Zero plastic – Route to resilience – ZEUS

The project focuses on the environment and more precisely on the plastic waste in the coastal ecosystems. The purpose of the program is to inform (youth), raise awareness and produce data under KPI’s (developing both material for research paper-review and white paper) on the issue of plastic waste, but also to take action to address it. The implementation of the project is based on the interaction and active participation of youth, (coming from all over Europe – volunteers), while it’s design and implementation are in line with the principles of Environmental Education through experiential activities that promote awareness, action by participants, and active participation in contemporary environmental and social issues.

The project and activities aim to inform (mainly) youth about some modern sources of pollution, as well as to introduce students to modern concepts, such as micro-plastics and reuse. In addition, the content of the program concerns the description of the issue and its consequences, as well as how to take personal and group action to prevent and deal with it, but also to cultivate youth skills through the investigation of the issue by themselves.

The ZEUS project will produce (other than official and documented data coming from the plastic selected in the coastal area –both beaches and shallow coastal areas – of the west part of the island of Mytilini) a research survey paper focusing on the local waste management in regards to plastic pollution, a Micro plastic and floating litter analysis in the targeted area of the island based on a 12 months selection project.

 An analysis of the density of marine debris in the surveyed areas, a documented synthesis of the plastic waste outcome to land and sea and a hypothesis on local ecosystem health and a series of research priorities to mitigate plastic pollution impacts on the island’s marine wildlife.

The project ZEUS will be taking place for as many as two consecutive years starting from the fourth semester of 2022 and will be completed in December 2024.