The Riviera Maya is one of the fastest growing coastal regions in the world.

Waste management - its collection, transport, disposal and treatment -- is a neglected and growing problem in Tulum and its surrounding communities. Trash collection is unreliable and in some cases non-existent. As a result, trash is often thrown onto streets or other public areas. There is also no effort to sort recyclables from pure waste.  

The waste that is picked up is disposed of in a landfill located 18 kilometers south of Tulum. It does not operate fully, in part because a generator is needed to allow the trash compactor to function. In addition, the landfill was not properly constructed, so it is likely to run out of capacity soon.   

The Art of Conservation’s ‘Let’s Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, and Respect Project’ aims to instill respect for the environment in the children by getting them involved in a hands-on effort to pick up trash and sort recyclables, using the current local services of our partnering communities in the municipalities of Tulum and Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The recyclables sorting effort is done in conjunction with another project in the area: No Mas Plastik. Our trash pickup/recycling project is part of the Art of Conservation’s core programming within our module called Environmental Health - Discovering our Blue Planet. Trash clean-ups continue throughout our programming; for instance during our Discovery Dive at Solimán Bay and the Sian Ka’an Graduate Retreat.

Our Goal: To promote sustainable knowledge and practices that enhance the health of AoC's students and their ecosystem through artistic, educational, and experiential programs.

Outcome 1: To clean-up the environment (community spaces, streets, beaches, parks) by collecting trash and transporting it to Tulum's recycling center

Output 1a: Plastic bins and/or garbage bags of trash collected.

• Indicators - # of plastic bins and/or garbage bags of trash collected.
• MOV - Tally sheet.
• Target - 8 March 2017 for 2 schools - 3 plastic bins and 5 big garbage bags per school.

Output 1b: Plastic bottles collected.

• Indicators - # of plastic bottles collected.
• MOV - Tally sheet.
• Target - At least 150.

Output 1c: Target space is cleaned.

• Indicators -% of target location that is cleaned.
• MOV - Before and after photos.
• Target - At least 80% of target area cleaned.

Activity

1. Site determined.
2. Kids transported to site.
3. Group collects garbage and recyclables.

Outcome 2: To teach AoC students about trash disposal & recycling through the ‘Let’s Recycle!’ project field trip to the recycling center in the town of Tulum.

• Indicators - % of students whose recycling knowledge improved.
• MOV - Before and after questionnaire.
• Target - At least 80% of students have at least 50% improvement in post-trip questionnaire score.

 Output 2a: Lecture given.

• Indicators - Lecture completed.
• MOV - Verification by staff.
• Target - Lecturers Heather Froeming of No Mas Plastik and Cuauhtémoc Martinez from Tulum Municipality.

Output 2b: Provide a recycling experience by transporting and recycling collected materials.

• Indicators - % of attendees that receive AoC’s reduce, reuse, recycle bag.
• MOV - Tally sheet.
• Target - 100% of students receive bags. 

Activity: Organize recycling trip, lecture, art activity, trash separation relay race, and snack.

Input: Students, trash bags or bins, transportation, staff. 

Thank you to our partners!

On Tuesday, 29 November 2016, Art of Conservation (AoC) is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving, and we would like you to join this special call to action that AoC is calling #GivingToMayanChildrenDay.

A few of our former students have this to share about their Art of Conservation experience.

Happy 2016 everybody. May it be a beautiful year for you all.

We've received many interesting requests for volunteer opportunities and I've finally had some time to update some of our material. Below is our International Volunteer information and below that is our Volunteer Placements information and form.

If you are interested in volunteering with our partner organization, Conservation Heritage - Turambe, in Rwanda, Africa please go to this link on our website http://www.art-of-conservation.org/cht or contact Valerie Akuredusenge directly at chturambe@gmail.com. I am always available for further chats as well at julie@art-of-conservation.org.

And thank you for your interest!                                                                                                                   

STAFF & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JULIE GHRIST
Founder and Executive Director
(2006 to present)
Julie, founder of the Art of Conservation, whose quest for learning, creative thinking and tremendous love for animals, inspired her to move to Rwanda to work with local communities about the importance of conservation and health for local communities bordering the Volcanoes National Park, home to the Critically Endangered Mountain Gorilla. After seven successful years, Julie handed over the management of AoC’s programming to a local Rwandan team who continues to pursue AoC’s mission. Having seen the impact she made on the local communities in Rwanda, Julie surveyed other regions which she believed could benefit from her innovative programming. She now lives with her two African Street Dogs in Tulum, Mexico running AoC's programming.

MANUEL DEL MONTE
Program Manager and Facilitator
(2014 to 2017)
Manuel was born in México City and grew up fond of nature and sports. Manuel's mother, Beatriz, an anthropologist, and his father, Manuel, a timber contractor, were clear with their children on their ideas towards personal relationships and attitudes toward the environment. Manuel has worked for the last eleven years on sustainability and human development. He worked in south Thailand on a crisis program in primary schools along the coast after the December 26, 2004 tsunami. He continues his work on human development and resources management with forest communities in México. Manuel has lived in Tulum for the last seven years and loves to work with Art of Conservation close to nature and children.

BOARD AND ADVISORY COUNCIL

Art of Conservation (AoC) was founded in 2006 by Julie Ghrist in Rwanda’s Virunga Massif region, where the ideas and cooperation of local communities were incorporated to develop innovative educational programming. After seven successful years, delivering its curriculum, AoC handed over the work to the local team to create its own non-profit – Conservation Heritage -Turambe (CHT). In 2014, recognizing a similar need for conservation education in the Mesoamerican Reef Region, AoC launched its four-module programming in several Mayan communities bordering protected areas including the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and X'cacel-X'cacelito in Tulum, Mexico.