Beach cleanup in El Medano
With its black sand beaches and dazzling blue shores, Tenerife is a favorite for ocean lovers around the world. Therefore, many people escape to Tenerife in hopes of exchanging cold and gloomy winter days for sea, sun, and sand on the island of eternal spring.
But, the effects of mass tourism mixed with daily local life put immense strain on Tenerife’s shoreline and cause hoards of rubbish and plastic to wash up on the beaches. It breaks our hearts to see that Tenerife’s stunning volcanic blank sand beaches are slowly being overtaken by debris and pollution. So, when we heard about a beach cleanup held at Playa del Medano organized by Ecomplicados we jumped at the opportunity to help.
The Ecoimplicados Environmental Association is an up-and-coming non-governmental organization fighting for a more sustainable future for Tenerife. Armed with bags and gloves – the hardworking volunteers of Ecoimplicados get wet and dirty to clean beaches, barrancos, and the ocean. Naturally, the Canary Green team joined forces with this forward-thinking organization and got to work spreading the word & rounding up the troops.
In short
• 35 voluteers
• over 30 kilos of rubbish
• a fun & action-packed day
• a step in the right direction
WHY IS PLAYA DEl MEDANO ONE OF THE BEST BEACHES IN TENERIFE FOR A CLEANUP?
El Medano is a quaint town nestled in the south of Tenerife. The coastal village is popular among windsurfing enthusiasts and digital nomads and has become a hotspot for sustainably-minded folks. El Medano’s iconic landmark, Montana Roja, is often the first impression travelers get upon their airplane descent. Further, El Medano’s unique nature reserve is home to many protected bird species. It is one of the best places for cleanup since the land is particularly vulnerable to pollution.
On arrival at the beach, it didn’t appear to be so littered and dirty but upon closer inspection, there didn’t seem to be an end to the amount of rubbish we found. Instead of pressing the snooze button, Canary Green, Horse Rescue Tenerife, EcoImplicados, and other sustainability rock stars formed a team of 35 volunteers and set out to make a real difference for Tenerife’s beaches.
Beach Cleanup: An alternative beach day
While donning heavy duty gloves and using eagle eye vision to hunt down any scraps of litter is maybe not what comes to mind when you think of a Tenerife beach day. But, it is one of the best ways to enjoy the coastline. Not only does it give you a chance to get up close to the natural beauty of the beach, it is also a super social activity. Groups of like minded people gathered together with one aim- to clear the coastline. The result? A fun-packed Saturday and over 30 kilos of waste cleared from one Tenerife beach.
The Playa del Medano beach cleanup was a great success and it would not have been possible without the invaluable help from Luis and Galilea from Ecomplicados. Nor without the support of the Empresa Chafiras. Together we can make positive change on the island for a sustainable future.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone involved in this Canary Green project where our aim is to help promote sustainable tourism in the Canary Islands.
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- Ecoimplicados organization of Beach Clean Up event
- John Beckley; Founder of Canary Green non profit
- Canary Green non profit:
- Photographer; Rémi Duhamel
- Social Media; Anete Jankovska
- Project Coordination; Patricia Horlacher
- Amazing sponsors and collaborators of this event: Ecoimplicados, Tenerife Horse Rescue, Chafiras
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It was soooo much fun!!! Everybody was super motivated and it was a big group of people from lots of different backgrounds: internationals & canarios. Definitely coming to the next event you guys do!!
This is incredible! And it’s so much more than just keeping beaches clean – it’s for the sake of our ecosystem, the one earth we all live on and the future of our kids.