How Puerto Rican Communities Restored Paradise to Its Natural State

Transforming a landfill into an oceanside oasis isn’t easy, but it’s necessary

Photos courtesy of the author

As you drive down Puerto Rico’s Route 466, the Spanish-style houses and roadside panaderías start to peel away. The road buckles and plunges toward a white-capped Atlantic. Seaside cliffs rise, and trees stretch gnarled…