Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Jose Algarra.
Maria Jose, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Bogota, Colombia, surrounded by buildings and mountains. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to either be a mermaid or live near the Ocean. Moving to Miami was the closest thing to both. I have been living in Miami Beach for eight years and I have personally seen the drastic changes over the past couple of years. From plastic pollution taking over our waterways and beaches to the effects of sea-level rise in our cities. It’s a global problem, yet the changes start from home.
Through meditation and yoga I began to feel closer to mother nature, and more than ever I felt the need to make a difference in my community and in the world. It wasn’t until one afternoon during meditation class at South Pointe Park, that I felt as if I had found my purpose in life. In the middle of an epiphany, I decided to take the matter into my own hands. The question was how?
I began to Invite my friends and family to go clean the beach with me, trying to inspire those around me to make the smallest change or effort towards a more sustainable lifestyle was the first step of many. Clean This Beach Up started with me cleaning the beach, park, and street on my own, eight months after, we are a team of eight and have organized over 1000 volunteers since May 2019.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For far it has been an incredible journey, it has not been easy but it’s 100% worth the fight. As a personal challenge, living in South Beach and trying to keep 20 buckets, trash bags, gloves, pickers and every other supply needed for the cleanup in a small apartment has not been the most enjoyable part of the cause. Yet my boyfriend is very understanding LOL!
As an organization I believe there are two big factors we struggle with:
1. To reach enough people and find volunteers. Depending on the day, time and holiday, the number of volunteers can fluctuate from 100 people to 20. The more volunteers, the more awareness we can spread.
2. To educate our community. In general, most people are oblivious to the climate crisis and how much plastic pollution affects our ecosystems. Through our cleanups and educational program, we teach our volunteers how to live a more sustainable life. Our movement is more than just keeping our coastlines clean, it’s about inspiring individuals so that they can make a change in their lifestyles. A lot of the time we struggle with the “I have done enough by cleaning the beach” and they continue to use single-use plastics. We know living a sustainable life is not easy, but it’s not impossible, and that is why we continue to spread awareness and knowledge.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Clean This Beach Up is more than just a cleanup organization. We are a movement. Our slogan is “We are the wave of change.” We chose that quote because, what goes around, comes back around. Since the very first cleanup, I decided to incorporate wellness and fitness into our events. It is our way to give back to the community as they are donating their time to join and support our cause.
We began with our weekly Sunday Yoga and cleanup, and now we have Meditations, Boot-camp workouts, Happy hours, Giveaways, and an amazing educational program named Ocealize. (All of our activities are free for charge.) I believe that educating the community is the key to change, and why not make it the most fun possible?
We have accomplished so much in such a little time, that I can personally say I am proud of everything we have done. I have inspired so many women out there to speak up and make a difference, I have inspired friends and family to switch to reusable items and refuse single-use plastics. I have inspired many people from Miami and many other cities across the world to start their own cleanups or join ours. I love my community and my planet, Clean this beach up has become my passion and a full-time job.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Clean This Beach Up has never been a one women show, haha! Since the very beginning, I have had the support of my loving boyfriend and closest friends. I have also had the honor to meet incredible people along the road whom I can now call family. I could have never done this without them.
We have been extremely lucky to receive the sponsorship and friendship from many companies and organizations such as Boucher Brothers and Volunteercleanup.org. We have had the pleasure to work with local gyms, Miami based yoga instructors, personal trainers, restaurants and local businesses, and other environmental organizations and nonprofits, who have support our cause from the beginning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.volunteercleanup.org/cleanthisbeachup
- Phone: 7865713862
- Email: cleanthisbeachup@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleanthisbeachup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleanthisbeachup/
Image Credit:
Piotr Lapinski
Stephi Wald
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