Transcript

Miami’s Mangrove Hero: 37,000 Lbs of Trash and Counting

From Stay Tranquilo · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 42 min · 8,613 words · 164 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Miami’s Mangrove Hero: 37,000 Lbs of Trash and Counting", an episode of Stay Tranquilo published November 26, 2025 (42 min, about 8,613 words). It mentions 191 people, works and ideas, including Miami, Andrew Otaso, Miami Water Keeper, Microplastics, Debris Free Oceans.

What this episode is about

The topic focuses on Andrew Otaso's dedicated efforts to combat ocean pollution, particularly through his significant achievement of removing 37,000 pounds of trash from Miami's waterways. The discussion highlights his personal journey, motivations, and future aspirations in environmental conservation, emphasizing the widespread issue of marine waste that often goes unnoticed.

Key takeaways

  • From West Point to trash collection: an unexpected journey redefining success isn't selling real estate.
  • Mangroves: the unsung, trash-busting warriors that inspired an 8-year campaign.
  • 37,200 pounds of litter later, Miami's coast feels lighter and more loved.
  • PR and trash collection: two fronts in Andrew's war against apathy.
  • In a digital age of misinformation, picking up trash offers clarity and connection.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Andrew Otaso, Apps / Platforms mentioned, mangroves, Miami
  2. – 10:00: Miami, Miami Water Keeper, mangroves, mosquitoes
  3. – 15:00: mangroves, gas station, Miami Herald, Blue Missions
  4. – 20:00: mangroves, North Point Park, high school, Port of Miami
  5. – 25:00: mangroves, Hurricane, Microplastics, egrets
  6. – 30:00: manatees, plastic bags, Leave No Trace, Appalachia
  7. – 35:00: Baltimore, Mr. Trash Wheel, Seenor trash wheel, Smart Grates
  8. – 40:00: Microplastics, Washington Post, Clean This Beach Up, Mangro Sasquatch
  9. – 41:35: Debris Free Oceans, Virginia Key, Miami's Trashiest Run, Marine Stadium Basin

Notable quotes from "Miami’s Mangrove Hero: 37,000 Lbs of Trash and Counting"

  • Today we're joined with Andrew Otaso who ironically enough was one of our segments on a previous episode. So I just want to say thanks so much Juan for being here and I'm excited to tell.
    about Andrew Otaso · at
  • Okay., Where, am, I, from?, I'm, from Miami. Easy, easy answer to that question. I was born and raised here.
    about Miami · at
  • Finished his term of office and started a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. I was also a researcher at the Kennedy School. When he went back to Mexico, I went over the Harvard Business School and I was a research associate.
    about Harvard Kennedy School · at
  • Environmental nonprofits. so that's my professional side. On my personal side, I wrote a book called The Miami Creation Myth. won an International Latino Book Award. So that's cool.
    about The Miami Creation Myth · at
  • Holy, cow., And, yeah,, that, was, awful., That and it was a fundraiser for an organization called Miami Water Keeper.
    about Miami Water Keeper · at
  • Yeah,, it, was, wild., It, was, wild.,, so the Miami Herald published a front page story about it. So, like people found out about it. I didn't think anyone would know.
    about Miami Herald · at
  • Thrown in the ocean, it doesn't like a water bottle, it doesn't remain a solid piece of large plastic. It breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces called microlastics. And…
    about Microplastics · at
  • Nonprofit here called Debris Free Oceans and in I believe it's going to be March, we're going to do an event called Miami's Trashiest Run. And so it's going to be a 5K on Virginia Key in the Marine Stadium Basin.
    about Debris Free Oceans · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Andrew Otaso — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Philipe Calderón — Person · Referenced public figure (former Mexican president; employer of guest) · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a former Mexican president for whom Andrew Otaso worked as an assistant during a Harvard Kennedy School fellowship period, helping establish Otaso's professional background.
    Okay., Then, I, went, off, to, Boston, and, I became the assistant to former Mexican president Philipe Calaldon who had just finished his term of office and started a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. I was also a researcher at the.
  • Felipe Calderon — Person · 1 mention
  • Ben Juan — Person · Host / interviewer (name used while addressing the guest; ambiguous) · 1 mention · first at
    A speaker says 'thanks so much Juan for being here' while clearly addressing the guest (Andrew), suggesting either a misaddress, a second guest, or transcript diarization error; no other details provided.
    Today we're joined with Andrew Otaso who ironically enough was one of our segments on a previous episode. So I just want to say thanks so much Juan for being here and I'm excited to tell your story and the work that you're doing.
  • Manny Riiona — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Movement. There's so many different groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name.
  • MJ Algara — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup.
  • Mangro Sasquatch — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup is another thing. Like I highly.
  • Ebenas Diaz — Person · Host / greeter (unclear) · 1 mention · first at
    Named in the opening greeting; likely a host or recurring participant, but does not otherwise appear or speak in the provided excerpt.
  • Philipe Calaldon — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Okay., Then, I, went, off, to, Boston, and, I became the assistant to former Mexican president Philipe Calaldon who had just finished his term of office and started a…
  • Manny Riiona — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Movement. There's so many different groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name.
  • MJ Algara — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup.
  • mangro Sasquatch — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup is another thing. Like I highly.

Books & papers

  • The Miami Creation Myth — Book · Authored work · 1 mention · first at
    Book written by Andrew Otaso, which won an International Latino Book Award.

Companies & orgs

  • Miami Water Keeper — Company · Case study / beneficiary · 2 mentions · first at
    Organization that benefited from fundraising efforts (Marathon run) and is central to local water protection efforts referenced in the episode.
  • Debris Free Oceans — Company · Collaborator / partner · 1 mention · first at
    Nonprofit partner mentioned as an organization the guest partners with for events (e.g., Miami's Trashiest Run).
  • University of Miami — Company · Affiliation (education) · 1 mention · first at
    Guest graduated from the University of Miami (bachelor's and master's) — part of his educational background.
    I, graduated, from, the, University, of, Miami with my bachelor's, my masters. I studied in Buenocides. I studied in S.
  • Harvard Kennedy School — Company · Affiliation (education/academic) · 1 mention · first at
    Guest worked as a researcher / was affiliated while assisting former Mexican president Felipe Calderón who had a fellowship at the Kennedy School.
  • Cuba Study Group — Company · Former employer / leadership role · 1 mention · first at
    Guest served as executive director of the Cuba Study Group, working on Cuba policy and supporting civil society—important to his professional background.
    Publications there. Then I came back to Miami, then went back to DC. and I was the executive director of an organization called the Cuba study group, which is involved in Cuba policy and supports the Cuban civil society.
  • Harvard Business School — Company · Affiliation (research associate) · 1 mention · first at
    Guest worked as a research associate at Harvard Business School and authored academic publications—part of his professional credentials.
    School. I was also a researcher at the Kennedy School. When he went back to Mexico, I went over the Harvard Business School and I was a research associate.
  • Blue Missions — Company · Collaborator / event partner · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as an organization that organized kayak mangrove cleanups the host participated in; a partner in local cleanup activities.
    Absolutely., No,, I, agree., And, it, would, be my head's already like spinning of ideas, right? you like I've done a couple of like these groups where we actually went into…
  • Miami Herald — Company · Media coverage · 1 mention · first at
    Newspaper that published a front-page story about the guest's marathon with a trash bag.
    Yeah,, it, was, wild., It, was, wild.,, so the Miami Herald published a front page story about it. So, like people found out about it. I didn't think anyone would know.
  • Filibag — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Movement. There's so many different groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name.
  • Clean This Beach Up — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup.
  • Mangro Sasquatch — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup is another thing. Like I highly.
  • Volunteer Cleanup — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Washington Post — Company · Media coverage · 1 mention · first at
    Newspaper that covered the guest's environmental work, mentioned as part of his growing recognition.
    Lately., I, don't know, what's, in, the water, but like I've gotten more attention than usual. The Washington Post came out there.
  • Henco — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Stanilo — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Stanilo and Henco — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Runners World — Company · Media coverage · 1 mention · first at
    Magazine that wrote a piece on the guest's marathon with a trash bag.
    It, was, really,, really, cool., Runners World wrote a piece on me.
  • high school — Company · 4 mentions · first at
    Both my parents are Cuban. then things get weird. so I graduated from high school and I went to West Point, the US Military Academy.
  • the county — Company · 3 mentions · first at
    So,, I, come, back,, I, grab, the, two, kids,, we go back, I leave them in the parking lot, and then I go to the county's like building there, and I'm Hey, this is kind of weird. This guy's out there.
  • commissioner — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    Years ago, I, I tried reaching out to local newspapers and to my commissioner and to the mayor and being Hey, can we do something about this? But nobody cared. Nobody answered, right?
  • Miami Marathon — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    Built a 35 lb trash bag with my friend and from composed completely of trash from the mangroves and walked the Miami Marathon with it.
  • the city — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    Friend, they are not dumping millions of water bottles. Like this is coming directly from the city.
  • gas station — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    Road, Tropical Park, and he ended up actually making it all the way to the gas station. He was there in the gas station picking up trash on the ground.
  • Port of Miami — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    Because you're you're you're you're crossing government cut, right? You're crossing the port of Miami.
  • US Military Academy — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Things get weird. so I graduated from high school and I went to West Point, the US Military Academy.
  • Kennedy School — Company · 1 mention · first at
    President Philipe Calaldon who had just finished his term of office and started a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. I was also a researcher at the Kennedy School. When…
  • public relations agencies — Company · 1 mention · first at
    So, I, had, to, basically, reinvent myself and, I, started, working, at, public relations agencies. So I worked at a couple different national and international agencies. And then about three years ago, I went off on my own.
  • PR communications agency — Company · 1 mention · first at
    International agencies. And then about three years ago, I went off on my own and I've got my own PR communications agency now. and I work with a lot of environmental…
  • environmental nonprofits — Company · 1 mention · first at
    And I've got my own PR communications agency now. and I work with a lot of environmental nonprofits. so that's my professional side. On my personal side, I wrote a book called…
  • International Latino Book Award — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Side, I wrote a book called The Miami Creation Myth. won an International Latino Book Award. So that's cool.
  • local newspapers — Company · 1 mention · first at
    1940s essentially. and then eight years ago, I, I tried reaching out to local newspapers and to my commissioner and to the mayor and being Hey, can we do something about this? But nobody cared. Nobody answered,.
  • history of Miami Museum — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Yep., And, now, now, the, bag's, in, the history of Miami Museum.
  • Univision — Company · 1 mention · first at
    I, was, on, Univision,, I, think.
  • blue missions — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Actually went into the mangroves on kayak and went and started picking up trash. That was with blue missions.
  • manufacturers — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Beaches. We're all the way downstream and all the way upstream are the manufacturers, right? And in the middle are the consumers and the distributors.
  • consumers — Company · 1 mention · first at
    And all the way upstream are the manufacturers, right? And in the middle are the consumers and the distributors.
  • Attorney General — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Feel like that could be a cool like resolution. There's a actually a local company, the name escapes me at this moment, that's that creates these it's called smart grates. So…
  • Clean This Beach Up — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup.
  • Filibag — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Manny Riiona at Filibag. MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. mangro Sasquatch. yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. but, all, like,,, volunteer, cleanup.
  • volunteer cleanup — Company · 1 mention · first at

Products & tech

  • Mr. Trash Wheel — Product · Case study / existing solution · 1 mention · first at
    Cited as a successful example (Baltimore) of a trash-collection device that could be emulated in Miami.
    And if you know you haven't seen it please go just go look at it on social media. It's hilarious. It has this giant mouth and it's basically like this conveyor belt that just…
  • Smart Grates — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Company, the name escapes me at this moment, that's that creates these it's called smart grates. So basically they have like a little sensor that tells you when the grate like…
  • Trash Traps — Product · 1 mention · first at
    The gutter and goes out into the ocean through the art through the outflow. You can install they're called trash traps and they're giant nets essentially bags that the water…
  • Seenor trash wheel — Product · Proposed engineering solution / example · 1 mention · first at
    Concept/product referenced as an example of a trash collection mechanism similar to Baltimore's Mr. Trash Wheel; the guest mentioned pitching a Seenor-style trash wheel for Miami.
    Trash in the inner harbor up into this dumpster in the back. So something like that. Like I have pitched Seenor what was it? Seenor trash wheel for Miami with like maybe a mustache. Like I would love to see that here.
  • GoPro — Product · 1 mention · first at
    And, I, bought, a, GoPro, on, a, whim and, I, bought, a, tripod, and, just started recording it and just like I'm the most stubborn person you've ever met. So, I've been at it ever since.
  • Apps / Platforms mentioned — Product · General category · 3 mentions · first at
    Generic placeholder from extraction — the transcript references social media and platforms for documenting and sharing cleanups but no specific app names were given.
    If you tag me on Instagram with you picking up trash, I will share it. I want to model behavior. I want people to see that this is something you should be doing. It should.
  • plastic bags — Product · 3 mentions · first at
    I have found it. Okay, so like some of the wild So the most common items are plastic bags, plastic bottles, things like that. but like I found a virtual reality headset.…
  • tripod — Product · 1 mention · first at
    And, I, bought, a, GoPro, on, a, whim and, I, bought, a, tripod, and, just started recording it and just like I'm the most stubborn person you've ever met. So, I've been at it ever since.
  • trash bag — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Mangroves and expose as many Miami as possible to it. And what I did was I built a 35 lb trash bag with my friend and from composed completely of trash from the mangroves and walked the Miami Marathon with it.
  • trash cart — Product · 1 mention · first at
    That sucked. let me rope in some other people to help me. Right. So, we pulled this 135 pound trash cart the length of the marathon and together we raised $30,000 for Miami water. Holy cow.
  • plastic ropes — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Sparked one it sparks like a crazy level of awareness of what exists in there right? You're talking about rope plastic ropes. We had knives there where they're cutting off the…
  • knives — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Of awareness of what exists in there right? You're talking about rope plastic ropes. We had knives there where they're cutting off the you know the ropes off the mangroves.…
  • plastic bottles — Product · 1 mention · first at
    I have found it. Okay, so like some of the wild So the most common items are plastic bags, plastic bottles, things like that. but like I found a virtual reality headset.…
  • virtual reality headset — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Plastic bags, plastic bottles, things like that. but like I found a virtual reality headset. multiple microwave ovens. I found a whole kitchen stove, like four range stove top…
  • microwave ovens — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Like that. but like I found a virtual reality headset. multiple microwave ovens. I found a whole kitchen stove, like four range stove top with like you pull down to get the…
  • kitchen stove — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Found a virtual reality headset. multiple microwave ovens. I found a whole kitchen stove, like four range stove top with like you pull down to get the oven. Yeah. Found that.…
  • tractor trailer tire — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Stove top with like you pull down to get the oven. Yeah. Found that. found a 220 lb tractor trailer tire that came up to my chin that I had to then take like roll and push up a freaking hill to get out of the mangroves.
  • vacuum cleaners — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Yeah., I, had, to, scoop, it, all, out., what else I found? Multiple vacuum cleaners, many mattresses. so much underwear. Just too much underwear.
  • mattresses — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Yeah., I, had, to, scoop, it, all, out., what else I found? Multiple vacuum cleaners, many mattresses. so much underwear. Just too much underwear.
  • underwear — Product · 1 mention · first at
    What else I found? Multiple vacuum cleaners, many mattresses. so much underwear. Just too much underwear.
  • deodorant — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Yep., On, his, platform, putting, on deodorant. And I'm There he is.
  • cruise ships — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Where, there's, cruise, ships, and container ships and it's eight miles.
  • container ships — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Where, there's, cruise, ships, and container ships and it's eight miles.
  • water bottle — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Is, that, when, a, piece, of, plastic, gets thrown in the ocean, it doesn't like a water bottle, it doesn't remain a solid piece of large plastic. It breaks down into smaller…
  • fishing net — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Turtle, a little sea turtle probably about this big, just all tangled up in a fishing net. And ironically enough, a boat happened to be passing by, sees the net, sees that…
  • glass vials of milk — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Other systems in place. So, for example your milkman used to come by with, glass vials of milk, drop it off at your house, and I remember this growing up, and you'd leave the…
  • styrofoam — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Any city or county they pass an ordinance like banning whatever styrofoam or plastic bags the state of Florida will come in and go nope and cancel it. So like that needs to go.
  • smart grates — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Company, the name escapes me at this moment, that's that creates these it's called smart grates. So basically they have like a little sensor that tells you when the grate like…
  • trash traps — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Through the art through the outflow. You can install they're called trash traps and they're giant nets essentially bags that the water can flow through and then the rest will fill up with trash. That is also a possible solution.
  • Mr. Trash Wheel — Product · 1 mention · first at
    In, Baltimore, in, the, inner, harbor, you have this thing called Mr. Trash Wheel and if you know you haven't seen it please go just go look at it on social media. It's hilarious. It has this giant mouth and it's basically like this.
  • bra — Product · 1 mention
  • canoe — Product · 1 mention
  • fishing line — Product · 1 mention
  • GoPro — Product · 1 mention
  • house speakers — Product · 1 mention
  • kayak — Product · 1 mention
  • tent — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

  • Microplastics — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
  • Leave No Trace — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Day and didn't see a freaking piece of trash the whole way because it's part of the culture. Leave no trace is part of the culture in Appalachia.
  • mangroves — Concept · 22 mentions · first at
    Pounds of trash from South Florida's coastal ecosystem. So, mostly the mangroves.
  • manatees — Concept · 3 mentions · first at
    They eat whatever they find there and they ingest a ton of these microplastics when they're doing that. Also manatees.
  • mosquitoes — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Intimidating, but I'm I want to go in there. so like I would go in there and get eaten alive by mosquitoes and I'd get cut off and all sorts of terrible things. I had no idea…
  • Hurricane — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Hear about like the protection and like erosion, especially like with hurricanes, right? like the importance of the mangroves you know to not only to you know city of Miami but…
  • food chain — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Into smaller and smaller pieces called microlastics. And then the animals at the bottom of the food chain will mistake those plastics for food. So like you're talking your…
  • filter feeders — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Mistake those plastics for food. So like you're talking your crabs, your worms your, your filter feeders whatever. And then the larger predators eat the smaller prey until the…
  • legislation — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Can rally and you can post and you can do cleanups and all these things, but if you don't have legislation and regulation passed that addresses this at its core Yeah.
  • subtropical area — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Happens is people litter on the side of the road. Rain comes, we live in a subtropical area. It rains that goes directly into the street gutters.
  • street gutters — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    The road. Rain comes, we live in a subtropical area. It rains that goes directly into the street gutters.
  • square groupers — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    There's, there's, I, found, you, know there square groupers out there.
  • red mangro forest — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    What a mangro well there's different kinds of mangroves but I work a lot in red mangro forest and they're like the most famous kinds of mangroves. They have these big sweeping…
  • storm surge — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Sand on the coastline. And they also serve as this like shock absorber and this giant sponge for when storm surges and hurricanes hit us. They soak up all that water and energy…
  • reef fish — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Second thing that's they do that's very important is that basically 80% of the reef fish offshore, so like think tuna think marlin, swordfish, whatever, every grouper…
  • marlin — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Important is that basically 80% of the reef fish offshore, so like think tuna think marlin, swordfish, whatever, every grouper, everything that we love to eat they, spend…
  • swordfish — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Important is that basically 80% of the reef fish offshore, so like think tuna think marlin, swordfish, whatever, every grouper, everything that we love to eat they, spend…
  • grouper — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Reef fish offshore, so like think tuna think marlin, swordfish, whatever, every grouper, everything that we love to eat they, spend, their, juvenile, stages, within the…
  • egrets — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    And, they, also, serve, as, a, rrookery, for local birds. So you look around at our pelicans, our egrets, our osprey, ibis whatever.
  • osprey — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    And, they, also, serve, as, a, rrookery, for local birds. So you look around at our pelicans, our egrets, our osprey, ibis whatever.
  • pelicans — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    And, they, also, serve, as, a, rrookery, for local birds. So you look around at our pelicans, our egrets, our osprey, ibis whatever.
  • sea turtle — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Saw a video on Instagram. I think it was yesterday actually. And it was a sea turtle, a little sea turtle probably about this big, just all tangled up in a fishing net. And…
  • Leave No Trace — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Day and didn't see a freaking piece of trash the whole way because it's part of the culture. Leave no trace is part of the culture in Appalachia.
  • milkman — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Used to be like this. There were other systems in place. So, for example your milkman used to come by with, glass vials of milk, drop it off at your house, and I remember this…
  • single-use plastic — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    System that was reusable, right? And it didn't didn't like you didn't need to consume all this single-use plastic. But, I'm not a fan of politics, but like at the end of the…
  • regulation — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Do cleanups and all these things, but if you don't have legislation and regulation passed that addresses this at its core Yeah.
  • local home rule — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Yeah., So, I'm, about, I'm, all, about local home rule, right? Like coming up with solutions, that, work, for, your community, but this doesn't allow local communities whose residents want to.
  • Seenor trash wheel — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Dumpster in the back. So something like that. Like I have pitched Seenor what was it? Seenor trash wheel for Miami with like maybe a mustache. Like I would love to see that here.
  • 5K — Concept · 1 mention
  • baleen whales — Concept · 1 mention
  • crabs — Concept · 1 mention
  • ecotourism — Concept · 1 mention
  • EDM — Concept · 1 mention
  • ibis — Concept · 1 mention
  • krill — Concept · 1 mention
  • preemption law — Concept · 1 mention
  • public relations campaign — Concept · 1 mention
  • seagrass — Concept · 1 mention
  • seawall — Concept · 1 mention
  • tuna — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

  • Miami — Place · Setting · 5 mentions · first at
    Primary geographic setting for the guest's life and the coastal ecosystem he works to protect; many anecdotes reference neighborhoods, beaches, and mangroves in Miami.
  • Virginia Key — Place · Event location / local reference · 2 mentions · first at
    Location used for events and local geography (the 5K 'Miami's Trashiest Run' will be on Virginia Key). Also referenced in mangrove geography.
    March, we're going to do an event called Miami's Trashiest Run. And so it's going to be a 5K on Virginia Key in the Marine Stadium Basin.
  • South Florida — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    South Florida is the region where Andrew Otaso has picked up 37,200 pounds of trash from the coastal ecosystem.
    Point to the podcast, I've picked up 37,200 pounds of trash from South Florida's coastal ecosystem. So, mostly the mangroves.
  • Kiscane — Place · Geographical area · 2 mentions · first at
    Area in Miami where Andrew Otaso explored mangroves as a teenager.
    Person that needs to fill in all the white spaces in the maps. And this was even when I was a teenager. And when I was a teenager growing up here in Miami I would my parents…
  • Miami Marathon — Event · Fundraising event · 2 mentions · first at
    Event where the guest carried a trash bag to raise awareness and funds for Miami Water Keeper.
    Year I learned from my mistakes and was That sucked. let me rope in some other people to help me. Right. So, we pulled this 135 pound trash cart the length of the marathon and together we raised $30,000 for Miami water. Holy cow.
  • West Point — Place · Education / formative experience · 1 mention · first at
    Guest attended the US Military Academy at West Point for two years; part of his personal history and formative experiences.
    Both my parents are Cuban. then things get weird. so I graduated from high school and I went to West Point, the US Military Academy.
  • DC — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Pablo in Brazil. and then I went to DC for the first time and I worked for the US State Department.
  • Miami's Trashiest Run — Event · Community event · 1 mention · first at
    A 5K event organized to clean up trash in Virginia Key, involving a team competition.
    Nonprofit here called Debris Free Oceans and in I believe it's going to be March, we're going to do an event called Miami's Trashiest Run. And so it's going to be a 5K on Virginia Key in the Marine Stadium Basin.
  • Cranon Park — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    Kiscane and I would just, you know beach is nice, whatever, but I'd always wander up to like Cranon Park and, from, there, you, keep, going, north and you get to Bearcup…
  • Miami Beach — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    Like you'll see that trash on the beach but, honestly,, there, are, a, bunch, of groups and even the hotels on Miami Beach like have their own crews go out there and pick up trash because the tourists don't want to see that of, course.
  • North Point Park — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    So, just, in, North, Point, Park, which I've been cleaning for the last year, and, I, got, 10,200, lb, so, far, I, picked, up, 47, tires, from, this, one, park.
  • US Military Academy — Place · Educational institution · 1 mention · first at
    Institution where the guest attended before returning to Miami, part of his early life.
    Both my parents are Cuban. then things get weird. so I graduated from high school and I went to West Point, the US Military Academy.
  • Harvard Kennedy School — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Finished his term of office and started a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. I was also a researcher at the Kennedy School. When he went back to Mexico, I went over the Harvard Business School and I was a research associate.
  • International Latino Book Award — Event · 1 mention · first at
    My professional side. On my personal side, I wrote a book called The Miami Creation Myth. won an International Latino Book Award. So that's cool.
  • Bear Cut Preserve — Place · 1 mention · first at
    This, was, in, Bear, Cut, Preserve, in, Cranon Park.
  • Baltimore — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    In, Baltimore, in, the, inner, harbor, you have this thing called Mr. Trash Wheel and if you know you haven't seen it please go just go look at it on social media. It's hilarious. It has this giant.
  • Buenos Aires — Place · 2 mentions
  • Sao Paulo — Place · 1 mention · first at
    I, graduated, from, the, University, of, Miami with my bachelor's, my masters. I studied in Buenocides. I studied in S.
  • Boston — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Okay., Then, I, went, off, to, Boston, and, I became the assistant to former Mexican president Philipe Calaldon who had just finished his term of office and started a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy.
  • Mexico — Place · 1 mention · first at
    A fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. I was also a researcher at the Kennedy School. When he went back to Mexico, I went over the Harvard Business School and I was a research associate.
  • South Beach — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Okay, I've done that. I've done that trip. It's eight miles to South Beach.
  • Western North Carolina — Place · 1 mention · first at
    So, like,, you, know,, I, go, to, western, North Carolina every year and I hike the mountains there and there's no trash like anywhere. True. I hiked the Art Lob Trail. It was 32 miles in one.
  • Art Lob Trail — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Mountains there and there's no trash like anywhere. True. I hiked the Art Lob Trail. It was 32 miles in one day and didn't see a freaking piece of trash the whole way because…
  • Appalachia — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Day and didn't see a freaking piece of trash the whole way because it's part of the culture. Leave no trace is part of the culture in Appalachia.
  • Cranon Park — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    Kiscane and I would just, you know beach is nice, whatever, but I'd always wander up to like Cranon Park and, from, there, you, keep, going, north and you get to Bearcup…
  • Buenocides — Place · 1 mention · first at
    I, graduated, from, the, University, of, Miami with my bachelor's, my masters. I studied in Buenocides. I studied in S.
  • S. Pablo — Place · 1 mention · first at
    I, graduated, from, the, University, of, Miami with my bachelor's, my masters. I studied in Buenocides. I studied in S.
  • Bearcup Preserve — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Wander up to like Cranon Park and, from, there, you, keep, going, north and you get to Bearcup Preserve which, is, just, wild., It's, it's, just, like a mangro swamp and it…
  • the bay — Place · 1 mention · first at
    There's no filter whatsoever and it goes right into the bay and right into the mangroves. And people ask me all the time, they're How can people be so terrible? How can people go into the mangroves and dump all this trash? My.
  • Tropical Park — Place · 1 mention · first at
    It's, funny., So,, this, was, two, weeks ago. I was filling up gas right here off Bird and Tropical Park, right there by Tropical Park, and there was a guy there with a garbage…
  • Government Cut — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Canoe, goes some beach. Impressive because you're you're you're you're crossing government cut, right? You're crossing the port of Miami.
  • western North Carolina — Place · 1 mention · first at
    So, like,, you, know,, I, go, to, western, North Carolina every year and I hike the mountains there and there's no trash like anywhere. True. I hiked the Art Lob Trail. It was 32 miles in one.
  • Art Lob Trail — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Mountains there and there's no trash like anywhere. True. I hiked the Art Lob Trail. It was 32 miles in one day and didn't see a freaking piece of trash the whole way because…
  • Appalachia — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Trash the whole way because it's part of the culture. Leave no trace is part of the culture in Appalachia.
  • Inner Harbor — Place · 1 mention · first at
    In, Baltimore, in, the, inner, harbor, you have this thing called Mr. Trash Wheel and if you know you haven't seen it please go just go look at it on social media. It's hilarious. It has this giant.
  • Marine Stadium Basin — Place · 1 mention · first at
    March, we're going to do an event called Miami's Trashiest Run. And so it's going to be a 5K on Virginia Key in the Marine Stadium Basin.
  • Bird — Place · 1 mention
  • Cuban — Place · 1 mention
  • Key Biscayne — Place · 1 mention
  • ocean — Place · 1 mention

Media & podcasts

  • Miami Herald — Media · Media coverage · 1 mention · first at
    Published a front-page story about the guest's marathon trash-carrying fundraising stunt, increasing local awareness.
  • Washington Post — Media · Media coverage · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as national media that covered the guest's work, indicating broader attention.
    And,,, yeah,, man., And,, you, know, trying to reach a wider audience lately., I, don't know, what's, in, the water, but like I've gotten more attention than usual. The Washington Post came out there.
  • Runners World — Media · Media coverage · 1 mention · first at
    Magazine that wrote about Andrew Otaso's marathon with a trash bag.
    It, was, really,, really, cool., Runners World wrote a piece on me.
  • Univision — Media · Media coverage · 1 mention · first at
    Media outlet that featured Andrew Otaso's environmental efforts.
    I, was, on, Univision,, I, think.
  • San and Espanol — Media · 1 mention · first at
    Yeah,, San, and, Espanol, came, out, there.
  • Baby Smundo — Media · 1 mention · first at
    Baby Smundo. and there's some other ones I can't mention yet, but it's going to be big.
  • Hacks — Media · Referenced media (uncertain) · 3 mentions
    Mentioned in the extracted list but only briefly and with low confidence in detection; no substantive mention in transcript.

Sponsors

  • Stanilo — Sponsor · 1 mention · first at
    Good morning, eenas diaz. Welcome back to another episode of Cafesito Eroetas brought to you by Stanilo and Henco.
  • Henco — Sponsor · 1 mention

Full transcript with timestamps

Good morning, eenas diaz. Welcome back to another episode of Cafesito Eroetas brought to you by Stanilo and Henco. Today we're joined with Andrew Otaso who ironically enough was one of our segments on a previous episode. So I just want to say thanks so much Juan for being here and I'm excited to to tell your story and and the work that you're doing.

My, pleasure., Thank, you, for, inviting, me. Absolutely., So,, for, those, that,, you know, may be tuning in to this episode and didn't see one of our previous episodes, Andrew has been doing the God's God's work, right? You know, like it it is incredible what you've been a able to do, you know, taking care of our oceans, removing, you know, so much waste and trash that that exists that some of us may know, right? But I don't think we realize how much there is right? So for today, I want to definitely one be able to tell your story. One, like how you got into all of this, but two, like the inspiration behind your work and what you want to achieve in the long run by doing this.

So before anything, tell us a little bit about yourself and, you know, where you're from and all that fun stuff.

Uh,, okay., Where, am, I, from?, I'm, from Miami. Easy, easy answer to that question. I was born and raised here. Both my parents are Cuban. Um, then things get weird. Um, so I graduated from high school and I went to West Point, the US Military Academy.

Okay. That, was, an, experience. Absolutely. Um,, I, lost, a, bunch, of, hearing, and, I broke a shin

and, after, two, years, I, came, back, to Miami. I, graduated, from, the, University, of, Miami with my bachelor's, my masters. Um, I studied in Buenocides. I studied in S. Pablo in Brazil. Um, and then I went to DC for the first time and I worked for the US State Department.

Okay., Then, I, went, off, to, Boston, and, I became the assistant to former Mexican president Philipe Calaldon who had just finished his term of office and started a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. I was also a researcher at the Kennedy School. When he went back to Mexico, I went over the Harvard Business School and I was a research associate. So I wrote 17 different academic publications there. Then I came back to Miami, then went back to DC. Um, and I was the executive director of an organization called the Cuba study group, which is involved in Cuba policy and supports the Cuban civil society.

Um, did that for three years, came back to Miami again. Uh, then I worked at the funny thing is like I picked up all these skills everywhere and like I kept coming back. Can I curse on this podcast?, Of, course., All right., Amazing. And um you know, I had all these skills and I came back to Miami and people were like, "Cool, that's cool that you did that, but can you sell real estate?" And I'm like, "No." They're like "All right, get the [ __ ] out of here."

Um, so, I, had, to, like, basically, reinvent myself and, I, uh, started, working, at, public relations agencies. So I worked at a couple different national and international agencies. And then about three years ago, I went off on my own and I've got my own uh PR communications agency now. and I work with a lot of environmental nonprofits. Um, so that's my professional side. On my personal side, um, I wrote a book called The Miami Creation Myth. Um, won an International Latino Book Award. So that's cool.

That's, awesome. Thank, you., And,, uh,, yeah,, more, to, the point to the podcast, I've picked up 37,200 pounds of trash from South Florida's uh coastal ecosystem. So, mostly the mangroves.

That's, incredible., That's, incredible., I mean, what a what a lineup of of a life.

It's, been, a, lot from,, you, know,, from, DC, and, and, like living that life, right, to obviously your life here in Miami. I think it's it's intriguing, right? We were talking before the pod, right, about like the educational component. Um, and I and I think I could tell you're you're an advocate for that, right? Like not only being able to learn yourself, but being able to learn what you know and be able to provide for other people to be informed right? We live in a world in today's age right? Social media and just so much information at our disposal, but it's like what's real, what's not, right? And that's progressively only going to be harder and harder to to realize with AI and and all these things, which are great tools, but they come at a cost of of misinformation, right?

So,, the, more, we, can, be, informed,, I, think that, you know, the more powerful uh we can be.

You, bring, up, a, great, point., So,, um,, you know, the reason I'm on this podcast is because, you know, I posted on So, it's been eight years of this, right? So, I I I documented every single day. It's been 192 days that I've gone out into the mangroves. And every single day I documented, I documented how many pounds of trash I picked up and then I posted that on social media. But that was really just like um the very beginning. That's what gets people's attention so that I can then use it as an opportunity to educate them, right, about what the sources of this trash are and what they can do about it and why they should care. And that's really what I've been doing. That's what this has turned into.

It's been an 8-year long public relation campaign. Yeah,, that's, incredible., And, the, fact that you had that vision going into it showcases like hey I wasn't just doing this to one take care of our oceans even though that's a huge priority in all of this but it's also letting people know like

we, got, to, you, know, what, you're, doing, is not helping the cause and how can we help the cause you know moving forward.

Um, so, tell, me, a, little, bit, about, right like you said you started 8 years ago right? What was the inspiration to wanting to do this? I know you talk about education, but you know, why say "Hey, I'm going to go pick up trash and and why am I going to document this process?"

Um, well, it started because when I was a teenager in my Well, first, it started because I'm a recklessly curious person so

I get in a lot of trouble. Um, and I get injured a lot. Um, but I I'm the kind of person that needs to fill in all the white spaces in the maps. And this was even when I was a teenager. And when I was a teenager growing up here in Miami I would my parents would take me to Kiscane and I would just, you know beach is nice, whatever, but I'd always wander up to like Cranon Park

and, from, there, like, you, keep, going, north and you get to Bearcup Preserve

which, is, just, wild., It's, it's, just, like a mangro swamp and it looks like really intimidating, but I'm like, I want to go in there. Um, so like I would go in there and get eaten alive by mosquitoes and I'd get cut off and all sorts of terrible things. I had no idea what I was doing. But eventually like this is a place that it's gorgeous. It's beautiful. It's it's globally unique. There's nothing like it. Um so I fell in love with it and I'd go back to this place trying to seek that sense of peace, right, and solitude and just quiet. And then as I grew up and became an adult and I'd go back to these areas instead of finding that sense of peace I'd get really upset because it's not an exaggeration to say that I couldn't take a step anywhere without stepping on a piece of plastic.

Wow. It, looked, like, a, landfill, that, had accumulate accumulated ever since the 1940s essentially. Um, and then eight years ago, I, you know, I tried reaching out to local newspapers and to my commissioner and to the mayor and being like, "Hey, can we do something about this?" But like, nobody cared. Nobody answered,

right? And, then, I, was, like,, "All, right, whatever. I guess no one's doing anything, so let me just start picking up trash."

Wow. And, I, bought, a, GoPro, on, a, whim and, I, bought, a, tripod, and, uh, just started recording it and just like I'm the most stubborn person you've ever met. So, I've been at it ever since.

That's, incredible., And, and, it's, funny, right, because you said how when, you, were, a, kid,, it, was, like, your place of peace, right? And then, you know, years go by and that peace was gone because of essentially what it turned into, right? Like this beautiful landscape. Everything we we talk about being here locally or or you know tourists, right? It's all about the beauty of Miami, right? But that beauty of Miami can't continue to exist if we continue down this path, right? And I I think some sometimes like we see it right? And it kind of like goes right by us, right? Like you'll see the trash on the beach

and, it's, like,, oh, man,, trash, on, the beach, right? But we don't realize there's trash there, there's trash there, there's trash there, and it's just accumulating and accumulating and accumulating. It's like that snowball effect, right? That one piece turns into two pieces, that two pieces turns into 10, and it's a never- ending cycle. Then you have thousands, millions of pieces of trash, you know, just in one little area. And

yeah,, you, bring, up, frustrating, right?, You, bring, up, a, good, point., So, like you'll see that trash on the beach

but, honestly,, there, are, a, bunch, of groups and even the hotels on on Miami Beach like have their own crews go out there and pick up trash because the tourists don't want to see that

of, course. Um,, but, when, it, comes, to, the, mangroves, it's very much out of sight, out of mind. Like, nobody goes in the mangroves.

That's, so, true. Because, it's, dangerous,, right?, Um,, and they're mosquitoes. Um, so in 2019, I decided like I'm gonna take this problem in a very literal sense out of the mangroves and expose as many Miami as possible to it. And what I did was I built a 35 lb trash bag with my friend and from composed completely of trash from the mangroves and walked the Miami Marathon with it.

No, way. Yep., All, 26.2, miles. What? Yep., And, uh What, year, was, that? That, was, 2019.

Holy, cow., And, yeah,, that, was, awful., That and it was a fundraiser for an organization called Miami Water Keeper. And it took me nine hours and 50 minutes to do it. And it was horrendous. But when I was done, I sat in a tub in the bathtub and ate an entire large pizza by myself.

Welld, deserved. Yeah., We, we, raised, a, lot, of, money, for Miami Water Keeper. And then the next year I learned from my mistakes and was like, "That sucked. let me rope in some other people to help me. Right. So, we pulled this 135 pound trash cart the length of the marathon and together we raised $30,000 for Miami water. Holy cow.

Yep., And, now, now, the, bag's, in, the history of Miami Museum. No. Yeah, dude., That's, amazing., Holy, c, I'm, like genuinely stunned right now. That's that that's impressive.

I, don't, recommend, it. No,, I, I, obviously, not., But, like, but, you talk about like you know an advocate for change, right? And sometimes it's like doing drastic things to get attention right? Because here you are. You're calling the commissioner, you're calling this person, right? And you're like

"Hey, man,, like, we, have, a, problem, here. Is somebody going to do something?" And then it's just cricket. So you're like

"Okay,, well,, you, know what?, I'm, going to go carry trash around in the Miami Marathon while everyone's, you know celebrating this amazing thing." We don't realize that there's just trash all over the place that no one's caring about,

right? That's, insane., Props, to, you,, man. Thank, you. And, what, what, was, kind, of, like, the reaction after the fact? I know you guys raised, you know, a good amount of money, but like

you, know,, you're, you're, running, people are running the marathon and they're just seeing this guy.

Yeah,, it, was, wild., It, was, wild., Um,, so the Miami Herald published a front page story about it. So, like people found out about it. I didn't think anyone would know. And then like I'm like there at the starting line like, "Oh, it's still dark outside. This sucks." And like people come up to me and they're like taking selfies with me and like the entire way around everyone was super supportive. people were taking pictures with me.

Um,, it, was, really,, really, cool., Runners World wrote a piece on me. Um,, I, was, on, Univision,, I, think.

Um,, so, yeah,, it, was, cool., And, that's that's the point, right? You do these

you, do, these, drastic, dramatic, things, to get the attention so that then you can educate people. But the thing is like I don't want other people I don't want other people to like

spend, eight, years, picking, up,, you, know, 18 tons of trash. I want them to think about, oh, there's a piece of trash in that traffic meeting over there. Let me pick that up. It's something I can do in my personal life. And trust me, it's so much easier to pick up trash on the sidewalk than it is in the mangroves.

Absolutely. Because, that, trash, on, the, sidewalk, will wind up in the mangroves. Um what happens is people litter on the side of the road. Rain comes, you know, we live in a subtropical area. It rains that goes directly into the street gutters. There's no filter whatsoever and it goes right into the bay and right into the mangroves. And people ask me all the time, they're like, "How can people be so terrible? How can people go into the mangroves and dump all this trash?" My friend, they are not dumping millions of water bottles. Like this is coming directly from the city.

Interesting., All right., because, you think, okay, this is just stuff that's maybe in the surrounding areas of the mangroves and just ending up there, but you're saying that, hey, this is actually happening right here in your everyday backyard and then filtering down into the oceans.

That's, exactly, where, most, of, it, is coming from. It's, funny., So,, this, was, like, two, weeks ago. I was filling up gas right here off Bird and and Tropical Park, right there by Tropical Park, and there was a guy there with a garbage bag, and he was just going up and down the side of the road, Tropical Park, and he ended up actually making it all the way to the gas station. He was there in the gas station picking up trash on the ground.

Good, for, that, guy. Yeah., Yeah., And, it, and, it, remind, when, I saw your story, I'm like it's the irony cuz I even I don't know why, you know you're there, you're you're filling up your tank, you're kind of you're not really like paying attention to your surrounding, right? You're just there filling up. You might get on your phone while you wait.

But, that, guy, caught, my, attention., I'm like, I saw this guy like 20 minutes ago all the way over there. Now he's here at the gas station and he's still picking up trash. So, it's like imagine if you get a couple people doing things like that.

That's, literally, what, I'm, trying, to, do. Like, if you if you tag me on Instagram with you picking up trash, I will share it. I want I want to model behavior. I want people to see that this is something you should be doing. It should be part of your everyday life.

Absolutely., No,, I, agree., And, it, would, be my my my head's already like spinning of of ideas, right? you you like I've done a couple of like these groups where we actually went into the mangroves uh on kayak and went and started picking up trash. That was with blue missions.

Okay,, cool. Yeah., So,, we, did, we, did, that, with, them and uh you know that always kind of like sparked one it sparks like a crazy level of awareness of what exists in there right? You're talking about rope plastic ropes. We had knives there where they're cutting off the you know the ropes off the mangroves. You're picking up obviously all the water bottles, but there's just like the most random of the random stuff that ends up there, which I know you've had some crazy experiences with random stuff in there.

Tell, us, tell, us, a, little, bit, about, some of the crazy stuff that you found.

Okay., Um, picture anything that human beings make I have found it. Okay, so like some of the wild So the most common items are plastic bags, plastic bottles, things like that. Um, but like you know, I found a virtual reality headset. Uh multiple microwave ovens. I found a whole kitchen stove, like four range stove top with like you pull down to get the oven. Yeah. Found that. Um, found a 220 lb tractor trailer tire that came up to my chin that I had to then take like roll and push up a freaking hill to get out of the mangroves.

You, did, that, by, yourself? Yeah,, it, hit, it, fell, on, my, head., Um,, it took me three times

plus, this, water, log,, too., I, can, imagine. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah., I, had, to, scoop, it, all, out., Um, what else I found? Multiple vacuum cleaners, many mattresses. Um, so much underwear. Just too much underwear.

I, saw, you, found, like, a, underwear, in, a bra. Was it great? Yeah., Yeah., Just, like, a, week, ago., Yeah. That's people just be throwing off their

So,, how, does, that, type, of, stuff, like, end up there, right? Like you talk about like that

oven,, a, you, know, a, mattress, like, those things like that's not No, it's not floating in that does not float. Um yeah, that that's people dumping um that's people going in there and like setting up a little camp for a little bit or like you know [ __ ] literally [ __ ] and throwing off their clothes and leaving it there. Or this is what often happens whenever you have a a wild space right next to a road like like and it's kind of secluded. People will dump there. They'll throw tires, they'll throw construction equipment, they'll throw anything, anything and everything so they don't have to take it to the dump,

right? Um,, so, like, just, in, North, Point, Park, which I've been cleaning for the last year,

and, I, got, 10,200, lb, so, far, I, picked, up, 47, tires, from, this, one, park. Um, but I haven't told you the craziest thing I found. The craziest thing I have ever found in the mangroves is a bank robber. A what?

Strap, in., All, right., No., Yeah. Wait,, wait,, wait,, wait. I, got, a, story, for, you.

Oh,, yeah., I, for, this, one. Okay., So,, um, I, was, walking, through, the mangroves with these two high school students cuz they'd reached out to me and I was like

is, that, North, Point, Park? This, was, in, Bear, Cut, Preserve, in, Cranon Park.

Got, you. So,, like, right, after, you, cross, the small, you got the big bridge going over to Virginia Key, then the smaller bridge over to um Kim Skane. If you look to your left, it's all mangroves. That's where I was.

Okay., Um,, so, I, was, walking, through, the mangroves with these two high school students, just telling them about the mangroves, explaining the ecosystem, and then I hear EDM blasting in the mangroves. I'm like, well, that's freaking weird.

And, it's, like, middle, of, the, day. Yeah,, middle, of, the, day,, EDM, going, hard, drops. Um, and then I'm like, "All right, let me stash these two kids away.

Put, them, somewhere, where, they're, not going to be seen." And I like make my way over to the sound and I know this ma the mangroves and I can go wherever I want without being seen. Lo and behold there's this freaking dude. Um, blonde hair shirtless freaking white dude. Um, just like he built himself a little platform out of the mangroves, which is illegal. You're not allowed to to chop down the mangroves in the state of Florida.

And, he, had, these, two, big, speakers., He had a tent on top of the platform, these two big speakers and just blasting house.

What? Into, the, mangros., I'm, like,, "Huh,, that's not normal." Okay. So,, I, come, back,, I, grab, the, two, kids,, we go back, I leave them in the parking lot, and then I go to the county's like building there, and I'm like, "Hey, this is kind of weird. This guy's out there. This is his pin. This is the exact geol location. Go get him." They're like "All right, we'll go get him." I check in a couple months later. I'm like "Hey, did you get the guy?" And they're like, "We sent a pair of cops out there but they couldn't find him." And in my head, I'm like, "How?" I literally sent you the pin. Yeah.

And, in, my, mind,, they, the, cops, just, were scared of the mangros. They didn't want to go into the mangros. I'm like, "All right,

I, will, literally, physically, take, one, of your employees to, the, exact, location, and, point, them, out to you." So, I go with this county employee. We go through the the mangroves and there he is 20 ft away. months later, he was still there.

Yep., On, his, platform, putting, on deodorant. And I'm like, "There he is. Please go get him." They're like "All right, we'll go get him." Well, they don't get him. So, this is what this guy does. He has a canoe and he grabs his canoe and he paddles to Miami Beach from Kiscane, which is impressive in and of itself.

He, saw, these, people, coming,, got, into, his No,, no,, no,, no., This, is, on, his, own valition later.

Got, it., Got, it., So, he's, he, gets, on, his canoe, goes some beach. Impressive because you're you're you're you're crossing government cut, right? You're crossing the port of Miami.

Oh, my, god. Where, there's, like, cruise, ships, and container ships and it's eight miles. Okay, I've done that. I've done that trip. It's eight miles to South Beach. So impressive.

Canoes, all, the, way, to, South, Beach. Beaches his canoe on the sand. Walks into a bank. No mask, no gun. demands money from the cashier. The cashier gives him whatever they have on hand grabs the money, goes back to his canoe paddles his ass back across the port of Miami all the way back to the mangroves. And then finally the county was like "Shit,

we, have, to, do, something, about, this.", And they go they, sent, the, SWAT, team.

Are, you, for, real? I'm, dead, serious. Holy, cow., And, did, did, this, guy, have, like a record before? Like who was this guy? Like I don't know who the guy is.

Like, what? I, didn't, ask. Oh, there's, some, weird, freaking, people, in the mangrove, stories., You, would, never, know.

There's, like, there's, I, found, you, know there square groupers out there. Yeah.

There's, like, some, shady, [ __ ], going, on, in the mangroves. It's, I, mean, when, you, look, back, at, Miami, the mangroves were like the

where, things, went, down, kind, of, thing. You know what? God knows what. I mean you've you've heard like human trafficking stories. Obviously, you bring up the square groupers and like the, you know, that whole era of Miami and that whole world still obviously exists down here. So, it's like

you, can, only, imagine,, you, know,, half, the stuff that goes down there. There, was, a, time, I, was, in, the, mangroves and I my phone blows up. Everyone starts calling me and texting me and like "Hey, are you okay? Are you alive?" I'm like, "Yeah, I'm fine." There was a decapitated head found half a mile away from where I was.

Holy, cow. Yep. That, was, where?, Same, area. Same, area., Keep, a, scene., Jesus, Christ.

Yep. Wow., Yeah., You, never, know, what, the, hell can go down in the mangroves. Holy [ __ ] That's insane.

Wow., I'm, I'm, actually, stunned., Holy [ __ ] Wow., Wow., Wow., Wow., It, It, is, It, is crazy, right? Cuz like like

what, the, mangroves, serve,, right?, You hear about like the protection and like erosion, especially like with hurricanes, right? like the importance of the mangroves um you know to not only to you know city of Miami but just you know overall in the ecosystem. We talk about education. Can you tell people like how important the mangroves actually are and like why we rely on them and why they're so protected?

Absolutely., So, first, and, foremost mangroves. So for those who don't know what a mangro well there's different kinds of mangroves but um I work a lot in red mangro forest and they're like the most famous kinds of mangroves. They have these big sweeping roots that arc into the sand. So like they're the most aquatic. They're they live in the salt water basically and it's a tidal ecosystem. So they can be submerged, you know, four, five feet in the water in salt water and be absolutely fine. And what they do is that their roots quite literally hold down the soil and the sand on the coastline. And they also serve as this like shock absorber and this giant sponge for when storm surges and hurricanes hit us. They soak up all that water and energy so it doesn't hit our infrastructure and doesn't like degrade all that. So like if you if you like paddle past a seaw wall and the waves are hitting it, what you're going

to see is like a ton of turbulence. So hit the wave will hit it and bounce back and and interact with other waves because all that energy is getting like directed directly into the seaw wall and that's why they break down in like a decade. But if you paddle past, you know, with the same uh choppy whatever outside, you paddle past a mangro forest, it's completely calm because all that gets absorbed into there. Um so that's the first thing that they do. The second thing that's they do that's very important is that basically 80% of the reef fish offshore, so like think tuna think marlin, swordfish, whatever, every grouper, everything that we love to eat

they, spend, their, juvenile, stages, within the mangrove roots. They act as protection. And I've swam through the mangroves at high tide and every single tree has hundreds if not thousands of fish just around the mangrove roots. It's incredible.

Um, and, they, also, serve, as, a, rrookery, for local birds. So you look around at our pelicans, our egrets, our osprey, ibis whatever.

A, lot, of, them, are, born, in, the, canopy, in the nests of these mangroves. So without the mangroves, we literally don't have an ecoourism sector in this uh in this city.

Um, and, so, what's, really, important, about making sure that our trash, specifically our plastic doesn't wind up in there

right? Is, that, um, when, a, piece, of, plastic, gets thrown in the ocean, it doesn't like a water bottle, it doesn't remain a solid piece of large plastic. It breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces called microlastics. And then the animals at the bottom of the food chain will mistake those plastics for food. So like you're talking your crabs, your worms um your, you know, your filter feeders whatever. And then the the larger predators eat the smaller prey until the largest, you know, the largest oceanic predators have the highest concentration of plastics in their bodies. And like you'll, also, see, like, ibis, for example.

So they have these long legs and like a long arked beak. They're wait called waiting birds and they're all sorts of different kinds of waiting birds but basically they they move their beaks around in the mangroves in the uh like the shallow uh seaggrass areas um basically right along the coastline and they eat whatever they find there and they ingest a ton of these microplastics when they're doing that. Also manatees. So those microplastics filter to the seaggrass beds and they use their snouts and their flippers to bring the seaggrass up into their mouths, but they're also you they're also ingesting all of this microplastic and it it kills them.

Yeah. Like, a, couple, years, ago,, we, had, a, record setting number of manatees die in the state of Florida and you know something like 70% of them had significant amounts of plastic in their stomachs. Yes.

Wow., And, then, of, course, you, also, have like whales, you know, whales get beached all the time.

And, a, lot, of, them, are, filter, feeders. They're baileing whales. So like they'll they'll gulp in massive amounts of water and then they'll filter out the water and keep, you know, the krill or whatever else they're hunting. But the plastic bags get caught in there as well and they swallow them and they can't digest plastic so it stays in their stomachs and they feel full and they literally starve to death.

Oh, my, god. And, they, wash, ashore. Holy, cow. Mhm. So, I, mean, obviously, every, single, facet of life, you know, is is affected at some capacity. I mean all the way down from like the lowest part of the food chain

all, the, way, up, and, it's, just, kind, of passed on you, know,, from, I, guess, level

Yeah., to, level,, right? And, another, thing, people, don't, notice, or don't really think about is like say you go fishing off a bridge

and, your, line, gets, caught, up., So, you That, one's Yeah. Ridiculous. You, cut, the, line,, right?, And, the, line just goes into the ocean. Well, guess what, man? That line ends up between the mangrove roots or between the mangrove trunks

and, I've, seen, it., A, bird, will, come flying through decapitated. Yeah,, I', I've, actually, seen, that, before, too. It's terrible. Those fishing bridges like

Yeah., Yeah,, I, mean, I, get, it,, you, know, creating something for people to do, but like everything's got to be done responsibly, right? Because if not

then, then, you, got, to, take, those, things away from from us, unfortunately because if we're not doing our part to do it right and well, then we're going to have issues like that. And you see it

all, the, time, on, these, fishing, bridges, like lines just hanging the nets, right? And birds getting stuck in the nets. I saw a video on Instagram. I think it was yesterday actually. And it was a sea turtle, a little sea turtle probably about this big, just all tangled up in a fishing net. And ironically enough, a boat happened to be passing by, sees the net, sees that there's a sea turtle in it, and they grabbed it, were able to cut the net open, and and the sea turtle immediately, you know, took off. But it looked like the sea turtle had been in there for God knows how long.

Yeah,, they, drown, like, that., Um, it's, and dolphins too and manatees they'll get caught up in the netting and they'll drown.

Yeah., No,, it's, unfortunate., So, like obviously, we're, talking, a, lot, about, the the issues at hand, right? So how how do we prevent this from continuing? We know we could do our part if we see trash in the streets, go out there and pick it up, right? But now

it's, the, also, the, prevention, component. Right. How because you could do all this work, but if we're not doing our part to prevent, then it's just a never- ending cycle and you're never going to make progress at the same rate of, you know of fixing the issue, right?

Yeah., I, think, of, it, on, a, on, a, systemic level on two different fronts. So there's the cultural front.

So, like,, you, know,, I, go, to, western, North Carolina every year and I hike the mountains there and there's no trash like anywhere. True. I I hiked um the Art Lob Trail. It was 32 miles in one day and didn't see a freaking piece of trash the whole way because it's part of the culture. Leave no trace is part of the culture in Appalachia.

It, really, is., Um,, so, that's, one, side, of it. So like seeing the trash, picking it up, you know, consuming less plastic in your life.

But, then, honestly,, man,, like, I, see, trash as a stream and I'm all the way downstream. I'm picking up trash in the mangroves, people who pick up on in the beaches. We're all the way downstream and all the way upstream are the manufacturers, right? And in the middle are the consumers and the distributors.

Um,, and, we, need, to, shift, the, system., We need to change the way that we uh consume plastic. So, it didn't always used to be like this. There were other other systems in place. So, for example your milkman used to come by with, you know, glass vials of milk, drop it off at your house, and I remember this growing up, and you'd leave the ones that you used outside, and that was the system that was reusable, right? And um it didn't didn't like you didn't need to consume all this all this single-use plastic. But, you know, I'm not a fan of politics, but like at the end of the day, like you can march and you can you can rally and you can post and you can do cleanups and all these things, but if you don't have legislation and regulation passed that addresses this at its core

Yeah. nothing's, going, to, get, done,, right?, And like the state of Florida has a preeemption law. it's called basically any city or county they pass an ordinance like banning whatever styrofoam or plastic bags the state of Florida will come in and go nope and cancel it. So like that needs to go.

Wow. Yeah., So, like, I'm, about, I'm, all, about local home rule, right? Like coming up with

uh, solutions, that, work, for, your community, but this doesn't allow local communities whose residents want to address this problem to start addressing it. So that's the first thing. you can go ahead and create that, you know, uh systematic kind of approach to fixing the problem, but

coming, from, the,, you, know,, higher, part of the state, they're going to be like hey, this is, so it's it's immediately wiped,

right?, Exactly. Got, it., That's, that's, unfortunate., But, you know, you you bring up like politics and, you know, kind of like legislation component to it, right? And from like a big picture obviously like those are always the approaches, right? like if we could just get the right processes put in place and make sure legislation's attached to it so that people have to follow the rules, right, that are in place,

but, it's, an, uphill, battle,, right?, I mean, I'm sure you know, you you know you've you've been an advocate for this and you you you do your part to kind of at least bring awareness to the to the issue right?

But, I, also, think, like, when, you, kind, of look at just like I, guess, the, way, certain, infrastructures are put in place, right? You talk about like the drainage system, right? how most of that pollution is actually going through there. Is there anything that we can do to

you, know,, maybe, create, a, better, system, you know, like like you you mentioned that there's no filters. Maybe some sort of like filter component. Obviously there's

there's, a, lot, that, goes, into, I'm, sure like building that out, but like when you said that there was no filter, like immediately off the top of my head, I feel like that could be a cool like resolution. There's a actually a local company, the name escapes me at this moment, that's um that creates these it's called smart grates. So basically um they have like a little sensor that tells you when the grate like gets covered in trash. The the problem is like say you put like um more like fine grading in on top of those uh uh what's it called? Uh the the in intake where like the water comes in off the street.

So like what happens is that those get covered and then it produces flooding right?, So, it, can, get, covered, with, uh whatever leaves or trash or whatever. So they came up with a smart grate that lets you know, oh this great is covered in trash. So people then you can come by and you can take that trash away so it doesn't go in

at, the, other, end., Um, you've, got, the outflows. So the water comes in through the gutter and goes out into the ocean through the art uh through through the outflow. You can install they're called trash traps and they're giant nets essentially bags that the water can flow through and then the rest will fill up with trash. That is also a possible solution.

Okay. Um, in, Baltimore, in, the, inner, harbor, you have this thing called Mr. Trash Wheel and if you know you haven't seen it please go just go look at it on social media. It's hilarious. It has this giant mouth and it's basically like this conveyor belt that just like feeds the trash in the inner harbor up into this dumpster in the back. So something like that. Like I have pitched Seenor uh what was it? Uh Seenor trash wheel for Miami with like maybe a mustache. Like I would love to see that here.

That, would, be, crazy. Yeah., Yeah., Like, like I, mean, that, seems, like, logistically, like obviously there's a little bit of a buildout to that but if if some like a city like Baltimore was able to accomplish that, you know, why not us?

Exactly., Exactly., Um, so, like, there, all these so it's it's it's not a one it's not like there's a single solution. I think like you can pursue multiple routes at the same time.

And, here's, the, really, nice, thing. We, live, in, a, very, polarized, time. This, is, not, polarized., Like, it, doesn't matter where you are on the spectrum.

100%. Yeah., It, doesn't, matter, if, you're, super left, super right, in the middle.

Nobody, wants, more, trash, in, the, ocean. It's, so, true. That's, been, like, the, best, part, of, this.

Yeah,, that, is, true., And, and, I, think that's like the beauty of it, right? because we're we're dragged into so many kind of like political thoughts and you know ideologies that you know where wherever you stand on it

at, the, end, of, the, day, like, this, is, our homeact and whatever you believe is kind of irrelevant at that because if you don't have a home then none of this even matters and the more we could do our part and align as a you know society

community and, community, right, like, we're, going, to we're going to accomplish things that are going to be for the common goal at the end of the day.

Yeah., I, mean,, like,, you, know,, you, grew up here. Yeah. Um,, you, stick, 10, Miamiians, in, a, room, you'll come out with 11 opinions

but, like this, is, something, everyone, agrees, on. Like, there's, no, no, one's, like,, "Let's put more trash in the ocean."

100%., 100%., So,, obviously,, you, know, we've talked a little bit about like the solutions, you know, things that we can do, but what what's like what is like what does this look like for you like in the next 5 years? I'm sure you're going to continue to pick up trash. like you're going to continue to do your part.

Um,, but, do, you, see, any, sort, of, movement? Do you see any sort of traction? Like I think we're aware of it. Can we all be better in like doing our part? Absolutely. But what what does like the path forward look like?

So, the, first, thing, is, that, things, have changed a lot since I started. There are so I'm just one part of a much bigger movement. There's so many different groups, so many different individuals doing awesome work. Um, Manny Riiona at Filibag. Uh, MJ Algara from Clean This Beach Up. Uh, mangro Sasquatch. Um yeah, it's great name. Great name. Great name. Um

but, like, all, like,, uh,, volunteer, cleanup is another thing. Like I I highly suggest like if you're looking for a cleanup in Miami, go to volunteercleup.org like and you will find the entire list of cleanups like start to finish. So like in your neighborhood, beach cleanup, neighborhood cleanup, mangrove cleanup, whatever, you can find it there. So like I've seen it grow a lot over the last eight years and I've seen people get more like aware of the scale and the scope of this problem. So that's a good thing.

As, for, me,, um,, dude,, when, it, comes, to cleanups,, I'm, going to, keep, doing, this until, you know, my arms and legs fall off. Like there's no point where I'm like, "All right, I did. I'm done." Like 50,000, whatever, 100,000. Nope. Until I literally die

I'm, going, to, keep, doing, this., That's amazing. Um,, and, I'm, going, to, keep, talking, to whoever will have me, you know, not just on podcasts like yours, but like I talked to local middle and high schools um, to colleges, graduate programs companies, you know, whoever. I had a talk at the zoo, um, recently. So, like literally whoever will have me, I will talk to you.

Um,, and,, uh,, yeah,, man., And,, you, know, trying to reach a wider audience um lately., I, don't know, what's, in, the water, but like uh like I've gotten more attention than usual. The Washington Post came out there.

Yeah,, I, saw, that., That, was, awesome. Yeah,, San, and, Espanol, came, out, there. Baby Smundo. Um and there's some other ones I can't mention yet, but it's going to be big.

Um, so, I'll, keep, doing, those, as, well. Absolutely., And, but, you, know,, you, you talk about I don't know what's in the water right?

A, common, microplastics. Huh., Yeah,, exactly., Microplastics., We, do know that. Um, but it it's it's like a common theme in a lot of the conversations that that we like to have right? And it's when you align yourself with like a larger purpose, everything else kind of just starts to align. Yeah. Right.

Because, you've, been, doing, this,, right? And you you've been doing this for eight plus years, right? And you have a level of compassion and passion towards this initiative, right? And and these and these problems that exist, and you're just doing your part, right? And that there's like no reward for you, right? Like there's no like entire there's no money.

Yeah., Exactly., Right., Like, you're, not doing it for, you know, any really selfish reason by any stretch of the imagination. Like it is one of the most selfless acts somebody can do, right? And when you do those things, you know universe, God, whatever it is that you you know, believe in at the end of the day is going to reward you for living a life of purpose and like very intentional and like the direction of the line of work that you want to do, right? And I think it's just a testament to like who you are, what you represent, and doing something that's greater than yourself. Good things happen to those people. I'm a massive believer in that. And I think this is just like the beginning right? Like you start you start seeing this, you start getting an article here you start getting an article here, and the change and the mission becomes so loud that people are going to be like, I got to be a part of this, right? Like

and I think that's that's the motivation, right? That's the motivation for you, right? Getting more people to become aware, getting more people to to do their part, and you just continue to do what you do. And I think that's that's the beauty of all of this.

Yeah., Thank, you. Yeah., No,, it's, awesome., Congrats, to, you, man. And uh we're obviously here to help as well. You know, it's I'm very passionate about the ocean. I love the ocean. I grew up around the ocean. I'm passionate about Miami.

Um, and, I, I, definitely, can, do, more, 100%. I think we all can. Um and I just think the little acts that we can all do

exactly multiply, as, as, a, collective,, as, a community. So,, anything, we, could, do, to, help,, um, I'm here to help as well. And I'm I'm sure everybody that will listen to this as well will be more inclined to want to help. And maybe we organize like a massive, cleanup, one, of these, days., I know you mentioned there's sites that have already existing, but you know anything we could do more to supplement that I think is great as well.

I, do, I, do, group, cleanups, every, now, and then. Um so most of the like especially the last year because I've been working in such a sensitive area, I've been doing it by myself just to like

just, to, minimize, my, impact., Mhm. Um, but, yeah,, hopefully, next, year, I'll start doing more group cleanup.

Absolutely., I, think, it's, just, a, great like community builder for, you know for yourself. Um and just obviously a way to see to get with people that may have this like in the back of their head, right? And you know, a website is great, right? But like having like a direct connection point to someone I think is always good, right? I mean that was a big reason why I did the ones that I've done in the past is just like feel comfortable with somebody that I know and, you know, feel comfortable doing something that I want to do, but like not really knowing where to go and having some sort of like, hey, we're going here at this time.

We, can, rally, a, bunch, of, people., We, know the, space, is, safe, and, we're, going to, go pick up a bunch of trash and do this together right?

Yeah., Actually,, so, I'm, glad, you, brought this up. Um I I partner with uh another nonprofit here called Debris Free Oceans and in um in I believe it's going to be March, we're going to do an event called Miami's Trashiest Run. And so it's going to be a 5K on Virginia Key in the Marine Stadium Basin.

Okay. So, we, partner, we're, partnering, with, the city and the county and uh we're going to do like this 5K out there and then it's going to be kind of like a a team competition to see which team can collect the most trash.

Nice., And, then,, you, know,, whoever collects the most trash wins, you know whatever. And then, you know, we're going to we're going to run back. So we're that's definitely going to be a good event for people to join.

Absolutely., Yeah., I, mean,, it's, it's, like connecting like the the mission of all of this with like an event that, you know, people are just engaged and can have a good time doing it, right? That's that's the cool part about it. But

listen,, I, appreciate, it., Like, some, crazy stories that that you've witnessed and obviously some amazing work that that you're doing. So, congrats to you and we're we're excited to see where this whole movement goes as a whole. You know, we're hopefully continue to change. Hopefully people partake in doing their part. Even if you just see that little rapper right there on the side, just pick it up because that makes a huge difference.

Yeah., And, thank, you, so, much, for, having me. Of, course., Absolutely., Appreciate, it, man.

Everybody. All right,, guys., Well,, thanks, so, much for tuning in and we will see you on the next one.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Miami’s Mangrove Hero: 37,000 Lbs of Trash and Counting"?

Andrew Otaso (Guest), Unidentified Host (Stay Tranquilo / Cafesito segment) (Host).

What is "Miami’s Mangrove Hero: 37,000 Lbs of Trash and Counting" about?

The topic focuses on Andrew Otaso's dedicated efforts to combat ocean pollution, particularly through his significant achievement of removing 37,000 pounds of trash from Miami's waterways. The discussion highlights his personal journey, motivations, and future aspirations in environmental conservation, emphasizing the widespread issue of marine waste that often goes unnoticed.

What is mentioned in this Stay Tranquilo episode?

191 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Miami, Andrew Otaso, Miami Water Keeper, Microplastics, Debris Free Oceans, Virginia Key. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Miami’s Mangrove Hero: 37,000 Lbs of Trash and Counting"?

The episode runs 42 min; the transcript is about 8,613 words in 164 timestamped sections.

More from Stay Tranquilo

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 24, 2026.