Blog: Imperfect Sustainability
Operations manager-turned-environmentalist, Saucedo Saucedo, wants you to know that plastic pollution is a problem to be taken seriously, especially here in Qatar. “Once you leave the comfort of a very nicely manicured and well-kept city and country, you realize that we do have a bit of a problem, just like everyone else.”
Saucedo, who is Mexican-American, moved from the US to Doha three years ago. When he first arrived in the country, he was shocked to see the sheer amount of plastic litter strewn across Qatar’s golden beaches. Now Saucedo is working as the director of Doha Environmental Actions Project (DEAP), a volunteer organization that is fighting against plastic pollution with their beach cleanups and awareness programs in Qatar.
In the sixth episode of Qatar in Quotes, we talk to Saucedo about the beach cleanup movement in Qatar, its prospects and how everyday people can combat plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution is such an enormous problem, Saucedo said, and can be so overwhelming to think about that it becomes very easy to just give up on doing anything about it. He thinks individual participation in the green movement, however, is crucial to making a difference. “My message to people is always: what are you doing? what am I doing?” he told episode host, Kayan Khraisheh. According to Saucedo, it doesn’t matter how small your contribution is, as long as you do contribute. Whether this means deciding to stop any purchases of single-use water bottles, going vegan, or switching to recycling and composting, or even committing to always throwing your litter in the bin, every step matters.
“If all of us [make] small changes, that could have a huge impact on the environment.”
DEAP works in conjunction with Qatar’s ministry of municipality to remove litter from the country’s sand dunes and beaches. To date, the organization has organized 180 cleanups, mobilizing 10,000 volunteers and removing over 1100 tons of trash.
“Our slogan is ‘Discovering Qatar with a purpose.’ We want to raise awareness about plastic pollution and trigger people to take action but we also want people to discover Qatar. We want to show the world and people how beautiful Qatar is,” Saucedo stated. DEAP’s cleanup movement aims to uncover the beauty of the spaces in Qatar through its work.
Research has shown that Qatar produces the highest level of plastic waste per capita among the Gulf states, so any effort to curb this problem really does matter.
DEAP organizes their cleanups every Friday. To learn more about their work and why fighting plastic pollution is important tune in to Imperfect Sustainability, episode 6 of Qatar in Quotes.