Since 2021, Alelí has ​​been collaborating with Villanova University, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Protectores de Cuencas, Inc. in the study Assessment of Pathways and Degradation of Marine Debris within the Guanica Watershed and Surrounding Region of Southwest Puerto Rico. For three years, 2021-2024 we dedicated efforts to monitoring, characterizing and removing marine debris on Ballena and Las Pardas beaches, as well as in the coastal areas of La Parguera. In addition, we researched the routes, entrances and exits of garbage in the Loco River, its tributary in Guayanilla and the Lajas irrigation canal.

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The outreach and education component of this project is the initiative with restaurants entitled ‘Food without a Footprint’ to reduce and prevent the use of single-use plastics and trash in this region, with a special focus on four (8) Guánica restaurants and their customers. We started with four restaurants to conduct a pilot project to help us understand the social dynamics related to plastics, document lessons learned, and inspire other communities in 2024. In 2025 we recruited four more restaurants, these are the Ensenada Touristic Kiosks.  Our collaborators include Villanova University, NOAA, Marine Debris Foundation, Finca Higuaca, Syracuse University - Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, Environmental Finance Center, Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico - Fondo de Inversión del Bosque Modelo de Puerto Rico.