I would love to see a more sustainable future for Belize. We have not been responsible with our environment. Sometimes I think part of the problem is that people don’t know better. I have learned a lot about the importance of our Barrier Reef in the past couple years. It’s made me curious about things like the production and disposal of single use products and the chemicals in our sunscreens. I think we need to educate our people more on sustainable practices if we want to see a greener Belize.
The perfect example of people creating change is Belize’s offshore oil moratorium. It took its time like all things, but we all got informed and worked together to make it happen. WWF’s Saving our Shared Heritage Campaign played a huge part in making this issue a global one.
I believe this fight for our reef has made us more aware of our environmental impact on our planet. Our government has made a commitment to eliminate the use of single use plastics by 2019 and that is great news. Why wait though? Think about how many plastic bottles, to-go containers, plastic utensils and plastic grocery bags you throw away every week. Multiply that by 52 weeks in a year. That number gives you the difference YOU can make this year if you start today!
I am proud to say I stood up for our environment and continue to do it every day. My week on the reef, sleeping on the bow of a sailboat, and spending all day in the water made me appreciate our marine environment so much more. I had no choice but to speak up! Writing a letter to our Prime Minister was only the beginning of my activism. I started out terrified of public speaking, but that hasn’t stopped me from speaking up every chance I get. I believe if we know better we do better and I plan to dedicate this summer to sharing everything I have learned about protecting our environment through social media and by going door to door in Belizean communities. I will talk to anyone who will listen! We only have one planet to live on after all.
Receiving special recognition by President of WWF International, Mr. Pavan Sukhdev, is both an honor and a blessing. This means people are listening and encourages me to continue fighting for the more sustainable Belize I see in my warrior girl dreams! 
Playing in the waters off Belize is one of my favorite memories - snorkeling using a Brownie's lung generator on our sailboat. That was a long time ago and I am sad to hear there is now growing pollution in these beautiful waters. Stay strong! I was the tech director for an environmental film fest for 5 years and I have the skills now to produce documentaries. Perhaps I'll get to do one about Belize.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit