While waiting for a bus in the high Andes in Ecuador, a group of school children passed by us on their way home from school. We happened to be digging into a large bag of sweets, and it’s kind of rude not to share! So, we dished them out to the passing kids and then watched as one by one, they dropped the wrappers everywhere without a second thought, covering their own beautiful landscape in neon coloured plastic.
Time for a gentle eco-friendly reminder, we thought! In our best Spanish we tried to explain to them that this wasn’t a good thing to do, and pointed them all in the direction of a bin close by. We were met with blank expressions and utter bewilderment. These kids weren’t being rude, or lazy – they simple didn’t have a clue that what they were doing has a negative impact. Nobody has told them otherwise, and indeed they have more than likely just copied exactly what their parents do. And why would their parents know any better? Nobody has explained otherwise to them either. When they were their children’s age they probably would have been able to dump food packaging with no consequences. Plastics there weren’t so abundant back then and food was often consumed from natural ‘containers’ which would biodegrade without an issue.
Kids and sweet wrappers might be at the lower end of the pollution spectrum, but we saw the same sentiments echoed across Central and South America with more far reaching consequences. From bleached or dead coral to huge dumping grounds in otherwise stunning landscapes. From huge areas of deforestation to so called eco-tourism exploiting native species of animal.
If you’re anything like us, then looking after the planet is extremely important to you. At home we devote so much attention to cutting out the dreaded single-use plastics and making sure we’re environmentally responsible. We’re fortunate to live in a country (the UK) where education and infrastructure allow us to play our part in conservation and act responsibly.
Taking this philosophy and knowledge away when you travel is so important. We were shocked to see than in Costa Rica, a country which prides itself on eco-tourism, it was largely expats and not locals who were behind this movement. While scuba diving in what should have been a beautiful reef, we found ourselves picking up plastics and other waste from amongst the bleached, dead coral. In the San Blas islands, once a pristine tropical paradise made up of hundreds of palm tree laden islands, many of their shores had a vast array of waste washed up.
But it’s not all bad. The further South we travelled, the better things seemed to get. In Chile and Argentina, predominantly in Patagonia, we were pleased to discover that most supermarkets don’t even offer plastic bags. It’s also possible to trek for miles and miles and see little or no pollution. It’s all about education. Chile and Argentina are perhaps a little more developed than many or the countries to the north, especially in Central America.
Single use plastics have been introduced to these countries faster than it’s been possible to educate people about them. Many of these countries are incredibly poor too, which means foreign money in exchange for exploitation of natural resources is often too good to turn down. Without a doubt this is a global issue, seen all over our planet, but as a traveller we’ve learned it’s absolutely possible to leave a positive mark and do our bit to help.
Here’s a few things we quickly learned which might help others on the road.
- Pick your tours carefully. We understand that adhering to a budget is hugely important, but be aware that the cheapest options are often the most damaging. People want to make money and make it fast. Loading up tour busses and and going with the quantity over quality approach is often to the detriment of landscapes and wildlife.
- How badly do you need to see it? Everyone wants to be able to share that insane Instagram photo. But sometimes it’s simply not worth it. We spent an evening watching huge leatherback turtles coming in to nest on a beach, along with around 50 other tourists with flashing cameras and clumsy footsteps. We can’t tell you how much we regretted it. Some things are best left alone – there’s always Planet Earth and David Attenborough!
- Educate. Whilst it can be a fine line to tread between educating and patronising, it’s important to try. So many people in lesser developed countries simply don’t understand the consequences or litter, pollution or other waste. It’s an opportunity for us to help in whatever small way possible. Small actions make a big difference.
- Respect. People, animals and environments. They all deserve respect and protection. Elephants don’t need to be ridden, sloths don’t need to be held and plastic bottles don’t need to be used once and discarded.
Agree or disagree, we would love to hear your opinions
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