Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - As part of World Environment Day, students from the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac, Puerto Vallarta Campus, met yesterday in the nearby Agustín Flores Contreras sports complex in order to assist with cleaning the rivers and beaches of this tourist destination.

Maestro Luis Ignacio Bobadilla Zúñiga, Director General at the Uni-PV, highlighted the importance of young students understanding the irreversible damage to nature of contaminants, and he highly encouraged the participation of students of this University in answering the call to assist SEMARNAT, Mexico's Environmental Ministry, municipal authorities and representatives of TV Azteca in educating youth groups and society in general concerned about the health of our areas' natural resources. "We must create permanent awareness about avoiding littering and negative impacts on the environment" he said.

He highlighted the strong involvement of the students of this university, as well as other local educational institutions actively participating in Environment Week. Integrated with social organizations, business and public sector, tongs of garbage and debris were collected that had damaged the environment of this international tourist destination.

These activities are part of the study of the Van Rensselaer Potter approach to biochemical moral values - "the systematic study of human behavior in the field of life sciences and environmental care, in that such conduct is examined in the light of the values and moral principles." This is an approach needed in order to create a culture in our town that includes a love of nature within the family, which will lead to a permanent exercise of this principle in society.

Participants from the school gathered in the vicinity of the Sports Unit Agustín Flores Contreras and formed various groups that were coordinated by local authorities to work in specific sites deemed the most polluted.

Students and other volunteers walked with trash bags over large areas of beaches and rivers at which various wastes were collected, demonstrating the importance of keeping Puerto Vallarta's environment clean, in order to maintain the city's image as an international tourist destination.

Approximately 46 tons of garbage were collected.