"Ocean is one of the great frontiers of knowledge", says USP professor

SP Ocean Week, with interactive activities focused on environmental education, took place at the Memorial da América Latina, in São Paulo, last May.

The program included workshops, presentations and interactive experiences that addressed topics such as pollution, recycling and ocean preservation. CNN Brasil spoke with one of the organizers, Alexandre Turra, coordinator of the UNESCO chair for ocean and sustainability.

"It's the biggest festival in the world to promote oceanic culture, which is a movement that makes people understand a little better the importance of the ocean in their lives, but also as a society in relation to the ocean", explains Turra.

The event provided learning outside the classroom that can stimulate children's interest and bring the topic closer to everyday life. To achieve this, the event brought together more than 30 panels, 60 experts and around 40 institutions.

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The ocean is one of the great frontiers of knowledge. It's so close to us, but it actually seems like it's very far away. Because it may seem easy to study the ocean, but it's not, especially when we talk about the deep sea. It's a huge pressure, the water is freezing. It's very dangerous, it's as if we were going to space. It requires a lot of technology and a lot of cost. But going to the bottom of the ocean isn't as seductive as going to space.

Alexandre Turra, professor at USP and coordinator of the UNESCO chair for oceans and sustainability

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One of the highlights of the program was the "Tampinhas pela Vida" project, created by the SPARKO HUB platform, an initiative aimed at integrating actions between students, schools and companies, which mobilizes schools and visitors to collect plastic caps.

During the event, the public was able to follow the material separation and recycling process, carried out in collaboration with Green Mining, a project partner and reference in recycling and circular economy, in addition to viewing the volume collected in on-site facilities.

'Dos Mares, O Melhor'
Professor Turra also launched the book "Dos Mares, o Melhor", last May. According to the writer, the idea is an accessible language to inform about current impacts on the marine environment.

The book compiles articles published over five years in his column in the magazine Scientific American Brasil. The work aims to inspire engagement in the promotion of oceanic culture by society.

"The book 'Dos Mares, o Melhor' was published as a way of consolidating a learning process that I had as a science communicator. This partnership I have with Alfredo Nastari, editor of Scientific America Brasil, which opened a space for a column dedicated to the oceans that I subscribed to for five years. In total, there were 59 texts, in which, in the process, I learned to tell stories in a different way than I used to tell them scientifically", says the author.

*Under the supervision of Thiago Félix

Source: CNN