Philipsburg:---The popular Mullet Bay Beach was cleaned and cleared of trash on Tuesday morning by Caribbean International Academy students and teachers. The cleanup organized by the St. Maarten PRIDE foundation is in keeping with promoting a full awareness for Earth Day April 22nd a press release from the PRIDE Foundation states.
Mullet Bay Beach used by locals and tourists alike was left in a messy state after the Easter Monday celebrations. Many beach goers have been complaining about the trash left at the beach and especially in the corner where locals and residents party and picnic. St Maarten PRIDE foundation and the CIA school students and teachers cleaned up the beach and left the beach in pristine condition. Many of the students were appalled by the amount of beer bottles and plastic that was left behind as trash.
The volunteers were joined by employees of the Towers Mullet Bay who trucked the filled trash bags away.
Today April 22nd is celebrated around the world as Earth Day. A day for everyone to reflect on the precarious state of our planet; climate change, over fishing, protection of our species and conservation efforts. It is also a day for many of us to make efforts to change our behavior patterns, like making use of eco-reusable shopping bags instead of plastic, volunteering for beach and community cleanups, using less energy and water, planting trees and kitchen gardens, and making a more decisive effort to understand our planet earth and how to take action locally.
St. Maarten boasts 37 beautiful beaches on both sides of the island, our economy is tourism based with 1.3 million cruise passengers and 450.000 stay over guests annually. It is clear that our beaches play a vital role as an attraction and has a high economic value. Our elected officials and our people must therefore take steps, collectively and as responsible individuals to make sure our beaches stay clean and free of trash. Our National Pride is at stake and so is our tourism economy the release states.