The ProBleu project reaffirmed its commitment to the “Restoring Ocean and Waters” mission during the 2024 European Ocean Days. This event brought together participants from mission projects across Europe for an intense 4-day program of workshops, talks, events, and diverse presentations.On the morning of March 4th, Jaume Piera, ProBleu’s coordinator, took part in an event that gathered more than 70 different projects to discuss current challenges and the next steps in restoring our oceans and waters. In the afternoon, a matchmaking event brought together 170 participants, including representatives from the Mission Charter, mission projects, foundations, and business sectors, scheduling 150 bilateral meetings. Piera and Vanessa-Sarah Salvo, also from the ProBleu ICM-CSIC team, played active roles, emphasizing the importance of collaboration across various sectors to achieve common environmental goals.
Spotlight on MINKA and EU Digital Ocean and Waters Knowledge System
Over 300 individuals attended – both in person and virtually – the Mission Forum held on March 5th. Salvo was one of three speakers discussing the EU Digital Ocean and Waters Knowledge System, where she presented MINKA, the citizen science observatory developed by ICM-CSIC, now being implemented in schools across Europe. This innovative project exemplifies ProBleu’s commitment to integrating ocean and water literacy into educational curricula through teaching materials and programs.
Advocating for Linguistic Diversity at the European Parliament
Among the other important ProBleu contributions to the event, the team participated, on March 6th at the European Parliament, with the 140 other mission participants to meet with several Members of Parliament. They discussed the necessity of a Mission and the steps needed for its implementation. Jaume Piera spoke out, advocating for the importance of linguistic diversity and local language adaptation to effectively promote water and ocean culture projects in schools across Europe.
Strengthening Synergies with Sister Projects
The European Ocean Days also provided a splendid opportunity to continue forging synergies with ProBleu’s sibling projects, Shore and BlueLightS. We are convinced that collaborating with them will leave an indelible mark on the global protection of marine and freshwater ecosystems, preventing pollution and fostering a local culture of sustainability and conservation.
Thus, ProBleu has not only demonstrated its leadership in environmental education and citizen science but also its ability to influence policies and practices at the European level.
Funded by the European Union