Please, Cayman, Lets Make a Change
Protect Our Future began as a school project between four students back in 2018. What originally started as a small campaign against overdevelopment gained traction when youth on the island suddenly realised they had a potential outlet to share their opinion about the growing environmental challenges that faced Cayman. Today, the organisation has over 60 committed members tackling environmental challenges of all shapes and sizes, from increasing environmental education to evaluating the harmful impact sunscreen has on the health of our reefs.
Three months ago, Protect Our Future, Plastic Free Cayman, CayOcean and the Mangrove Rangers held an extensive beach clean up event for World Cleanup Day. Across 13 locations and with 300 volunteers, over two tons of plastic was taken off the shores of Cayman. This event was, without a doubt, a massive success. Following this, Protect Our Future was asked by the Compass to reflect on the experience and quoted an internally-curated statistic: according to global averages, we picked up the total amount of plastic that our island consumes in just over two hours. However, we made a fatal flaw--Cayman is never average. Our uniqueness as a society is often one of our most outstanding merits. In the context of this article, it is to our detriment. The corrected statistic is as follows: based upon Cayman's landfill statistics from 2020, we picked up the total amount of plastic that our island consumes in just over four minutes. This is a grievous problem.
At Protect our Future, we strongly believe that it is our experiences and interactions with the natural world that shape values and perceptions of why it is so necessary to preserve the environment. One day, we want our children to have the opportunity to learn from and enjoy all Cayman has to offer. Yet, every hour that goes by pushes us 30 tons further away from sharing this opportunity. Our new campaign encompasses Cayman’s challenges with the overconsumption of resources. Our recent docu-series, “Listen To Little, Learn From Grand” showed the depth and extent of damage to our islands. It is far too easy to blame a problem like this on people other than ourselves--however, this gets us nowhere. Instead of dividing our community, we must come together as an island, recognise a critical flaw, and step up to the challenge of carving a future for our children that they should look forward to and not dread. Next time you go for a walk with your family on Seven Mile, fill up your water bottles instead of buying single-use ones on the way. Why put your snacks in a plastic bag if a reusable container can be taken home and cleaned afterwards? Without making a small transition, we can't shift our current destructive path as people who share this magnificent island. New ideas and actions are working their way into our society: Plastic Free Cayman have been pushing a single-use plastic ban, the National Trust has long been campaigning for further legislative protection of mangrove ecosystems, and Mark Nicoll’s proposed community workshop propagates a more sustainable mindset deviating from societies trend of consumerism. The solution to our problem is simple: cooperation.
Please, Cayman, from your children, your grandchildren, and one day their children, let's make a change. Our future is not single-use.
