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By Alyce Collins
Senior Reporter
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A Minnesota photographer has described her frustration after arriving at one of her favorite locations, only to be horrified by what confronted her.
Faith NuVo of Pine City, Minnesota, arrived at the famous Black Beach on the morning of May 29, ready for a sunrise photoshoot. Unfortunately, the scenic beach was not quite its picturesque self on this occasion, as NuVo, 29, was disgusted by what she found.
The beach is renowned for its dramatic slate gray sand, but what caught NuVo’s attention were the plastic rose petals that were strewn everywhere from a recent proposal. She told Newsweek that there is “no excuse” for leaving garbage anywhere, especially plastic petals that will not decompose and could be harmful to wildlife.
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NuVo said: “My first thought was how sweet that someone had proposed on the beach, but then we got closer and I realized they were not real petals but cheap, thin, plastic petals. They were clearly trampled over many times and pressed deep into the beach.
“Honestly, it frustrates me. Leaving behind plastic decorations for someone else to clean up is so disrespectful to both the environment and the community. You’re not exempt from basic human responsibilities just because you are having a special moment,."
As a result, NuVo spent two hours picking up all the fake petals and cleaning the beach. It took so much longer than she anticipated, especially because each time she moved, she would uncover even more.
Public spaces like Black Beach are so beautiful and cherished, but NuVo dreads the thought of them being restricted because other people “don’t know how to respect them.”
Upon seeing the state that Black Beach was left in, NuVo took to social media to highlight the damage caused to such a special location. She posted a video on TikTok (@ethereal_visuals) showing how it was “completely disrespected” by the newly engaged couple. Layered over the footage, the caption reads: “To whoever got proposed at Black Beach…I hope she said no.”
The clip has certainly captured attention online, generating over 25.6 million views and 1.8 million likes on TikTok at the time of writing. While she never imagined it would go viral, NuVo hopes the clip will remind people to respect public spaces and to always clean up after themselves.
Indeed, if anything positive comes from this experience, NuVo hopes it will start a broader conversation about how we can respect and preserve public land.
“Littering shouldn’t be controversial,” NuVo told Newsweek. “I don’t wish anything bad on the couple, I genuinely hope they have a wonderful engagement and marriage. I just hope they also understand that public spaces aren’t a personal dumping ground, even during a special moment.”
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