This year’s World Oceans Day, we want to point out that our sea is surrounding us the whole year and needs us all to care for it every single day. 

That’s why two weeks ago, together with the municipality, we called in the help of the kids from the local primary school to put the hands together for a special day within the “environmental school week”.

Subject: Our plastic planet! Goal: To make the young generation realize that although plastic affects our whole planet, and mostly our oceans, each and every child has the chance to drastically reduce this issue. 

Marine Biologists of Dive2gether demonstrating the best way to seperate garbage

The day started with an informative and interactive presentation given by our marine biologist Christina on the issue of plastic consumption and its waste. Examples were given on how the children can change daily habits (eg. replacing plastic with wooden products) and through a game they were introduced on how to conduct proper recycling. 

Eager to get into action, the children then headed to the bay of Plakias where they conducted a clean-up on land while divers from Dive2gether and Phoenix Diving Club took care of the underwater part. 

Divers from Dive2gether and Phoenix Diving Club took care of the underwater part

At the end, everyone got together at the port where an impressive amount of mixed rubbish was presented. All findings were then separated and quantified by students of the Department of Primary Education from the University of Rethymnon. 

All the garbage collected underwater are put together to start with the separation

The students are separating and quantifying the garbage

The eldest class of the school was taken to the laboratory of Dive2gether where sand samples, collected from the beach, were observed under the microscopes. All children were surprised to see tiny bits of plastic in every single sample and left the laboratory even more motivated of protecting our planet and especially our sea against plastic.

Environmental success in Plakias!

Message of the day: Plastic is everywhere! But it is not too late! We can all start acting locally and see a change globally.