ABOUT VALENCIA
Valencia is located on the Mediterranean coast in Spain. It has about 20km of coastline in which urban beaches and natural beaches are combined thanks to the Natural Park of L’Albufera. It is located to the East of the Iberian Peninsula and the most common geomorphology is dissipative beaches and fine sand. It’s a stunning and popular tourist destination, but also one faced with mounting problems related to plastic pollution, inadequate waste management infrastructure and scarcity of freshwater.
LOCAL GOALS
UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
LOCAL PARTNER
The BIOagradables Association is a group of volunteer activists for the environment, whose main activity is the monthly organization of beach cleanings, which they understand as a direct awareness tool about our impact on the natural environment. Since 2012 summer, they have traveled the Valencian beaches from Pinedo to Meliana, collecting marine litter from the beaches. They believe that the individual action of each person affects the environment causing a response from society. They want to motivate positive actions so that more people get that attitude.
INNOVACIÓN AMBIENTAL
Was born with the aim of revaluing the Valencian coast, helping to understand and reverse the problem of marine litter and microplastics, classifying what type of waste reaches the coast and its possible origin to offer a waste management solution. They aim to sensitize, raise awareness and motivate citizens by promoting a more sustainable use of plastics and organizing physical removals of waste. They use GIS tools to make visible the waste that ends up on the beaches, in addition to the sediment analysis they carry out to detect the amount of microplastics that are deposited on the beaches.
CETUS: Healthy seas
It’s a project carried out by one of the team members together with a group of young people under 30 years of age with funding from the European Union within the framework of the Solidarity Corps. It’s about scientific dissemination and environmental awareness about the oceans. In addition, beach and underwater cleaning, interpretive routes, informative talks, etc. are organized.