A track of trash was pushed onto Vila Nova de Gaia beaches by the storm Helena
The storm Helena, felt in Portugal on 1st February 2019, produced heavy winds up to 110 kilometres an hour and provoked the agitation of the sea.
The effects of the storm were visible on the littoral coast, with the destruction of the gangways
and piles of marine litter on the beach. The city of Vila Nova de Gaia, wasn’t an exception, as we can see in the pictures of Madalena beach.
In all that litter, there is one item more common than any other: plasticus maritimus, an “invasive specie”, as Ana Pêgo refers to.
According to The National Geographic, it is estimated that about 8 million tons of plastic is washed down by the rivers and ends up in the ocean.
Plastic can take centuries to decompose, and it is responsible for the death of million marine species. Every year, nearly 700 species can be affected by it.
Odete Melo
Next stop OCEAN
As beatas são um dos itens mais encontrados nas praias, em grande parte transportadas pela água da chuva, que as arrasta até aos bueiros e, daí, as leva diretamente para os cursos de água e oceanos.
Impõe-se uma mudança radical de hábitos: quando um cigarro chega ao fim, quem o fumou tem de depositar a beata no local adequado e não no chão.
Para fazer esta fotografia, fizemos uma paragem de autocarro original e utilizamos duas beatas com pernas e braços formados com palitos. A fotografia foi tirada num bueiro no parque de estacionamento da nossa escola. Para fazer os bonecos e tirar a fotografia, tivemos a ajuda dos nossos professores de Geografia e Cidadania e Desenvolvimento e de outros professores da escola. Este foi um trabalho muito divertido de fazer, desde a ideia inicial, durante uma aula, até à construção dos bonecos.
Small gestures that make a difference! It is up to each of us to help our planet.
When I catch a small plastic in the river, I prevent it from reaching the sea …
I will not tell the story about the photography, but a story that I read and marked me.
A great fire had begun in the forest. The animals fled frightened, shielding themselves from that hell. But a little bird, boldly decided to do something to prevent that horror: with his little beak, he decided to get water from the river and lie in the flames, trying to put out the fire.
The other animals told him it was not worth it, laughing at his attitude.
The little bird without hesitation replied:
-Does not matter. I’m just doing my part!
Victor Moreira Martins
Free yourself!
The plastic has become a reality in our daily lives, becoming part of us, at the point of suffocating the seas, the air and even the animals that are the basis of our food. More than 400 million tons of plastics are produced per year and over the last 10 years we have produced more plastic than in the last 100 years and only 9% of the plastic is recycled. Every minute is produced 10 million plastic bags. The plastic is increasing so much that in the next half century, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish.
Luís Martins
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