Wendy O’Dea
| Special to USA TODAY 10Best
It’s not long after dawn on a late July morning in Honolulu, and my friend Julie and I are getting our workouts in early. We’re not at the gym, but at the beach, repetitively bending at the waist to pick up other people’s garbage.
Our gloved hands dig through the silky sand to find tiny bits of single-use plastics, sushi wrappers, innumerable straws and, not surprisingly, an array of face masks. The enthusiastic return of tourists to the Hawaiian Islands has been a mixed bag – refueling the local economy and breathing life into the tourism industry but also taking a toll on the environment. More people equals more trash.
Julie and I signed up for the DIY beach cleanup through a sustainability hotel package at the Prince Waikiki. The property is one of many hotels and attractions that have partnered with the Hawaiian Tourism Authority and Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau on the Mālama Hawaii initiative, which encourages visitors to help protect and preserve the land. Those who volunteer to mālama or “give back” can receive discounts, gifts and even free hotel nights, not to mention bringing some light to the dark days of the past two years.
When Julie and I checked…
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