High school students and scouts from across the Algarve have contributed to an exhibition highlighting the impact of marine plastic pollution which will be on display at MAR Shopping Algarve in Loulé until Sunday, October 20.
The idea was pitched by the University of the Algarve’s Sea Science Centre (CCMAR) and aims to encourage people to reduce the amount of plastic they use and reuse or recycle it.
The exhibition is divided into two parts: ‘Plásticos à Vista’ (Plastics in Sight) and ‘8 Famílias, 8 Pegadas’ (Eight Families, Eight Footprints).
The first features paintings by students from Faro’s Tomás Cabreira High School who were challenged to “artistically interpret the excessive consumption of plastic”.
The second saw 250 children from the First Section of the Algarve’s Scouts collaborate and create “artworks which depict the consumption of eight Algarvian families and highlight the excessive plastic waste that is generated by current consumption standards”.
The exhibition is part of a similar campaign promoted by consumer watchdog DECO which also aims to raise awareness about the impact that plastic has on marine ecosystems and encourage people to reduce the amount of plastic they use so that the Algarve can become a “sustainable, clean and healthy region”.
Herman Gewert, General Manager at MAR Shopping Algarve, says the exhibition is a “good opportunity” for people to reflect on their behaviour and to encourage everyone to act against an issue that has a global impact and which MAR Shopping Algarve also takes responsibility for, especially in the Algarve.
