For the third year running, the Polytechnic University of Coimbra (PUC) is once again setting an example and affirming its role in protecting the environment with the initiative ‘Together let’s help clean up the banks of the River Mondego!’.
The action, aimed at the PUC’s academic community, took place last Saturday, 28 June, and involved 46 participants, combining environmental protection with sport and conviviality.
Organised by the Occupational and Environmental Health Service and the Sports Office, it included kayaking down the River Mondego and cleaning its banks, between Carvoeira, Penacova, and the River Beach of Palheiros and Zorro, Coimbra.
The aim is clear: to promote care for our natural heritage and raise awareness of the urgent need to protect the planet. ‘It’s an action with a huge sense of social responsibility, through which we aim to contribute to a cleaner river and surroundings and, at the same time, encourage active and healthy lifestyles among our students and workers,’ emphasises Ana Ferreira, PUC Vice President, responsible for the areas of occupational and environmental health and sport.
A variety of waste was collected during the activity, with a decrease on the previous year. Among glass, cans and undifferentiated waste, cigarette butts continue to stand out, reinforcing the need to raise awareness of this type of pollution.
This initiative is part of the institutional strategy to promote environmentally conscious behaviour and build a healthier future for the whole community. In addition to the environmental aspect, the action aimed to strengthen ties between students and workers, providing a moment of direct contact with nature, socialising and sharing sustainable values.
The initiative was supported by Ansell Portugal – Industrial Gloves, Sociedade Unipessoal, Lda., which, as in previous years, provided protective gloves for all the volunteers, reinforcing the collective commitment to safety and environmental preservation.
With this symbolic but impactful gesture, PUC reaffirms its mission to train more aware citizens, prepared to face the environmental challenges of the present and the future.
