During the Monaco Ocean Week 2022, a day was dedicated to interactions between the awardees of the 2021 call for micro-initiatives and the awardees of the call for projects on the islands. This day was divided into two parts:
– An experience sharing workshop, organized in the framework of the CapiMed-Islands project.
The five beneficiaries of the call for projects in the islands and a representative of the micro-initiatives were able to highlight the activities and the principal results:
1. For Plastic Free Croatian Islands (Croatia) (Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development – SUNCE): presented the 2021-2026 action plan to reduce plastic pollution and the use of single-use plastics, developed with the municipality of Sali on the island of Dugi Otok, in the Adriatic Sea (regulation, waste reduction and management, support of pilot initiatives, organization of events, raising awareness…).
2. Together for Zero Plastics in Albanian Islands (Albania) (Royal Albania Foundation): spoke about the action plan carried out by a cooperation of institutions, in collaboration with the municipalities of 10 Albanian islands (waste reduction, collection, traditional alternatives, awareness campaigns…).
3. Development of sustainable alternatives based on local businesses (Golden Islands, Hyères) (Small Islands Organisation): presented the implementation of local, natural and reusable alternatives to single-use plastics designed on the basis of cane waste from Provence, and carried out with the help of local businesses.
4. A guide to alternatives to single-use plastics in the tourism sector (Balearic Islands) (Save the Med/Ibiza Preservation): 2 tools developed to evaluate and promote sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics in the tourism sector: an application evaluating partner establishments and a guide listing different good practices.
5. Plastistop Tunisia (Tunisia) (Association Jlij pour l’Environnement Marin): communication activities implemented to encourage the sorting, collection and reduction of plastic waste with students, local communities, tourists and shop owners.
6. Clean Seas by Eco-Schools Malta (Malta) (Nature Trust Malta): educational programs on the impacts of plastic waste in the sea and existing solutions, with the help of the “Eco-School” label recognized by UNESCO.
-Co-construction of a community of practice
To strengthen the impact of projects, and to capitalize on the experience of its network but also to respond to a request from the actors involved, BeMed wishes to strengthen collaboration and experience sharing by creating a community of practice to unite the organizations it supports.
A community of practice is a group of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or interest in a topic that come together to achieve individual and collective goals. A community of practice aims to share good practices and create new knowledge. To define the priorities, a co-construction workshop was organized in March 2022 during the Monaco Ocean Week. The group agreed on the following priorities:
– Connecting members, through a directory detailing the expertise of each member,
– Make available and share the resources produced within the network,
– Facilitate the sharing of experience, particularly through the organization of workshops and webinars.
The following elements can be considered as guidelines for its development:
– Find the right balance so that the community is beneficial for its members without being too time consuming,
– Be able to keep members excited and motivated even when BeMed no longer funds them,
– Set ethical limits, particularly in terms of potential funders,
– Be inspired by what already exists
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