Every year, hundreds of pounds of beads are found in Tampa Bay during the aftermath of Gasparilla. Gasparilla is a cherished Tampa holiday and one of the largest annual parades in the country. As with many other large-scale events, however, Gasparilla has a significant negative impact on the environment of the surrounding community. A lot of this negative environmental impact stems from the large amount of trash generated from such an event as well as the large quantities of plastic beads that end up on the roads and in the bay. To combat this issue, the Robinson JROTC program planned a new program to help clean up after the Gasparilla festival.
“The cleanup effort came about because of how our JROTC program is all about going out and helping the community. Chief McBride organized with Adventure Outfitters to have us join their part of the Gasparilla cleanup,” JROTC leader Rebecca Siddall (’27) said.
To accomplish their goals for the cleanup, the JROTC program met up the day after Gasparilla in order to work the cleanup.
“On Sunday, Jan. 26, we [12 of our own cadets and Chief McBride] met near the Davis Island Bridge with Adventure Outfitters. After a quick brief on what we were supposed to do, we went up and down Bayshore Boulevard and cleaned up as much of the mess as we could and then organized it at the end of the cleanup,” Siddall said.
This year is the first time the JROTC program has committed itself to a dedicated cleanup effort. Their involvement with the effort is no surprise due to the program’s past commitments. Describing the reason it was an obvious choice, Siddall described how the cleanup aligns with the program’s core values.
“The cleanup aligns with the JROTC program at Robinson since it’s part of our core values-honor, courage and commitment,” Siddall said. “We go out and volunteer to honor our community, showing integrity and commitment. The overall goal was to help clean up our community and make it better than how we found it, which we did accomplish.”
While some question the amount of impact just one cleanup effort could do, JROTC members believe in the value of their efforts towards environmental consciousness.
“From my perspective, I believe that every minute we spent out there was worthwhile. Helping people, even if it’s by a tiny amount like this, will always be worth it,” Siddall said.
Another JROTC member suggested some other methods to lessen the environmental load created by Gasparilla.
“[We] keep the community clean; we took the next step to keeping it clean. If the city were to implement more biodegradable material for daily amenities the problem would be fixed.” JROTC member Alfred Haugabook (’27) said.
Furthermore, as a solution to the environmental ramifications outside of cleanups, Haugabook emphasized the need for biodegradable materials throughout the city.
“If the city were to implement more biodegradable material, the environmental toll of Gasparilla would be greatly diminished.” Haugabook said.
Whatever the method of diminishing the environmental impacts of Gasparilla, it is a noble goal. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the JROTC to keeping the community clean, we are one step closer to an environmentally conscious parade.
