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“The sea starts here”

Honorable Mention for Matosinhos in a project by the Blue Flag Association of Europe


Matosinhos received an Honorable Mention in the project “The Sea Begins Here”, carried out by the Blue Flag Association of Europe (ABAE) and its partners, namely municipalities, parishes and schools through the Eco-Schools programme.

Understanding the need to preserve ecosystems, biodiversity and the quality of fresh and salt water and educate for active citizenship were some of the objectives of this challenge launched to schools in the country in this academic year 2021-2022.

In the edition of “The Sea Begins Here”, 827 gutters were painted and 125 municipalities from all regions of the country were involved in the project.

In carrying out the project, the schools used the strategies they considered most appropriate, investigating the water cycle and the urban water cycle, their function, functioning, network and location of the gutters and sinks existing in their neighborhood / parish. Discussion of topics such as waste degradation time, contamination of water lines, the hydrographic network, marine pollution, the impact of fresh and salt water pollution on different ecosystems was also encouraged.

Schools had to create a community awareness campaign, with an image painted next to a gutter or rainwater drain, inside the school and/or in its surroundings. The validated image was painted by the students.

It was up to the municipalities not only to ensure the provision of the urban waste management service in their territory, guaranteeing the cleaning of roads, public spaces and gutters, but also to alert and raise awareness of the population in general, and the school community in particular, to the consequences. , both in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, from the incorrect disposal of waste.

Of the 125 municipalities involved, ABAE and its partners selected five awardees and eight Honorable Mentions in this project, based on the involvement, participation and commitment of each municipality in the communication and dissemination of the project. Matosinhos was awarded an Honorable Mention.

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