The second Sunset Beach Cleanup of the MAELSTROM project took place in Vila do Conde, with the aim of combining environmental preservation with the contemplation of the night sky.
The MAELSTROM project brought together around 100 people for the second edition of the Sunset Beach Cleanup in Vila do Conde to celebrate the World Clean Up Day.
The event was part of the European Climate Pact and EU Beach Cleanup initiatives and brought people together for a beach cleanup and several multidisciplinary environmental awareness activities. The initiative was organized by the European H2020 MAELSTROM project, which develops innovative technologies for removing marine litter, already implemented in Portugal and Italy.
The initiative was a joint effort by the team from CIIMAR, Vila do Conde City Council, CMIA Vila do Conde, the CIMA Research Foundation and the Counting Stars initiative.
With around 100 participants, the beach clean-up made it possible to collect some of the garbage that reaches our beaches, including the left over from the last bathing season. From macro- to micro-plastics, all the trash was analyzed and discussed by the participants, who tried to identify its origin and broaden their view of the relationship between human beings and one of the vestiges of their presence on the planet.
After a break for a “plastic-free” snack, there was a fun program dedicated to marine litter, microplastics and gazing at the night sky, organized by Mar de Experiências, CIIMAR, the Portuguese Pact for Plastics and Counting Stars.
