Las Coloradas is a small fishing port located on an estuary on the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It boasts an extraordinary coastal dune and mangrove ecosystem, with pristine beaches teeming with flora and fauna of priority species, which bring life to this protected natural area.
As in many parts of our country, this area is experiencing urban and tourist growth, which also increases waste disposal, which is impacting and showing warning signs for the population and for those of us committed to the environment.
Aware of this situation and with a firm commitment to continue making a positive difference in communities, the Coca-Cola Foundation, together with the Bepensa Foundation, is collaborating with Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatán on a project to improve solid waste management in the coastal community of Las Coloradas. The project aims to create a responsible environmental culture based on education, participation, community communication, and strategies that reduce and promote proper waste management.
The project presentation took place in Mérida, with the participation of Ana Lucía Márquez, Sustainability Manager and the Coca-Cola Foundation; Ricardo Ponce Gutiérrez, President of Pronatura Península; Fernando Ponce Díaz, President of the Bepensa Foundation; Sayda Melina Rodríguez, Secretary of Sustainable Development of Yucatán; Carlos Martín Briceño, Director of the Bepensa Foundation; María Andrade, Director of Pronatura Península; Erick Alcocer Estrada, Mayor of Río Lagartos; and Cristóbal Cáceres G. Cantón, Director of the ANP of Río Lagartos.
Ana Lucía Márquez, Sustainability Manager for the Coca-Cola Foundation, mentioned that this project for the conservation of Las Coloradas, in partnership with Pronatura Peninsula of Yucatán and the Bepensa Foundation, is highly relevant because it promotes the development of a culture in favor of proper waste management and disposal in the community through environmental education and communication, raising awareness and promoting positive habits within this community. This great work, in collaboration with the residents of Río Lagartos to achieve a sustainable community model, is essential for the conservation of these protected natural areas, which will surely serve as an example so that more and more of us act in favor of a world without waste.
For his part, Ricardo Ponce Gutiérrez, President of Pronatura Península, shared that this project, which is being developed thanks to the support of the Coca-Cola Foundation, will inform the residents of Las Coloradas about the importance of managing the waste generated in the community and that which arrives through the people who visit its tourist attractions, in addition to helping them understand how their habits can be a factor of change and be able to benefit from them, as long as we all work to properly dispose of waste by using recycling in a circular economy model.
“The Bepensa Foundation reaffirms its commitment to serving as a liaison with partner organizations on projects with a high environmental impact. That's why we're here today, working together to continue generating decisive actions that improve the quality of life in the communities where Bepensa, as part of the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry, operates,” said Fernando Ponce Díaz, President of the Bepensa Foundation.
Carlos Martín Briceño, Director of the Bepensa Foundation, explained that part of the Bepensa Foundation's role in these initiatives is to serve as a liaison between Pronatura Península and the Coca-Cola Foundation, facilitating support and acting as a proactive observer to ensure the success of these projects. All this with the firm commitment to continue working in favor of the environment.
In closing, Erick Alcocer Estrada, Mayor of Río Lagartos, acknowledged and congratulated all the stakeholders involved in these efforts and reiterated his support for continuing to contribute to and strengthen the state of Yucatán with actions that improve and transform the state's environmental reality.
In addition, during the press conference, María Andrade, Director of Pronatura Peninsula, gave a brief presentation of the project. She explained the project's key points, its importance, and how it will be implemented to achieve the desired results.
For the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Bepensa Foundation, and their partners, these actions allow them to promote and strengthen a network with key communities for the care and conservation of important ecosystems, while also generating a culture of proper waste disposal based on the circular economy, helping to give all waste a longer useful life through active citizen participation so that, together, we can achieve a world without waste.
