Plastic pollution continues to pose a serious threat to island ecosystems and coastal communities in Greece. Despite legislation to reduce single-use plastics, weak implementation, misleading alternatives, and everyday habits of convenience allow plastic waste to persist—often replacing one environmental problem with another.

Island environments are particularly vulnerable, as plastic waste enters the marine ecosystem, breaks down into microplastics, and affects biodiversity, the food chain, and human health. At the same time, teenagers remain an underserved group in environmental education. While primary school initiatives exist, adolescents are rarely offered experiential, creative opportunities to critically understand plastic pollution and take collective action within their schools and communities.

“SAY NO USE – NOT REUSE” is an environmental education project designed for high and secondary school students in the Ionian Islands. The project combines research, environmental education, and audiovisual creativity to empower young people to rethink plastic use and adopt sustainable habits.

Through interactive workshops, students learn about the sources and impacts of plastic pollution—especially single-use plastics—on marine ecosystems and human health. A research-based questionnaire helps assess students’ knowledge and attitudes, while film screenings, discussions, and hands-on workshops introduce them to filmmaking and animation.

A key outcome is the creation of a student-produced animated film, “Plastic Youth Fighters,” through which young people express their ideas, propose solutions, and communicate environmental messages to their peers, families, and local communities. The project promotes practical alternatives to plastic use and encourages students to act as changemakers within their schools.

ITHACA

The project’s first implementation on Ithaca empowered 76 students and educators to explore plastic pollution through creativity, collaboration, and action. By combining environmental learning with filmmaking, young people transformed complex issues into three short films. A student-led school clean-up and strong community engagement showed how awareness can quickly turn into responsibility. In Ithaca, the project will continue in collaboration with the Municipal Cultural Association and the local Environmental School of Education.

The project is implemented by CINEMATHESIS, an organization with long-standing experience in educational film and audiovisual workshops for children and young people. CINEMATHESIS maintains stable collaborations with schools, educators, and cultural institutions across Greece and the Ionian Islands, using cinema and art as tools for learning, inclusion, and social change.