empty Presidente bottles, used canned goods and styrofoam/polystyrene food containers.

I cant imagine the well to do Dominican drinking a bottle of beer and then throwing it out in front of his expensive home. I cant imagine the professionaly employed Dominican eating lunch out one of those styrofoam containers and then discard it in front of his place of employment. I can, however see a motoconcho driver doing exactly those things. I have personaly visited people were we have sat in there yard drinked a couple of beers plus ate food we ordered from the local colmado down the street, when it came time to leave, guess where it all ended up. You guessed it, right in the bushes or at the other neighbors yard.

I think the idea of teaching children the importance of discarding trash in receptacles is great, but you add monetary incentives to it the adults will happily come aboard. For that reason I believe if the bottling companies had a 1 peso bottle return policy, you would see an immediate improvement along the road sides.

[Chirimoya]

It's my experience that richer people also litter, probably because they feel they are above the law, and have grown up having someone to clean up after them. Not just here, BTW.

Chiri

[Keith R]

For those who read Spanish, there is an interesting series of webpages on Environmental Education, on a wide variety of topics & complete with materials for teachers to use, done by a groups of NGOs out of Chile:
http://www.ecoeduca.cl/index.asp

[stan chapman]

Amen to that, Chiri. Anyone see the playa at Las Galeras after semana santa? By the way, the problem is not unique to the DR. What does Loch Lomond side & the area around our local high school have in common? The friends of the earth generation tossing litter everywhere!!! There, I feel much better now. Stan.

[Jwb]

Littering is a collective problem in the DR. There is plenty of blame to go around. But what I was commenting on is the fact that certain principles begin in the home. Anyone who litters carefree in his own backyard, will probably do the same at public places.

[Chirimoya]

Yes, but there are also many people, rich, poor and in between who live in spotless houses but don't think twice about dropping litter.

Chiri