Here are the winners of the 4th edition of Kilometres of plastic for Iris!

Six young people from Menorca awarded in the 4th edition of the Balearic initiative ‘Kilometres of Plastic for Iris’

The winning ‘0 Plastic Warriors’ have enjoyed a try dive with Binibeca Diving

Six students from the schools San Jose in Mahón and IES Miquel Guàrdia in Alaior have been selected as winners of the fourth edition of Kilometres of Plastic for Iris, a Balearic environmental initiative promoted in Menorca by 0 Plastic Menorca, with the support of Menorca Preservation. The winning students, Javier Camps, Naia Ramos, Teresa Seguí, Laura Perez, Lucas Zelfa and David Pons, enjoyed their prize together with two teachers this morning: a diving baptism to discover the seabed of the south coast with Binibeca Diving.

The Balearic initiative, which has been running on the islands since 2020 and in which the IbizaPreservation and Mallorca Preservation foundations also participate, is held in memory of Iris, the daughter of the co-founder of the three organisations, Ben Goldsmith. Its aim is to “involve new generations in the fight against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea”, they stress. Thus, the project seeks to “give a voice to these 0 Plastic Warriors, encouraging them to think together about solutions and proposals with which to combat this important environmental problem”.

The challenge of this edition was for the 0 Plastic Warriors of the Balearic Islands to surpass the initial objective of covering 20,000 km cleaning up the natural environment. This year, they have managed to accumulate a total of 29,338.3 km travelled, which represents an increase of 90% compared to 2023. To highlight their commitment, the organisations awarded kayak or paddle surf trips to the 30 participants who covered the most kilometres out of the 452 students registered.

However, in addition to covering kilometres, the students were also invited to present a video explaining their excursions, the types of plastics encountered and the solutions proposed to tackle pollution. The solutions offered were very original and varied, with some of them being the implementation of sensors and alarms in the containers to warn if the material deposited is not the correct one, a system of plastic collection by specialised boats, machinery that transforms the plastic collected from the sea into other products, promoting a law banning single-use plastic or educational programmes for young people based on plastic collection on the beaches with an incentive system.

“This competition is one of the best I have ever participated in, not only because it makes you think of an idea to improve the world, but also because it makes you think about the environmental problems we have today. I discovered it, thanks to my school, CC Sant Josep, the whole history of the contest and the life of the Iris. I think it’s worth participating for the history, learning and experience it gives you”. Laura Pérez Carreras, student at CC Sant Josep de Mahón.

The project concludes with today’s excursion, aimed at the six boys and girls awarded in Menorca, which has been carried out with Binibeca Diving. The outing included a theoretical part, followed by the baptism of diving in teams, and a final briefing in which the O Plastic Warriors shared their experiences:

“It’s very interesting to see how much plastic there is when you are covering miles or filming your proposal. I think it is a very good initiative to make people and yourself aware of the amount of plastics in the environment, and also to encourage you to look for ways to improve the planet and combat this problem. Moreover, it is very easy to sign up and if you are a winner, you can enjoy fun activities such as scuba diving”, adds Laura Pérez.

This year, the activity has been co-financed by the British band Depeche Mode, who contribute funds through their charity collaboration with the luxury watch brand Hublot, as part of their Memento Mori world tour. The funds are channelled through the Conservation Collective, a global network of environmental foundations of which Menorca Preservation, IbizaPreservation and Mallorca Preservation are members.

“The role of the 0 Plastic Warriors in this project is fundamental, as their involvement goes beyond waste collection and interest in the issue; they also become long-term drivers of change, acting as ambassadors among friends, family and teachers,” says Sara D’Eustacchio, Communication and Projects Manager at Menorca Preservation.

Finally, 0 Plastic’s co-founder Alba Carbonell emphasised that the Kilometres of Plastic for Iris project “generates a community of aware and informed young people who help to protect the island. From 0 Plastic we identify young environmental leaders to inspire the people around them and propose initiatives of value for Ibiza in order to reduce the use of plastic,” she concluded.