On this World Environment Day and starting so-called Green June, the Port of Açu began today a series of actions that will take place during the whole month. To mark the date, RPPN Caruara, a private nature reserve created and maintained voluntarily by the enterprise, was the subject of a roundtable discussion about biodiversity, held during the 3rd Municipal Forum on Environmental Management for Businesses and State-Owned Companies, hosted at the municipal assembly in Campos.
Daniel Nascimento, Environment coordinator at the Port of Açu, participated in the debate and emphasized the relevance of discussing the subject to encourage new initiatives: “This type of meeting is key to reinforce the importance of environmental preservation and responsibility for everyone to make this commitment. It is a great opportunity to showcase the example set by the Port of Açu, with the development of RPPN Caruara, which is of the utmost importance for biodiversity in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro State,” he said.
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In addition to attending today’s event, the Port of Açu will sponsor lectures, training, and external activities inspired by the United Nations campaign theme for 2018: “End Plastic Pollution”. The goal is to bring awareness and reduce utilization of plastic products, also strengthening the “Clean Seas” campaign. Every year, 13 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean, according to the U.N. Responding to the U.N.’s call, the Port of Açu will organize a mass cleaning effort with its associates on Açu Beach, in São João da Barra, and a campaign to collect plastic material inside the enterprise. The company’s initiative involves public school students, who will learn about the risks that plastics pose to marine life and will participate in workshops to create toys using plastic collected in the Port Complex.
According to the U.N., 5 trillion plastic bags are consumed every year in the planet and 1 million PET bottles are purchased per minute. A total of 600,000 marine species are affected by waste discarded in the ocean, and 15% of these are threatened with extinction.
Wanderson de Sousa, Sustainability manager at the Port of Açu, believes that the company’s role is to share this kind of information in the workplace and externally. “Reversing this global tide is a commitment that each one of us must make. Certainly, by sharing knowledge and statistics on the matter, we will contribute to spread environmental awareness,” he added
