We gladly report the initiative promoted by our colleagues at the Journal of Sailing. The Mediterranean belongs to everyone, we all have to take care of it: the invasion of plastic into the seas is our fault. It is up to us to roll up our sleeves and fix it, to leave our children a livable Mediterranean.
As the Medplastic Team Facebook group grows by the day (there are already almost 700 of us!), we continue to post your testimonies, complaints, photos, insights and initiatives.
It’ s time to roll up our sleeves and save the plastic-invaded Mediterranean with our own hands. How can you help us? By becoming “activist sailors” yourself, collecting the plastic you find in the sea and sharing your experiences with us. By doing so, you will also participate in the “No Plastic” Instagram contest (info below) whose winners will be awarded at VELAFestival 2019.
Do you want to become a “testimonial”? Send an email to savethemed@gmail.com, with the subject line “Medplastic testimonial” and we will provide you with the Medplastic logo in high definition that you can print and apply to your boat! Do like Thomas, who put it prominently on the boom of his Rodman 42 Cheyenne!
Let’s keep it up! Meanwhile.
THE COLLECTION CONTINUES…
Goodfishes Recyclingart wrote to us from his Hanse 320, “The Plastic Monster…and his brothers (collected on the Cecina-Elba route, zigzagging around picking up junk with a net and a half-mariner). Had we collected as much as in sight we’d still be shooting.” Thank you for taking action.
…EVEN IN CEFALU’
Thus Timothy-Lucie Smith: “Beautiful anchorage near Pollina, a few miles from Cefalù. Too much plastic on the beach picked up by our brave crew Nigel, though.” Keep up the good work!
BIG GAME FISHING IN CYPRUS
Big fishing also for Mike Scalera, who sent us this photo from Cyprus: “Not bad, considering I was only in the water 30 minutes,” he wrote to us. Bravo Mike, continue in your work!
YCCS, THAT’S GOOD
The YCCS Clean Beach Day, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in synergy with the One Ocean Foundation and in conjunction with World Oceans Day, involved over many children from Arzachena and Cannigione elementary school. The pupils along with the rest of the participants, about a hundred people in all, were divided into three groups and the cleanup of Tre Monti beach (Baja Sardinia) was started. Approximately 20 bags of garbage, including glass bottles, shoes, cans and hundreds of small plastic fragments including microplastics, were collected in the area, at first described as “clean” by the children.
Way to go guys!
BRAVO DANIELE
Also on the Emerald Coast was minist Daniele Nanni, accompanied by 130 school children in the Arzachena area, worked hard to collect plastic from Tre Monti beach. Daniele and ITA659, as testimonials for One Ocean, will engage in supporting initiatives that affect the preservation of the marine environment! Great!
FORCE IVAN
Best wishes to Ivan Dimov, who left on June 10 for his solo “anti-plastic” round-the-world voyage aboard a 5.90-m micro-boat without a mainsail!
“On my trip I would like to send a message to everyone: so many people talk about saving the planet and doing something to make it better, but no one does anything. I, on the other hand, will. During my crossing I will collect all the plastic I find in the sea, attach this material to a buoy and, once I cross a ship, I will hand them the plastic to dispose of. Instead, if I don’t cross paths with any ships I will form a plastic island that I will carry with me until the completion of the voyage.”. Great Ivan Dimov! Save the Planet!
GALICIANS HATE PLASTIC
Instead, Luna Poggi shared with us a beautiful video made by Museo do Mar de Galicia. Definitely worth watching:
https://www.facebook.com/museodomardegalicia/videos/10156279156971897/
THE SPIRIT OF MEDPLASTIC
Thanks also to all the active users of the Medplastic Group, who share daily insights, useful news, decalogues, ideas, and alternative zero-impact products. This must be the spirit of Medplastic. The health of the Mediterranean (and ours) depends on ourselves. We are working hard, to be a sounding board and convey on our channels a huge problem. A problem to which we can, and must, find a solution quickly. Those who have already started/structured projects to propose to us, please send an email to savethemed@gmail.com
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INSTAGRAM CONTEST “NO PLASTIC”
1. Starting June 1, take a photo (or record a video) every time you see, collect or prevent litter at sea (sticking to the theme: Time to take Action)
2. Like Giornale della Vela on Instagram and Facebook and send it to the @giornaledellavela inbox on Instagram (or post it on the MedPlastic Team Facebook group): remember to include where and when it was taken and hashtag #MedPlastic
3. The GdV will republish it and the photo that takes the most votes over the year will be the winner (with awards at VELAFestival 2019)
