World Environment Day
As warmer weather breathes new life across the Rockaway peninsula, beaches crowd with day visitors eager to soak in the sun. With these guests come an influx of business for locals, bustling streets, and a busy boardwalk. Families and friends enjoying the beautiful 170 acre stretch of sand and sea our residents call home bring with them all the accouterments necessary for a day of fun. Unfortunately, the proliferation of single-use plastics and other disposable items designed for ease means when these visitors leave, their trash often stays behind. Thus with the coming of summer comes frustrating levels of garbage polluting our shores and damaging the precious wildlife we all adore. This World Environment Day, GoodForm spoke with Aydon Gabournel of nonprofit Laru Beya Collective about their ongoing efforts to keep Rockaway clean.
Gabourel didn’t set out to start a nonprofit organization, however he had no choice.
“My daughter wanted to learn how to surf but we couldn’t find a place that was affordable. Her and a bunch of her friends wanted a place, so we built one.”
Formed in 2018, the Laru Beya Collective exists to provide education and access for the historically excluded youth of the Far Rockaways, as well as addressing the challenges to BIPOC surfers. Representation matters—our programs are structured around our mission to diversity. Additionally, Laru Beya creates long-term access to well-rounded mentorships, building connections within the surfing community, while incorporating sustainability and driving positive change in environmental movements. (LaruBeyaCollective.com)
Since its inception, the Collective has also been a leader in beach beautification projects. “One of the beautiful things about surfing is that you want to give back to the community,” said Gabourel. “We want our children to learn very early to be stewards of their ocean. We want them to have ownership of their environment and to give back to something that gives them so much.”
The beach cleanups also include education for the children about microplastics, which Gabourel says is “eye opening”. The youth participating in these events have stopped carrying plastic water bottles – the things they find shows them how quickly plastic use adds up.
Their work is also visible to those who are “down for the day”, and according to Gabourel, that visibility is also a key component of behavioral change. The children show visitors that they are accountable for their actions.
“When visitors see people out there cleaning up, it leads them to not want to leave their trash around.”
You can (and should!) join the Laru Beya Collective on the third Saturday of every month to do your part. The exact dates may shift according to the Collective’s schedule of events, but that information is always made public with adequate notice. “The first Saturday of June is when we start our lessons,” says Gaborel. “We do a little beach clean up before and after those, too.”
What else can you do to positively impact our beautiful town? We asked our personal trainers for tips on how to be a more eco conscious fitness enthusiast!
Use a reusable water bottle for your workouts instead of plastic, single-use bottles.
Buy local when it comes to fitness gear and equipment, shopping small promotes local economies as well as discourages fast fashion!
Recycle old yoga mats when done with them.
If workout clothes are in good condition, donate them to charity instead of throwing them in the trash bin.
Open windows when working out to avoid using electricity from your AC.
Buy second hand everything when possible!
When ordering online, choose the "less paper" option, or opt for slower shipping if given the chance.
Recycle those boxes that your fitness gear comes in!
Enjoy the weather—we’ll see you on the beach!
