Save the Med is kicking off a summer of marine regeneration and community-led action. To keep the sea clean, the work starts on land!
Time for the next generation
What do you get when you mix teenagers, plastic pollution, and creativity?
Welcome to the Changemakers Project!
This school project challenges teens to come up with real-life solutions to plastic pollution. All participants of the project were invited to the annual event in Finca Son Forteza in June. Students got to meet peers who are equally passionate about protecting nature and participate in workshops held by local NGOs, including the amazing blue shark project with SharkMed and learning about coastal plant species with PermaMed. The kids also took part in a virtual underwater experience with Save the Med’s special “Twilight zone” underwater projections.
To close the event, we selected our favourite ideas from the teams and they were presented with diplomas for their great initiatives to reduce plastic pollution. Particularly noteworthy was the team “ReduScore” from IES Porreres, who developed a clever point system to include on supermarket packaging, informing consumers how much plastic is truly present. In the next phase of the project, the students will be joining Save the Med for marine expeditions at sea.
Marine custody forums involve communities in protection of the coastline
On June the 1st, Save the Med held the fifth ‘Xarxa Dragonera Blava’ forum and invited local communities to proactively become involved in the care of the Andratx coastline. The event marked a new milestone, with the participants ready to take action in this next phase of the project. Topics addressed included sewage, regulation of buoys, and a list of ‘Good Practices for land and sea.’
Together with NGO Arrels Marines, Save the Med organized a 2nd Participatory Community Forum in the Assembly Hall of Puerto Pollença in April. The aim is to enhance community engagement in the care and custody of the coastal area of Pollença.
Participatory Forums are a step towards creating a ‘bottom-up’ approach in the way citizens can protect what matters to them. The process ignites and supports community movements, participation and fortifies local and regenerative actions to protect the sea.
Plastic Free Balearics travels to the Adriatic
The Plastic Free Balearics team have their hands full! They have been sharing their findings and experiences through international workshops and webinars, providing support to other groups with similar goals. They are now participating in the new and exciting project with ‘MedWaves’ and ’Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ)’: ‘Tackling single-use plastics in the Adriatic region through public and private action,’
In short, the program supports local entities by adapting the Plastic Free Balearics Certification Programme to other countries and organisations. Find out more about their success in preventing plastic waste by visiting plasticfreebalearics.org.
The Dos Manos School Programme
School’s out for summer and the team are sending out a huge thank you to the 984 students and all the teachers that joined our Dos Manos schools programme this term and helped categorise and remove plastic pollution from beaches all around Mallorca!
The top 5 most commonly found items:
1) microplastics and other small, broken up pieces of plastic
2) cigarette butts
3) lids (from bottles)
4) ear bud sticks
5) ropes and strings
Stay tuned with more adventures to come as expedition season begins! To find out more about Save the Med’s projects, activities, and events, follow their Instagram on @savethemedfoundation, Twitter @savethemed_ and Facebook: Save the Med Foundation, or get in touch at info@savethemed.org