Per la Mar Viva is a non-profit organization of Menorcan origin with a clear objective: to ensure the good health of the sea.

“The message is very clear, spread it everywhere: save the seas and oceans, and do not sell them at any price.” The Menorcan duo Cala Joia sums up the purpose of Per la Mar Viva, which seeks to raise awareness among companies, administration, organizations, and individuals — starting with the youngest — to reduce any dumping of waste in the waters of Menorca, as well as excel in waste management and contribute to the reduction of plastics that end up in the sea and on the coast.

Per la Mar Viva was born in the year 2017, after years of research and observation on the amount of plastics that ended up in the port of Ciutadella, and on the Menorcan coast. Its founder, Carlos Salord, a local physiotherapist, has mobilized to promote this non-profit organization, after years of observing society’s indifference to change the situation.

The initial study: how much plastic is collected in a day?

Carlos Salord, president of the Per la Mar Viva association, decided to launch a comparative study: on the one hand, the amount of plastics collected by the boats that the Balearic Government uses to clean the coast of Menorca; on the other, the amount of plastics that he himself was able to collect, trying to simulate the work done by these same boats, during nine working days.

The results showed that the vessels of the Balearic Government collected an average of 11.34 kg per day. Salord, with his semi-rigid zodiac and three sieves, was able to pull out an average of 70.33 kg per day.

First step: social awareness

The goal, in order to see real changes in the health of the sea, is social awareness, and that is why Per la Mar Viva has brought the project closer to both citizens and the administration. Specific solutions have been proposed to each body, according to responsibilities and involvement, in order to involve everyone and make the results real and prolonged over time. 

The main challenge, however, remains responsibility and human behaviour. And that is why they hold talks and events in schools and institutes in the Islands, to educate their citizens from an early age in good maritime management. An action that has been very well received, even in preschool, and that is certainly what can mark future generations.

The goal is to move from the indifference from “this does not concern me” to the awareness of “we really have a problem”, and from there, to the proactivity of “what can I do about it?”

Second step: the real involvement

Spreading is essential to get real involvement, and that’s why local artists, like Dos Sipiots & Orgànic and Cala Joia, spread this awareness throughout their music. The exhibition La mar de plàstics opened in Ferreries in May 2019. With more than 8,000 visitors, it reached the goal of giving voice to the sea and raising awareness from objects rescued from the Menorcan coast. 

Beyond the association itself, Per la Mar Viva has become a popular initiative that spreads around the island of Menorca and that echoes overseas. The intention, now, is to expand its effect to the rest of the islands and to Catalonia. For now, it has launched the campaign #GobiernoDesplastificanosYA on social media, addressed to the Government of Spain and requesting its involvement.

So far, humans have turned the oceans into the final dump of our rubbish. It is time to change this idea and work together to keep the sea alive for many years, as Cala Joia sing:

«Que la mar no sigui més

un immens abocador,

entre tots hi som a temps,

junts podem canviar aquest món.»

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