Phanganist goes under the sea to meet Erica Mermaid! She gives you some brilliant tips to do during your stay on this amazing island of Koh Phangan.
EASY WAYS YOU CAN PROTECT THE ISLAND
1. Separate your trash and recyclables - Even though you may not see many recycling bins on this island as you do in your home country, please be aware that there is a lot of recycling happening here driven by the local people. You can help out by your putting glass and plastic bottles in a separate bag at the curb. Someone will pick it up and sell the bottles to one of the local 6 or 7 thai recycling facilities on the island, keeping less waste out of the landfill and out of the ocean.
2. Refuse plastic - Stores on the island give away free single-use plastic bags like candy, so when you leave your house make sure you bring a few plastic bags with you for the purchases you will make during the day. Afix the bags near the door so you see them when you leave and remember to take one with you. In addition to saying no to plastic bags, it’s also important to refuse plastic straws, plastic water bottles (you can purchase a refillable metal water bottle from Trash Hero) and you can also get a reusable metal food container in Thong Sala to avoid taking styrofoam for your leftover meals. Every piece of plastic refused is a life saved in the ocean!
3. Support Trash Hero - Trash Hero is a local charity group that coordinates beach clean ups every other sunday. This is a great way to help out here on the island! You can learn more on the FB page at www.facebook.com/trashherokohphangan. No need to sign-up, just show up and make new friends while cleaning up local beaches! You can also purchase a reusable metal water bottle through them, available at different locations on the island. They have free water refill stations for said bottles across the island. These bottles are also great for your smoothie drink to avoid the plastic cup and straw. Visit the Trash Hero facebook page for the most up to date information.
4. See trash? Pick it up! - When you’re walking along the beach and you see a piece of trash, don’t just look at it, pick it up! If each person picks up 3 pieces of trash each day over time we will see a very clean Koh Phangan! We can’t ignore the trash problem anymore and it’s not going away on its own. No one is going to fix it for us, it’s only going to change when we change ourselves first. As the problem has accumulated overtime it’s also going to take time to mend our wrongdoings, and to do that we must first decide to make the change in ourselves and live out that change little by little, each and every day through our daily choices.
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