Plasticus Maritimus

Ana Pêgo, Bernardo P. Carvalho, & Isabel Minhós Martins

When Ana was a kid, she used to play on the beach, rather than in her backyard. She would take long walks on the sand, observing tides, collecting fossils and enjoying nature.

But gradually she started to notice that a new invading species was becoming more and more common on the shores: plastic.

To help warning people for its effects on life in our planet, Ana became a marine biologist and decided to start collecting plastics. She even gave a name to this new species: Plasticus maritimus. Ever since, she never gave it any rest and started a project to raise awareness of this issue and promote a more conscious use of plastics.

Based on Ana’s project, this book holds information on the relationship between plastic and the oceans. It also includes a practical guide for collecting and analysing samples of this species on the beach. The main goal: inspiring change. Plasticus maritimus should be wiped out!

Every hour, one thousand tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans. 
That’s the equivalent of a large lorry full of plastic — each minute! 
It’s about time we do something about it.

 

Press voices

“Supremely written, brilliantly documented, with clear and accessible information. (…) Stirring, inspiring and, unfortunately, absolutely necessary, this is a book which deserves a place on all bookshelves.” Ricochet Jeunes

“The brilliance of “Plasticus Maritimus” lies in its ability to sensitise children without infantilising them. Quite the contrary to what many might think, our children are capable of understanding the most complex of matters without us needing to strip back our language or intellectual stimulation.” Nuno Gomes Garcia, Luso newspaper

“One of the great books [of 2018] was “Plasticus maritimus” (…), which should be a bedside table book for readers of any age — from the plastic floating on the sea to the scientific rigour, as well as the flawless aesthetic, upon confronting this issue you can be sure that we won’t have a future if we carry on ignoring this problem.” Sara Figueiredo Costa, Expresso

““Ana Pêgo claims that “we don’t need to make a radical change in order to begin the process of “deplastifying” (…) This is indeed the whole spirit (and merit) of the book: making concrete suggestions, uncomplicating what is complicated and turning one of the biggest problems and challenges for our planet accessible to an eight year old.” Ana Dias Ferreira, Observador