“We are jealous of our sea, and we want it to be respected. For this reason we are here today", explains Antonello Zinzula, president of the Pro Loco of S. Vero Milis, while he helps the other volunteers to complete the preparations for the "Tastes and scent of sea" festival, laid out on Sunday 28 April in the numerous stands of the seafront that links Putzu Idu to Mandriola. The first visitors are already walking along the narrow strip of land dividing the marina from the pond of Salina Manna. Scuba fishing has caused a "real disaster" according to Zinzula, putting the presence of sea urchins in the coastal ecosystem at serious risk. Currently, scuba fishing is granted by regional regulations. The Pro loco is fighting to ensure that indiscriminate predation in the province of Oristano is prohibited.
The mistral sweeps the sapphire and turquoise spots of the marina, shakes the gazebo of the CEAS (Environmental Education and Sustainability Center) of Oristano on the beach, where Antonio Ricciu, the coordinator of the group, checks on the desk the tools that will be used for the clean-up of the beach. "With the youth center and the ‘Nel Sinis’ association, we promote actions aimed at protecting the territory and attracting the interest of civil society on issues of environmental sustainability. Today we wanted to come here especially to talk about the pollution of plastics and microplastics", Ricciu says. The CNR (National Research Council) provided CEAS with the equipment for the monitoring of the plastic, the sieves of various sizes and the macro and microplastic samples. The young volunteers will then move on to creative artistic recycling activities. In the billboards, the empty forms of marine fauna will be filled with color thanks to the collected plastic. On the side of the gazebo stands a large fish made up of caps, pens, clothes pegs and toothbrush cases. Whoever manages to fill a bag, or a half-liter bottle of cigarette butts, will be rewarded with a free ride on the canoes and sups made available by Nesos rent.
The wet and coastal areas can also be protected by riding a bicycle thanks to the MET Club. “We often organize awareness days that link sports and environment. For today we have thought about an ecological ride, but in other occasions we also use the sailboat to raise awareness among teenagers and children. We will take a tour of our villages and coastal areas, trying to clean up what incivility drops" says Monia Corona, secretary of the association. The festival is also an opportunity to promote the economy of small artisans and local producers. Musical instruments created with canes, cork masks, jewelry and the many enogastronomic products such as honey, beer, cheese and spices.
"We are happy to have sponsored the event. The municipality of S. Vero Milis supports everything that combines tradition, culture and environmental protection. We are a plastic-free municipality, in our events and within the institutional buildings single-use plastic is forbidden, we use only organic products. If today a glass served at the festival should escape waste collection it would not pollute the beach. In maximum 60 days it would be decomposed" explains Daniela Zaru, councilor for tourism.
"We have a wonderful relationship with the MEDSEA foundation, and we are firmly involved in the Maristanis Project, a great opportunity for the towns affected by the wetlands in the Oristano’s coastal system", the councilor continues. "S. Vero Milis will again host the International Coast Day this year. But above all, for us as for the other municipalities involved in the project, what matters most are all the actions conceived and implemented to restore and protect the wetlands. Just look around, on one side the sea, on the other side the pond.
We are surrounded by an environmental heritage of immense value. We just need to work together so that the awareness of this fortune becomes common, to protect it and develop its potential in a sustainable manner".