Cleaning Up After Others, a Story of a Hometown Hero

We’re so happy to have everyone back on Folly Beach, but unfortunately, with the crowds comes the trash. New York Times author Maria Wollan met up with resident Vanessa Oltmann to see what a small impact can make on Folly Beach. Vanessa spends her free time picking up debris on the beach and is an excellent reminder of how the little things can make a big difference. 

Vanessa mentions that she’s used to picking up things like plastic wrappers and cigarette butts, but the re-opening of Folly Beaches have brought more debris. She’s noticed endless empty takeout containers and countless alcohol bottles. It’s the little things, left without care, like children’s Juice Box straws that can be detrimental to our animals. It’s Vanessa’s hope that her small action will ignite a change, and others may look up to her and say, “Momma, look what she’s doing. We should do that, too.” We love our beautiful beach, and we know you all do too, so we want to remind you to do your part in helping to keep Folly clean! After a fun-filled day playing in the sand, remember to clean up after yourself and try to leave the beach cleaner than how you found it.

We want to thank Vanessa and everyone else who helps out for the beautiful work you do to keep our beach and sea safe for all! We are eternally grateful… and we know our wildlife is too!  

To read more about Vanessa’s story written by Maria Wollan, visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/magazine/how-to-clean-up-after-others.html