PSTA Provides Transportation for Enstar’s Beach Clean-Up Day

Global insurance group Enstar, along with Keep Pinellas Beautiful and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, collected 147 lbs of trash from St. Pete Beach, with transportation provided by PSTA!

When Mackenzie Morey, an executive assistant at Enstar, was arranging this clean-up event as part of their “Enstar Day of Giving” initiative, she realized they needed transportation for over 50 employees. With so many Enstar employees visiting St. Pete from out-of-state and out-of-the-country, she reached out to PSTA to continue the theme of sustainability!

After rescheduling their event thanks to Hurricane Ian, the beach clean-up day finally came to fruition on a rather frigid Thursday in January. Despite the chill, Enstar employees enjoyed a warm, comfortable ride on their own PSTA bus, ready to clean up our beautiful St. Pete Beach.

Megan Jackson of Keep Pinellas Beautiful and Justin Tramble of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper were there to help volunteers suit up in safety gear, tools for collection, and trash bags. For these two passionate environmentalists, the clean-up efforts were an important part of an overall mission to protect and preserve Pinellas and Hillsborough County’s natural areas.

Organizers Megan Jackson (light blue shirt) and Justin Tramble (green jacket)

“We do hundreds of beautification projects, invasive species removal, and public and private clean-ups—like today’s event—around Pinellas County,” Megan said. “In keeping with the ultimate goal of sustainability for our community, I love that PSTA was so ready to provide one of their hybrid buses to make today’s event happen, rather than everyone driving cars or taking individual Ubers.”

Justin, very used to speaking publicly to advocate for clean water in our community, was also excited by PSTA’s involvement.

“The mission of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, being a grass-roots, clean-water initiative, goes hand-in-hand with Keep Pinellas Beautiful. The fact that PSTA was so ready to jump in and not only help this event happen but is also so committed to sustainability in the community, gives me hope for the mission we all share—protecting and preserving our natural places and access to clean water,” Justin said.

“The reality is that, while our organizations are here to help direct events like today, it takes the entire community and everyday people to make a true difference in our local ecology and water supply. PSTA is making it clear that they share this sentiment and that’s incredibly exciting,” Justin added.

Both Megan and Justin emphasized that these efforts should be a community-driven issue, citing that one of the simplest ways people can reduce their carbon footprint is to take public transit.

As far as the ride itself, Enstar employee Tammy Unrue had this to say: “It was so comfortable on the PSTA bus. For many of us visiting from out of state or abroad, PSTA allowed us to avoid ordering Ubers or renting cars. Taking a hybrid bus to a volunteer beach clean-up event just feels right!”

Beach Cleanup Volunteers on a PSTA Hybrid Bus

“This was such a great partnership with PSTA,” Mackenzie said after the event. “It worked out so well because it would’ve been so expensive to transport all these people. It was a huge saving money-wise and for the environment to take the PSTA bus.”

In the end, over 50 Enstar volunteers collected around 147 lbs of trash from their five hours on St. Pete Beach!

Over 50 Enstar volunteers collected around 147 lbs of trash in five hours!

Enstar Beach Clean-up Volunteers