School children in Brazil raise awareness about ocean littering issues

One year ago, participants of the “Onda Sustentável” (Sustainable Wave) project created a video with the public school students of Ubatuba in São Paulo, Brazil to raise awareness about the immense problem of ocean littering.

The “Onda Sustentáve” (Sustainable Wave) project is an environmental education project designed by Marina Kauai's Blue Flag Management Committee, together with Ilha Anchieta State Park Board, Coco e Cia Co-op, the Litoral Norte Marine Protected Area and the Commercial Association of Ubatuba, and was carried out as part of the Environmental Education activities required for marinas by the Blue Flag programme. Marina Kauai has been a Blue Flag marina since 2017 and is located in the city of Ubatuba in São Paulo, Brazil.

The main goal of the “Onda Sustentável” project is to raise environmental awareness in order to preserve the local biota and provide a connection between the local community, the natural environment and protected areas.

For this purpose, the kids of the Ubatuba public school have been learning about ocean littering topics in a playful and investigative way, including how to avoid buying material that can cause damage to the environment and the environmental effects of humans throwing trash on the street or in the sea.

The video that has been created as part of the project, therefore, addresses themes of “marine debris”, "waste disposal" and "conscious consumption" from the viewpoint of the public school students of Ubatuba. The idea was that the video would become a manifesto made by children, leaving them free to express their perceptions and desires based on what they have experienced and learned.

“In 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea!”, “Did you know that when we throw cotton buds in the toilet, it can go to the sewage, from there to the rivers, and then to the sea?” and “If someone litters the beach sand, when the tide rises, this litter can navigate to the sea and to other beaches”, are some of the issues that the kids discuss in the video.

Finally, the children state their personal strong opinions about this urgent issue, while emphasizing that everyone can rethink their own habits. In addition, they express their wishes for the future: a clean ocean for people to swim in, and clean beaches for them to play on!

Thanks to the the voluntary work of André and Isabela Kerber, this video has now been equipped with subtitles, enabling it to be distributed globally.

Blue Flag National Operator Meeting 2019

The Blue Flag National Operator Meeting gathered over 50 participants on 8-9 October. This two-day event was held by Keep Britain Tidy, Blue Flag National Operator in England.

The Blue Flag National Operator Meeting is a technical event where the status and developments of the programme are discussed. It is an opportunity for our National Operators to discuss and exchange ideas about the technicalities of the programme, as well as best practices.

This meeting was the occasion to share and improve new ideas for the months and years to come with the members of the Blue Flag network. From our new member Terry the Turtle (a handmade turtle doll travelling around the world to fight plastic pollution) to a best practices competition, 2020 promises to be exciting!

Blue Flag International would like to thank our National Operator in England, Keep Britain Tidy, for hosting this 2019 meeting, as well as the Blackpool Council for supporting the event.

Holiday-makers involved in Croatian protected species defence

In Cres, Camp Kovačine takes action to protect the island’s large number of protected animal and flora species.

Camp Kovačine raises its guests’ awareness about environmental protection thanks to interactive activities suitable for both kids and their parents. Two years ago, the Camp launched a new activity called “What if”. This project began with lectures on the protection of protected animal species, followed by an art workshop on protected animals and themed social games. Thanks to this initiative, guests receive information concerning Cres’ impressive fauna and flora and the best behaviour to adopt concerning protected species.

“And when we go with the boat to the sea trip- what if we see dolphins? Can we feed them? Can we follow them with a boat? Do they like swimming with humans or they actually get scared and become aggressive? / Tina Gams-Fučić, the quality manager of camping Kovačine and project manager for ecology.”

By teaching beach visitors, employees and children how to deal with the island protected species, Camp Kovačine does a great job for the protection of the environment. Involving the kids and their parents into this activity permits interactions between generations which is a key variable for the future of our planet. Through this, guests understand that each action (or inaction) matters and will apply this mind-set their entire life. For example, they now know that pulling out from the sea Pinna Nobilis (a marine mollusc) can be punished by a fine or prison term.

It is not first Camp Kovačine’s initiative to raise its guests’ environmental consciousness. Last year, the campsite’s eco-theatre made children aware of their possibilities to protect the species since animators dressed like dolphins, flowers or birds were threatened by a plastic bag. Indeed, plastic pollution and climate change were the two mains topics of the piece and also are at the top of the Camp’s environmental policy.   

“Our objective is to teach beach visitors, employees and children how to deal with protected animal species. Our main message, of course, is conservation and protection of protected animal species. also said Tina Gams-Fučić”

Camp Kovačine contributes to the prevention of climate change by showing its guests that they have to be active for our environment. With 95 Blue Flag beaches and 27 marinas in the country, that kind of activities helps a lot keeping Croatia’s exceptional and diverse natural beauty.