The campaign ” Recycling is our beach”, promoted by Novo Verde with the support of the Portuguese Environment Agency, during 30 days toured 30 beaches in 30 different municipalities, reaching more than 3200 people on the topic of sea and marine conservation.
During these days, several environmental education and marine science events took place, as well as beach cleaning actions developed by Sailors for the Sea Portugal, involving schools, scouts, different institutions, associations and local communities.
In total, more than 380 kg of trash and more than 30 litres of cigarette butts were collected on the beaches.
The action was attended by some personalities associated with the world of surfing and the sea, such as Nic Von Rupp, Tiago “Saca” Pires and also Vasco Ribeiro. Also in Meia Praia in Lagos, a team of divers from the WeDive Lagos Center participated in the campaign, collecting 20 kg of waste under water.
The materials used for the campaign were collected in the spirit of circular economy and reused. All the tarpaulins, which covered more than 900 km of coastline, are now used to delineate the gardens of the gardeners of the Growing up Home project, whose goal is to reduce social isolation and increase the autonomy of elderly residents, as well as promote civic participation and environmental awareness.
The regular cultivation of plants serves the community and promotes interaction among the 200 gardeners who make up the project’s network.
Ricardo Neto, president of Novo Verde, added that “we ended these 30 days of action with a very positive balance. We counted on the participation and enthusiasm of all the people who joined us every day from the north to the south of the country. We have achieved the main objectives of the action, not only by collecting waste on the beach but also by raising awareness among the entire population, and reinforcing the importance of environmental education. The numbers related to the collection and community cohesion are clear and we believe that all those who joined us will remember and put into practice the right environmental behaviour to reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the marine environment, contributing to the conservation of the affected habitats. Our special thanks go to all the local residents and the great support that made it possible to promote environmental volunteering in their communities.”
Bernardo Corrêa de Barros, President of Sailors for the Sea Portugal, recognizes that “Sailors for the Sea Portugal is very proud to have gained the trust of Novo Verde to carry out the largest environmental awareness activity in our country, involving 30 beaches in 30 days in 30 different municipalities. By making thousands of people aware of the problem of the oceans and recycling, we have also gained thousands of “Guardians of the Seas”. It is also worth mentioning that the 30 municipalities and especially their citizens are participating and welcoming this initiative.
It is really very reassuring to see that there is a general awareness of the problem of the oceans among all of them. In this matter, we either win together or we fail individually.”
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