PROJECT AWARE UTOPIA VILLAGE CLEAN UP DAY 2008
The Project Aware Clean Up Day at Utopia Village in UTILA, HONDURAS was a
huge success. This year we had 35 enthusiastic multi-cultural volunteers
from Honduras, Spain, Germany, The United States and El Salvador, just to
name a few. Utila has 18 dive shops where students from all over the world
come to get certified, some going on to become Dive Masters and Instructors.
The majority of the clean up crew came from these shops to help make this
event a fun filled responsible Earth-giving day.
The Project Aware recruits were divided into two teams: divers and beach
clean up crew.
The divers cleaned up a site near the Utila Cays using mesh bags donated by
Project Aware. Some commented that as they tried to pick up what looked
like garbage, it had already become a permanent part of the reef with too
much growth to collect. Therefore, they gently sifted through what could be
stashed into the bags for removal.
The beach crew cleaned both East and West of Utopia¹s beach filling bag upon
bag of mostly plastic items such as toothbrushes, forks, straws, bottle
caps, and plastic bottles. Many of the crew asked how so much trash could
wash up on Utila¹s shores. The answer is that during rainy season the
Mainland Rivers swell running down from the mountains, washing the debris
into the ocean. Whatever floats easily finds it¹s way to Utila¹s beaches.
It is a never-ending task to keep the shoreline clean.
Once the divers returned to Utopia, the BBQ and fun began. Some volunteers
were so inspired they ate their lunch and headed back out to clean the other
end of the beach, others played volleyball and billiards while others caught
a nap in a hammock or lounged on the beach. The waters were calm and
inviting so later in the day many went out snorkeling bringing back any
trash they could find. Awards were given for ³Best Dive Cleanup² to Marcos
our youngest diver who enthusiastically collected the most underwater trash
and ³Best Beach Clean Up² was presented to Mira also one of our youngest
volunteers who filled the most bags in the quickest time period.
All in all it was a great day, both responsible to our Earth¹s environment
and full of enjoyment. The task of cleaning our little corner of the World
spurred ideas such as having a weekly clean up. The volunteers that were so
inspired have in turn inspired the owners of Utopia. We have decided that
our dive shops new motto will be ³Make A Dent - Make a Difference². As a
resort shop, U Dive offers fun dives to paying customers that come to us
every week to relax and enjoy their vacation. Seeing a group of fun folks
having a great time making a difference has presented us with a new
opportunity. U Dive will now be offering a weekly cleanup fun dive on a
volunteer basis only to our customers. We also challenge the many dive
shops on Utila to do the same, in hopes that our guests and Utila¹s Dive
Shops will jump on the bandwagon and help make a sizeable dent on Utila in
2009!
*Many thanks to all the volunteers, staff and the individuals and businesses
that provided donations for The 2008 Project Aware Clean Up Day at Utopia
Village.
--
Angelika C. Lukacsy
President & Director of Business Development
Utopia Village
Calle de Suenos
The Bay Islands, Utila
Honduras, C.A.
Www.utopiautila.com
Honduras cell: 504-3-310-5224
Rated #1 Hotel on Utila by Trip Advisor!!
³Only resort on Utila to be the Recipient of the Honduran Environmental
Permit²
