Promoting and Facilitating the Reduction of Single-Use Plastics Q1 2019 Progress Update:

ATCF is thrilled with the work Desplastificate Todos Santos y Pescadero has accomplished in Q1 2019.  The stunning beauty of the Baja California region in Mexico attracts millions of tourists annually and the need for protecting the unique and rich coastal ecosystems that serve as home for so many important species is of critical importance.  Desplastificate Todos Santos y Pescadero raises awareness of the harm people are inflicting on the health and well-being of their community, the wildlife and the natural environment through excessive use of single-use plastics to educate and build awareness at an individual, organizational and institutional level.

The first quarter has been a busy one for the organization and they have been hard at work affecting change at multiple levels!  Within schools, this quarter Desplastificate Todos Santos y Pescadero gave educational presentations and workshops about single-use plastics to 365 students in 7 schools and presented a similar campaign to 400 students at the annual Todos Santos Film Festival.  They also created teams of Desplastificate Ambassadors who will serve as champions of eliminating single-use plastic waste and 3 schools received co-creative workshops with principals, teachers and students in attendance to plan how the schools can go about eliminating single-use plastics from their schools.

At a business level, posters for “5-Turtle Rating System” were created that rate hotels and restaurants on their single-use plastic consumption to incentivize businesses to reduce their environmental impacts.  Conversations were initiated with 32 of 76 targeted tourism related businesses - restaurants and hotels - to invite them to join the campaign and to determine their “turtle rating.”  Lastly, recruitment and promotion support of a local grocery store as distributor of compostable alternatives so that local businesses have better options.

Also, Desplastificate Todos Santos y Pescadero advanced their work at a community level from many initiatives including, collaborating with the Todos Santos Film Festival’s short film competition to promote Desplastificate as this year’s theme statewide.  In addition, 2 beach community cleanups were held and a “7 Actions You Can Take to support “Desplastify” poster was created and featured in a local publication. Desplastificate Todos Santos y Pescadero also collaborated with the Todos Santos GastroVino May Festival to facilitate low plastic consumption for the festival and participated in website design for the statewide Desplastificate campaign.

Project Name: Desplastificate Todos Santos y Pescadero
Organization Name: Desplastificate Todos Santos y Pescadero Aliance
Year Grant Awarded: 2018
Progress Update: Quarter 1, 2019 Project Update