"The Sea asks for your help"
All works were presented during the last week of August 2010 in the central square of Puerto Lopez. The display was completed with posters and information materials on environmental issues and promoted a culture of responsible management of solid waste.
The exhibition was visited by local people and foreign tourists, college groups and schools of Puerto Lopez.
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The winners
On 2 September 2010 the award of the winners took place. It was nice to see that each job in its own way was different, each had been created based on different materials and with different proposals, which greatly enriched the exhibition.
For the category Artisans the first prize was given to the Association Salangome. The whale created the highest approval rating by the judges and visitors.
Thanks to the support of Mundus maris both participants could be rewarded in the Youth category.
The first prize was won by the Jaime Roldos School and the Nature and Art Foundation. The second prize was awarded to the Ecoclub of Children Guardians of Nature. The two awards were in cash in order to address a need and enable some activity of the winners.
The Jaime Roldos School used the $150 prize for improving school infrastructure, which is very poor. It does not have doors to the classrooms. With the help of Laura Hester of the Nature and Art Foundation are now making improvements in the school. Read more about this experience soon.
The prize for the Ecoclub, $100, was used so that the 12 children would get to know the Isla de la Plata. The children had never seen the island that is part of the Machalilla National Park. They could rent snorkel masks and visit the island along with their guides Gabriela Anhalzer and Micaela Peña. The Machalilla National Park collaborated by providing the craft for transfer to the island. Read more from Laura Hester about this experience and what is planned as a follow-up.
About the author:
Nuria Estrella Santos holds a MSc. degree in environmental engineering of the Free University of Brussels and is a former intern of the International Science and Technology Cooperation (INCO) Programme at the European Commission in Brussels. She now works for the Fundación Santiago de Guyaquil in the waste management project in Puerto Lopez, Jama and San Vicente on the Ecuadorian coast, financed by the European Union.
There are other initiatives in the region, intent on nature protection and more sustainable fisheries. Click here for one of several examples.