Boa Vista Experience

admin · Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 547

These last two weeks have been dedicated to GARBAGE.

Turtle Foundation, worried about the amount of trash, especially plastic, littering the beaches of Boavista, initiated its awareness campaign about this problem in the schools of Boavista. Through visits to the schools, and one hour class given by us, approximately 220 students from the secondary school in Sal Rei (12-15), and 250 kids from the schools of Estância de Baixo, João Galego, Fundo das Figueiras and Rabil (6-12) were taught about the impact of trash on marine life, specially sea turtles.

The campaign, started on the 12th of October, has been very successful, and was welcomed by the schools and the teachers. One of its highlights was a Recycling Workshop, organized by Turtle Foundation at the Secondary school on the 24th of October, where students were taught how to make fun things out of plastic bottles, caps and other materials commonly found on the beaches, or documented to cause the death to marine animals. Some of the creations were quite interesting and artistic!

Although these classes now finished, this campaign isn't over yet. A contest has been set at the secondary school, to stimulate the creative use of plastic. Students will receive school marks for the works they present, and at the end each class room will be decorated with the items produced. The best decorated classroom will win a collective prize, and items will be displayed at the central plaza in Sal Rei around Christmas. Also, another contest will ask the students to design a logo and a slogan to be printed on cotton bags, that will be produced and distributed next year by Turtle Foundation, as an incentive to make people using less plastic bags in the Island. A small poster, for awareness about plastic bags will be soon distributed at the major supermarkets and chinese shops.

What can YOU do to help the cause?
•Reuse your plastic shopping bags: use them as trash so as not to buy others that are more energy wasting; use them for storage •Use paper bags rather than plastic bags when you are given the choice •Use reusable grocery bags, which always have a lower environmental impact.

For more information on the work of the Turtle Foundation please followthe link below:

http://boavistaexperience.phpbbweb.com/boavistaexperience-forum-15.html

Regards,

John
_________________
www.boavistaexperience.com