This idea finds the solution within the problem. If the trash comes from the world, let it be the world the one to take it back, and furthermore, to pay for taking it back. Mahahual is one of the Mexican beaches most visited by foreigners each week, receiving approximately 15,000 tourists. The handicrafts of the Mahahual region (Mayan cultural zone) are one of the most wanted, admired and, most importantly, bought by foreign tourists. Then, how to decrease the environmental and economic impact of this garbage problem? Local artisans created handicrafts with the trash that comes from all over the world, and sold them to tourists that also come from around the world. This way, we accomplish an economic income, the reduction of the environmental impact, and the creation of global consciousness about this local issue.

• Implementation: directly in Mahahual. The campaign called to recollect the garbage for its pulverization. Local artisans were contacted in the creation of the handicrafts, using the garbage disintegration.

Finally, posters were used with a call to action to buy handicrafts made out of garbage, that probably belonged to them.

• Media channels and integration: We made the initiative public through the Mexican Fund for Nature Conservancy’s site, with a hashtag: #thisisyours. This allowed us to enlarge the impact of the idea.

• Timeline: April 2015.

• Scale: Implemented in a small scale through different activations, because of the fact that this action was about public welfare and so it counted with a considerably small budget. Nevertheless, the impact of this idea is making many other public actors want to become part of it; they want to spread the voice and help with the cause of environmental cleaning and economic support.

• Action/business results

Different private institutions approached the Mexican Fund of Nature Conservancy offering their help. We now have a whole plan to collect garbage from 8 beaches throughout the Mayan Riviera, and an economic plan to support 3 craftsmen communities throughout the region.

• Outcomes/awareness

The results that the media buzz generated were really positive. Local hotels and many people became conscious about the problematic; they helped organize the garbage collection, incentive the neighborhood not to throw away trash, aside from different associations that now want to be part of this cause. And different groups for permanent garbage collection were created to further this process of handicraft production, so it can become a new income for the local families.

Different institutions took this idea as an example of a way of giving a problematic a different angle; a creative and intelligent one that was able to generate consciousness among the people.

This idea transformed a handicraft into a way to generate impact and consciousness about an environmental and economic issue that affects a whole population.

Target

Main: All the people coming from different parts of the world, visiting the Mahahual Beaches.

Secondary: All the people that are being affected directly or indirectly by this environmental issue.

• Media

Local communication was created to invite all the local people to be part of the collection of garbage. The main local stores were used to let all the tourists know the message. A video was created as a mean to share the idea, and at the same time, create consciousness; and The Mexican Fund of Nature Conservancy promoted it through different media that covered the news.

• Approach

The first approach was through a poster that encouraged the tourists to buy the handicrafts made with “their own garbage”. A video was created that documented the activation, and after this, the tourists were invited to share their experiences in social media. At the same time, different media shared the activation, enlarging the impact of the idea.

• Situation

There’s a natural phenomenon that affects specifically a Mexican beach in the Mayan Riviera. The ocean gyre causes the ocean currents to throw tons of garbage from many different countries in the Mahahual beach. This generates an adverse environmental and economic impact within this area.

• Brief

The Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, (Mexican Fund for Nature Conservancy) aims to launch a campaign to reduce the environmental and economic impact in the area of the Mahahual Beach. To promote a culture of change towards a new lifestyle of less environmental impact; like the replacement of disposable products to reusable and recycled ones.

• Objectives

To be able to turn a local issue into a worldwide problem; generating conscience, promoting actions and solutions to stop and diminish the problematic issue that affects Mahahual.