Adopt A Coastline is a grassroots non-profit movement rooted in community action, environmental consciousness, and sustainable coastal protection. Since its inception in 2009, the initiative has championed a locally driven yet globally relevant stewardship model. Through the power of partnership, education, and volunteerism, Adopt A Coastline has grown from modest beach clean-ups into a robust, impact-driven program addressing circular economy principles, environmental regeneration, and community transformation.
Since December 2023, I have been an active participant in this mission. My journey with Adopt-A-Coastline began as a volunteer, and by April 2024, I was entrusted with the role of team leader, contributing significantly to the design and execution of stewardship programs in Antigua and Barbuda.
In this capacity, I coordinated and mentored a team of 10 youth stewards from Old Road Primary School, guiding them through the planning and implementation of environmental awareness activities. These efforts focused on two critical areas: promoting circular economy education and fostering a deeper understanding of coastal protection.
One of my primary leadership roles was serving as the lead steward for Pensioners Beach, a site maintained through a collaborative partnership involving the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus Guild of Students, the Department of Youth Affairs, and Adopt A Coastline. My work involved organising and supervising ongoing stewardship activities, ranging from litter removal to community engagement exercises aimed at building local ownership over the health of the coastline.
Beyond single-site efforts, I managed the waste collection and disposal system across four designated coastal areas. This task required coordination with volunteers, logistical planning, and ongoing assessment to ensure proper waste segregation, collection, and off-site disposal.
The cumulative impact of these efforts has been significant. Since joining the movement, I have directly contributed to the removal of over 20,000 gallons of waste from seven coastal locations through intensive clean-up campaigns. These campaigns restored the shoreline's aesthetic and ecological integrity and served as public demonstrations of community responsibility and environmental leadership. These activities' enhanced visibility and tangible outcomes have played an important role in raising environmental awareness among the public, particularly among the youth, in Antigua and Barbuda.
As threats to our coastlines continue to grow, so too must our commitment to stewarding them.
All photos featured are courtesy of Adopt A Coastline