The students, all from the Colegio Santísima Trinidad de Sant Antoni, enjoyed their prize – a beginners’ scuba dive – this Friday
Six students from the Colegio Santísima Trinidad in Sant Antoni de Portmany were selected as winners of the fourth edition of Kilometres of Plastic for Iris, a Balearic environmental initiative promoted in Ibiza and Formentera by IbizaPreservation. Angad Singh Sandhu Mishra and José André Alburqueque Rodríguez, both aged 15; Carlota Tyson Martínez and Maria Clara Palmiño Picon, aged 13; and Abderrahman El Foual Hajji and Assad Akarkaf, aged 15 and 16 respectively, enjoyed their prize on Friday morning: a boat trip and a beginners’ scuba dive to explore Ibiza’s seabed.
The initiative is run by the 0 Plastic association and jointly promoted by Mallorca Preservation and Menorca Preservation, as well as IbizaPreservation. It is held annually in memory of Iris, the daughter of the co-founder of the three entities, Ben Goldsmith, who died in an accident in 2019, just 15 years old. Its objective is to “involve new generations in the fight against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea.”
The challenge for this year’s edition was for the participants to exceed the goal of travelling 20,000 km across the Balearics while cleaning up the natural environment. In the end, they reached a total of 29,338 km, an increase of 90% compared to 2023. The organisers awarded kayak or paddle surf excursions to the 30 participants who covered the most kilometres out of the 452 registered participants.
Youth commitment to the environment
In addition to covering kilometres, the youngsters were also invited to submit a video explaining their excursions, the types of plastics found and the solutions proposed to tackle pollution. Two of the winning teams from Ibiza suggested the implementation of sensors and alarms in rubbish containers to alert if the material deposited was incorrect, in addition to increasing surveillance.
The Ibiza winners’ excursion this Friday was carried out with the Arenal Diving diving school and included a theoretical introduction, followed by a team-based beginners’ dive, before concluding with a briefing in which the participants reflected on their experiences. “The experience has been great, much better than I expected,” said Angad Singh Sandhu Mishra, one of the young winners, who encouraged the students to participate in activities related to caring for the environment such as Kilometres of Plastic for Iris.
“Participating in environmental care initiatives not only makes you feel good knowing that you are doing your bit, but you also contribute to the maintenance and care of our island, a home shared by all of us,” said the young man, who added that “we all want to have beautiful beaches, enjoy a beautiful day and keep everything super clean; that is why it is our duty to take care of the island.” “Young people have to think about the future, not just the present. The fate of the environment depends largely on our actions,” added Carlota Tyson Martínez.
This year, the activity was co-financed by the British band Depeche Mode, which provided funds through its charitable collaboration with the luxury watch brand Hublot, as part of its Memento Mori world tour. The funds are channelled through Conservation Collective, a global network of environmental foundations that includes the three Balearic Preservation Foundations.
“At IbizaPreservation, we continue to support young people’s awareness of the issue of plastics. It is crucial that they understand the problem and actively contribute to solving it and regenerating our environment by applying their creativity to this challenge,” said Inma Saranova, director of the environmental foundation.
For her part, 0 Plastic’s co-founder Alba Carbonell stressed that the Kilometeres of Plastic for Iris project “Generates a community of aware and informed young people who help protect the island. At 0 Plastic we identify young environmental leaders to inspire those around them and propose valuable initiatives to reduce plastic use in Ibiza,” she concluded.
