The municipality of Tías has obtained the first Ecoplaya flag in its history, which has been awarded to Playa Grande to recognize its environmental quality. The mayor of Tías, Pancho Hernández, accompanied by the Councilor for Beaches, Nerea Santana, announced this Thursday at a press conference the news, where they pointed out that "it will be raised on the beach of Puerto del Carmen on June 8, coinciding with World Oceans Day". This beach, which did not obtain the renewal of the Blue Flag this year because the organization that grants them pointed out that it violates the community directive on waters, has now obtained this award that praises its qualities.
Nerea Santana has stated that this high environmental distinction to the coast of Tías comes "for its continuous commitment to improving its quality." This flag, which is granted by the Technical Association for Waste Management, Urban Cleaning and the Environment (Ategrus), has also been "one of the first flags to be achieved in the Canary Islands in a mature tourist destination", according to the Consistory.
The Councilor for Beaches has explained that "this award is a recognition to the municipality of Tías and the island of Lanzarote for their work in the high quality of their beaches from an environmental, tourist and sustainability point of view", and this has the "objective of disseminating their efforts, innovations and achievements, where the latest improvements and those planned in Playa Blanca make it one of the main sustainable beaches on the Island, with lifeguard and surveillance services, cleaning, bathrooms, accessibility and environmental education programs".
"It is the result of continuous commitment to improvement"
The award granted, "is the result of the continuous commitment to improving its quality, maintaining the positive aspects that this beach has and incorporating improvements and novelties that sustainably combine tourist criteria and respect for nature", added Nerea Santana.
The councilor highlighted "within the maintenance of positive aspects, the continuous cleaning of the beach and facilities, repair of access ramps and new bathrooms, temporary installation of nautical elements such as a floating water park, and equipment complying with accessibility requirements and elimination of architectural barriers, emphasizing its sustainable integration with materials that are appropriate to the environment, the realization of sports activities and others aimed at publicizing the environmental wealth of the coast of Tías, as well as the establishment of a complete rescue and lifeguard device".
From the Tías City Council they have also spoken at this press conference about the non-renewal of the Blue Flag to Playa Grande in 2017. "The reasons are unrelated to the quality of the beaches and the actions of this City Council", said the councilor Nerea Santana, stressing that if the reason of the Environmental Education Foundation (FEE) "were really so, we would not now be awarded with this Ecoplaya flag, which rewards above all ecology and sustainability on the coast of our municipality of Tías".
Environment Week and Oceans Day
This announcement of the first Ecoplaya flag in a mature tourist destination in the Canary Islands has been announced by the Tías City Council in the presentation of the program to be carried out in the Environment Week and Oceans Day, which starts this Friday with a day dedicated to cleaning the coastline of Tías by volunteers from the Biosphere Reserve.
The Department of Beaches of Tías has promoted some awareness activities on the importance of the Environment and the Oceans. These activities have the collaboration of the Biosphere Reserve Office and the Zonzamas Institute, of Arrecife, where the Higher FP dual Course in Environmental Education and Control is taught. The students of the center, who have been present at the press conference, will collaborate in these activities of the Tías City Council by giving recycling workshops among the students of the public schools of the municipality. Also present at the event were representatives of the Biosphere Reserve Office, the teaching team of the Zonzamas Institute and the environmental educator and technician Lola Rodríguez, who collaborates with the Consistory in the planning of these awareness activities.
During the days 5 and 9 of this month of June, these students of this higher cycle -as part of their educational practices- will give talks in schools about plastic pollution in the marine environment.
Inauguration of César Manrique's Wind Toy
The Tías City Council also plans to proceed on June 5, World Environment Day, to the official inauguration of the sculpture Wind Toy, a work designed by César Manrique, and which arrives in Puerto del Carmen in the year where the 50th Anniversary of La Tiñosa and Puerto del Carmen is commemorated. The installation of this sculpture, 12 meters high, has been possible thanks to an agreement signed in 2014 by the Consistory with the Foundation of the artist, who ceded and authorized its construction in a roundabout next to the Playa de Los Pocillos, in one of the main accesses to the main tourist area of Lanzarote. The execution of this sculpture, completed last December, was carried out by the Cabildo de Lanzarote through the Tourist Infrastructure Plan of Lanzarote, after the request made by the Municipal Government group.
The inauguration will be attended by the authorities of Tías, the Cabildo and the César Manrique Foundation, as well as direct relatives of the most universal artist born in Lanzarote.