Playa Jacó became a smoke-free destination. This was possible after the joint efforts of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Garabito, the OneSea Foundation and the Chamber of Tourism and Sustainable Commerce of the Central Pacific.
With this announcement, the canton of Garabito seeks to promote the protection of the ocean by avoiding the pollution generated by cigarette stubs.
“Garabito is recognized for its beaches. I think we have been positioning ourselves very well as an attractive tourist destination because one of our priorities is that tourists find clean beaches and today in this commemoration, we are raising awareness on the importance of the oceans and ask them to please not throw garbage into the rivers,” explained Tobías Murillo, Mayor of Garabito.
The Mayor also highlighted the importance of this initiative, as it will protect the environment and help businesses in the area.
“This is another way to reactivate the economy and declaring Playa Jacó smoke and tobacco free also continues to position us in environmental issues,” explained Murillo.
The canton’s plans include beginning to label the beaches as smoke-free areas and organizing volunteer activities.
“The next step for us is to continue generating initiatives in the canton of Garabito with the different actors of the community to protect our oceans and achieve sustainable development which benefits us all. As a Chamber we have worked on projects with different partners for a cleaner, healthier and environmentally friendly canton,” said Juan Carlos Chávez, president of CATUCOSO.
Additionally, the OneSea Foundation will continue to advocate for other beaches in the country to be declared “non-smoking zones.”
“At OneSea Foundation we will continue to work together with the local government of Garabito for the sustainable development of the canton, always taking into consideration the people of the community, their economic growth, health, welfare and environment,” commented Eduardo Leitón, general coordinator of OneSea.
Leitón also explicated the significance of these kind of projects and revealed they will replicate this initiative in other areas of Costa Rica.
“We will apply this model to the following local governments in the country, bringing Peace to The Oceans, together with all Costa Ricans, through open consultation processes for the development and implementation of environmental policies and bills”, concluded Eduardo Leitón.
Police officers of the Municipality of Garabito will be in charge of ensuring that this new guideline is complied with, both by nationals and foreigners. If you are caught smoking in Playa Jacó, you will have to pay the fine of ¢46,200.
