Clean, green superhero dog fights garbage in Chile

Record ID: 1675399

  • Title: Clean, green superhero dog fights garbage in Chile
  • Date: 3rd June 2022
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ILLUSTRATOR AT SANTIAGO'S METROPOLITAN PARK, SAYING: “This became much more widespread than expected, and it has been spread very well on social media. There are many good comments about the comic, how it came to be, and about the campaign communicating the idea of cleaning the trash.” (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF SANTIAGO'S METROPOLITAN PARK SAM THE DOG AND ITS OWNER PASSING BY ON TRAIL OVERLOOKING SANTIAGO (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF SAM THE DOG AND PEOPLE WALKING ON TRAIL OWNER HOLDING SAM’S LEASH WHILE THEY WALK ON TRAIL VARIOUS OF SAM THE DOG AND OWNER WALKING ON TRAIL OWNER PLACING EMPTY PLASTIC BOTTLE IN SAM THE DOG’S VEST POCKET (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SAM THE DOG OWNER, GONZALO CHIANG, SAYING: “The artist who made the illustrations portrayed Sam quite well; she got to capture much of who Sam is and the message itself (contained) in the instruction manual (Sam the Dog Comic book) is the correct one because these are not places to come and dump rubbish. You can bring it, but throwing it out there is not the right thing to do. So the message that the park (Santiago’s Parque Metropolitano) is sending – by telling visitors to take their rubbish and if they can’t, there are 42 recycling points across the park – is super correct.” SAM THE DOG AT PARK SAM THE DOG AND OWNER WALKING AT PARK SAM THE DOG AND OWNER WALKING AND PICKING RUBBISH CYCLISTS ON LANE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ACTING DIRECTOR AT SANTIAGO'S METROPOLITAN PARK, EDUARDO VILLALOBOS, SAYING: “Visitors like Sam have inspired us to accelerate this education process and structure this garbage classification. But also, in adopting this work routine, in this way of looking at Santiago’s daily life, seeking to become more and more cautious when caring for the environment, taking care of our forests and our parks.” (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF SAM THE DOG AND OWNER WALKING ON TRAIL SAM THE DOG AND OWNER WALKING ON TRAIL OWNER PLACING AN EMPTY PLASTIC BOTTLES ON SAM THE DOG’S VEST POCKET (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF SAN CRISTOBAL HILL / VIEW OF SANTIAGO
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2022 12:01
  • Keywords: Chile Santiago dog environment recycling sustainability
  • Location: SANTIAGO, CHILE
  • City: SANTIAGO, CHILE
  • Country: Chile
  • Topics: Environment,South America / Central America
  • Reuters ID: LVA003240602062022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Sam, the four-legged superhero, works to keep a park in Chile's capital clean and green. The dog's superpower? Collecting garbage as a role model for visitors.
    The border collie, who takes regular walks in Santiago's metropolitan park with his owner, has become famous wearing a green cape in a comic used as an educational guide.
    It all started when Sam and Gonzalo Chiang had to stop again and again in the city's largest green area to pick up plastic bottles, masks, cans and food packages.
    "On Sam's walks we began to find a lot of garbage," Chiang said in an interview. "From that, the need to come prepared to take away the garbage that we found on each visit arose."
    In April alone, Sam and Gonzalo collected 602 masks, 585 bottles and 304 cans in addition to clothing, helmets and food wrappers, according to an official count.
    "The walk is a good opportunity to clean, rather than litter," Chiang said.
    Park officials were impressed by Sam, who visits the tourist attraction at least three times a week, and decided to use his image in its park care campaign.
    Catalina Aravena turned the 5-1/2-year old collie into a cartoon in "Sam: The Parquemet Superhero," telling visitors to take their waste with them or use one of the more than 40 recycling points throughout the park.
    "This became much more widespread than expected," Aravena said. "It reached different schools and it has been spread very well on social media."
    The park - home to a zoo, several hiking trails and a funicular railway - launched anti-litter campaigns last year urging drink vendors to switch from plastic to glass cups, launching a garbage classification program and educational programs.
    Sam and Gonzalo "have inspired us to accelerate this education process and structure this garbage classification," said Eduardo Villalobos, the park's acting director.
    (Production: Rodrigo Gutierrez, Eve Weininger, Anna Portella, Alfonso Duarte)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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