MIAMI – As we get ready to say goodbye to 2024 and make merry with family and friends, there are some gifts that don’t fit under the tree or can’t be stuffed in a stocking but will leave a lasting impression.
This holiday, don’t forget Mother Earth and consider ways that you can give back to the planet.
It’s been a big year in 2024 for the Class of ‘84 at Belen Jesuit Preparatory, where Local 10 News’ Louis Aguirre also went to school.
Reuniting to celebrate 40-plus years of brotherhood and friendship, a group of them wanted to do even more.
“We always do great things to come together, but I figured, let’s do something actually that actually helps our environment,” said Henry Sori.
Together with Dave Doebler from Volunteer Clean-Up, plus some family members, a tight delegation from Belen’s Class of ‘84 tackled the trash and debris that’s constantly washing up along the riprap of the Macarthur Causeway across PortMiami.
“Miami has a shiny light on it right now,” said F. Antonio Puente. “This is the Port of Miami here. For a lot of visitors, this is their first look at Miami. So we’ve really got to spread the word and pay attention to this.”
It is one of trashiest shorelines in all Miami-Dade County. Litter that people thoughtlessly throw on the street, or out their car window that gets washed up into our storm water system that dumps into our canals, which all outflow into Biscayne Bay.
So much of that trash constantly winds up there.
“We cannot clean our way out of this,” said Doebler. “Our only option is to reduce the consumption of single use plastics and make sure we’re disposing our trash properly.”
It was an eye opening experience for Aguirre, his Belen brothers and their families, to see firsthand just how bad our litter crisis has become in Miami-Dade.
“Coming out and doing this, you don’t realize when you’re picnicking with your paper plate and your water bottle, you don’t realize the repercussions of what you’re doing,” said Eddy Hillman. “And something like this really drives the point home.”
Classmate Fred Consuegra was so motivated by the experience, that when he saw some random debris just floating by, he impulsively jumped in the bay to pull it out. Turns out, it was a Gucci bag.
“I think it was worth it. It was the closer,” Consuegra said. “You know the bag was out there. Yeah, everything into something valuable in there, but it’s basically a piece of trash so we brought it in, just had to have it.”
Along with that bag, in just under an hour, the group pulled almost 300 pounds of trash from the shoreline of the MacArthur Causeway.
But it was more than just the litter that was picked up. This was another sign that every day we all have opportunities to take agency over the impact we make on our natural world. It really is on all of us to make a difference.
“The message is everybody’s got to put in their drop,” said Consuegra. “I mean, if everybody just puts a little bit of work towards bigger cause, it can get done.”
Added Hillman: “It’s all about consciousness. It’s all about realizing what our place is in this world, for good or for bad. And once you have that conscious awareness, then you can make things happen.”
If you are so inspired and want to organize a cleanup for your school, or maybe commemorate a special occasion, set up a corporate day of service, the good folks at Volunteer Cleanup can hook you up.
“Our motto is men for others, and that’s exactly what this is about,” said Sori. “We all grew up here in Miami, Florida, one of the greatest places to live in the country, and we figured that this was a great opportunity to bring us together as a class with a bigger purpose.”