Global Clean-Ups: Inside The #ColombiaLimpia Initiative

In order to clean up the saddening amount of waste that's burdening the environment, clean-up initiatives, such as the 5 Minute Beach Clean Up started by Carolina Sevilla who we met in Costa Rica this month, are popping up around the world. Much of Latin America has been especially pro-active in cleaning up waste and taking a stand against plastic. And this includes Colombia.

As part of a nationwide effort to clear Colombia’s beaches of plastic bottles and non-recyclable waste, the #ColombiaLimpia (Clean Colombia) campaign is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MinCIT). So far, the national campaign has reached 84 tourism destinations and collected 185 tons of garbage. According to the ministry, 170,000 people have directly benefited from having a cleaner environment and learned the importance of putting trash where it belongs.

The following guidelines are being advised to implement the campaign:

1. If you are a tourist: Do not throw garbage in the places you visit, take it with you and deposit it properly.

2. If you are a tourist service provider: Generate and disseminate responsible practices related to the management of garbage and the proper disposal of it to tourists.

3. When you are in your local community: Make a rational use of the water, separate and deposit the garbage in the indicated places. Also, share and promote friendly practices with the environment.

4. Tourists, the local community and tourism service providers can share their good environmental practices on social networks using the hashtag #ColombiaLimpia.

We look forward to discovering the impact of this forward-thinking green campaign and hope that more countries globally follow suit.