Last updated on 12th July 2020
To mark ‘Ocean Day’ and despite being in lock down, local Caniço Primary school and the Junta de Freguesia challenged youngsters during May and June to create posters to raise awareness among the population about the risks to public health, nature and marine life that discarded disposable personal protective equipment, such as masks, gloves and wipes, has on the environment. In addition the children wanted to highlight the use of reusable masks, in order to produce less waste.
The students, along with parents and guardians all joined in with this initiative, presenting dozens of works in which most of the participants wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of abandoning used Covid-19 protective materials has on the environment. This included public health, land and marine pollution, as well as creating an island of eye sores instead of one of natural beauty.
According to Sandra Brito from the Caniço Primary School, the posters were evaluated by a jury and the top five entrants received gifts from the initiatives sponsors, VMT-Madeira, Farmácia do Caniço, Museu da Baleia – Caniçal, CTM and Flow.
Furthermore, the Caniço Parish Council will print the winning designs and display and distribute them in public spaces in order to inform residents and visitors of the correct way of disposing of disposable public health equipment; throwing them on the ground is not the way to dispose of these items.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
