In the beginning of the school year we did some work on what we wished for this New Year regarding the environment, climate changes and society in general. With this, our teacher suggested an activity called “I was here!” with the goal of getting something done that would be helpful in respect to our wishes. Our group decided to contribute to the Planet by cleaning the mountains and then planting some trees. Given some setbacks, these ideas were replaced by going to the beach and cleaning it.
So we did it! We spent almost three hours! We used gloves and plastic bags to collect and select the rubbish we would find along the way. It was surprising to realise how much we had caught, especially paper wise. Also we could find every kind of litter of any size, from candy papers, tissues and receipts to huge bottles, boxes and bags. It shocked us how people had the courage of committing such incorrect actions in a public space like the beach. It was interesting to notice that people would sort of stare at us, questioning what we were doing given that this kind of practice is not as usual as it should be.
It would really be beneficial if people and governments started to invest in campaigns, awareness campaigns and in more serious and strict measures to punish those who have acted this way and to prevent unnecessary and exaggerated pollution. Cleaning activities, workshops and contacting with people of the field would be a huge help. We can and must make our change to make sure the future generations can live sustainably without fighting for resources that should be a right to them.
It is honestly negative and sad to witness such amount of rubbish simply thrown off, hence the need of raising awareness that these human actions are harming Nature at an alarming progressive rate. In this activity we realised how serious the situation is even in the cleanest places like Madeira. It actually felt thrilling the feeling of helping our little home and being able to contribute. No matter how little our actions are they will always be relevant. It is crucial for us to become more environmentally responsible in order to preserve our only home, the Planet Earth.
João C.
O programa “Eco-Escolas” pretende encorajar o desenvolvimento de atividades, visando a melhoria do desempenho ambiental das escolas, contribuindo para a alteração de comportamentos e do impacto das preocupações ambientais nas diferentes gerações