Sana Mare - education and events against marine waste by Lucas Schmitz

From 2021, we want to organise at least 365 waste collection events annually throughout Europe. We will also offer educational programmes in schools to bring the importance of the ocean and the need for marine conservation closer to the next generation.

The situation

The oceans are drowning in plastic. Every year another 13 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean. There it causes huge damage to nature. Birds confuse it with food or nesting material. They die from the plastic in their stomach or get caught in nets and the like. In the sea it becomes microplastic and enters the food chain.
Please click on the following link to see a short video about the extent and consequences of plastic pollution.

Video about plastic in the ocean

Although only a small part of the plastic in the ocean comes from Europe, the problem is also present here. In the North Sea, an average of 30 large plastic objects swim per square kilometre. In Portugal, only 63% of plastic waste is recycled or thermally recycled. We are convinced that we must first clean up Europe and get the beaches and waterways clean before we can demand this from the developing countries. The inserted picture shows plastic on a beach in Portugal.

To solve the plastic problem, it is imperative that we produce much less plastic worldwide and dispose of and reuse used plastic properly. Until then, we must do everything we can to reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean. We have to educate the public and collect as much waste as possible from nature and dispose it correctly.

The good thing is that we can really make a difference. Education and strengthening problem awareness are the key.

The project Sana Mare

We are going to establish an association for ocean conservation, whose main activity will be the organization and execution of garbage collection events on beaches, rivers and in the sea. It is our goal to organise at least 365 waste collection activities every year throughout Europe by 2021 at the latest.

In addition to the garbage collection activities, we plan to offer environmental education programmes in schools. The aim is to teach children and young people about the dangers of plastic in the sea and thereby raise a generation that is much less careless about the ocean than previous generations have been. To end the plastic problem in the ocean, education is the key to success. As we are based in Germany and Portugal, we will implement the first projects and educational programmes in these two countries. However, we are planning to organise waste collection activities in other European countries very quickly.

We will carry out the project Sana Mare as a registered association. The garbage collection actions and environmental education programs are to be financed by donations. In order to increase the incentive for donations, we would like to give a bracelet made of recycled plastic or old fishing nets to every person who donates 20,- € or more. For every bracelet we give, we promise to collect at least 1 kg of plastic from beaches, rivers or the sea. If we can collect more with the money, we will do so, or invest the money in other projects such as environmental education or political campaigns. Since Sana Mare is supposed to be a registered non-profit association, there will be complete transparency about the income and the use of the income.

What we need the money for

The first waste collection campaigns have already taken place and were very successful. We financed these personally. In order to organize really many garbage collection events, we have to make the project much bigger. For this we need money. For the start we need at least 5000,- €. Without this sum we cannot bear the costs for the foundation, the development of teaching material and the introduction of the association. In order get really successfull, however, we need at least 10.000,- €. This crowdfunding campaign should serve as a kickstart for our project. A list of the items for which we need so much money can be seen above. We will work 100% volunteerly in the initial phase. Of course we will also found the association if we receive less than the required 5000,- €. The foundation can already be done with 1000,- €. Therefore this is also the first stage goal. If we reach this goal, but do not collect enough money to develop professional educational material, then we will of course start with the project. We will then only carry out garbage collection activities and try to collect donations in other ways.
The more money we collect here, the more we will invest in environmental protection.

The following list serves as an example for further investment, we could make, if we exceed our target of 10.000,-€

• Mirksokopes for the education programs
• further garbage collection actions
• promotional video
• a political campaign against the use of disposable plastic cups
• Educational material for further grades and school types
• stand for a trade fair
• and much more

Thank you to the donors

We offer everyone who supports our crowdfunding campaign here with 20,- € or more, one of our bracelets (or key rings) made of old fishing nets. Since we still have to produce the bracelets ourselves and only have a few nets, we can only offer them as long as stocks last. We ask for your understanding that the production may take some time. Each donor will receive a bracelet in any case. As soon as we are able to produce the bracelets in large quantities, the supporters of our crowdfunding campaign will be the first to receive a bracelet. We are very grateful for any donation. We have already developed the first prototypes of bracelets from old fishing nets.  A small selection is shown in the following picture.

Of course we are also happy about smaller donations of less than 20,- €. Also a donation of 1,- € helps us. In this case, however, we cannot offer a bracelet as a thank-you. We are also happy about larger donations. Donors, who give 100, – € or more, are mentioned by name (if desired) in the first annual report of the association.  From a donation of 400,- € I will be happy to come to you personally, inform you about the project and give a lecture about the plastic problems in the ocean.

In order to stay informed about the development of our association Sana Mare, donors and non-donors can follow our facebook page. Please click here: https://www.facebook.com/sanamare.organisation. To be regularly informed about updates by email, please send me an email to sanamare@lucas-schmitz.com
You can also contact me at this email address if you have any questions about the project or the use of the donations.

The civilization waste in the ocean causes a huge damage to nature. It covers the ocean floor and destroys the ecosystem on the ground. It kills millions of fish, sea mammals and sea birds. As micro plastic, it is also absorbed by plants and accumulates through the food chain. As a result, marine waste endangers the stability of the ecosystem and biodiversity. It also affects the climate system and human society. We depend on the ocean because it is our food source, our oxygen producer and our climate regulator. Without an intact ecosystem, the ocean cannot fulfil these tasks.

It is therefore imperative that we protect the ocean and treat the litter as waste. Through our waste collection campaigns and educational projects, we help to reduce the problem. While we cannot clean up the ocean, we will raise awareness and reduce litter.

My name is Lucas, I am a physical oceanographer and diving instructor from Germany. I finished my studies a few months ago and since then I have been trying to gain a professional foothold in the environmental protection scene. To this end, I have completed internships and projects. I lived in Portugal for many years and watched the plastic pollution helplessly. Since I know the country and the people, I know that the understanding of environmental protection in Portugal is much less pronounced than in Germany. The environmental education project is therefore, in my opinion, very important in order to eliminate the problem in the long term and in a sustainable way.
My project partner is Luciano. He is also an oceanographer and diving instructor from Portugal. He never gets tired of explaining the plastic problem to his diving students and is the most eager underwater garbage collector I know.

because we want to protect the ocean for future generations.