In August, the Artisan and Organic Market in Gijón immersed itself in the protection of the ocean with a participatory and visual proposal that combined art, reflection and collective action. Under the slogan ‘The ocean begins in your city’, the Plaza Mayor hosted two days of activities in collaboration with the MakeEUBlue campaign of the European coalition #EU4Ocean, the Bioparc Aquarium of Gijón, the city council and Atlantic Cities.
The Market returned to the Plaza Mayor in Gijón from 15 to 17 August 2025, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with its usual offering: crafts, gastronomy and activities that look beyond everyday life. In the middle of summer, the MAE not only opened its doors to relaxation and colour, but also to awareness and the major issues that affect us as a society.
The market dedicated a special space to the ocean and aquatic ecosystems. In collaboration with Atlantic Cities, the #MakeEUBlue campaign, and the Bioparc Acuario de Gijón, a programme of activities was developed under the slogan ‘The ocean begins in your city’. A name that not only catches the eye but also invites us to look at things differently.
At the heart of this initiative was a large fishing net set up in the activity tent. Children and adults alike were able to hang messages, ideas and drawings on it regarding how to protect our seas, rivers and oceans. This symbolic gesture aimed to highlight each person’s commitment to the natural environment. It is not about perfect solutions, but rather about bringing together different perspectives, concerns, desires and small actions.
Because caring for the sea does not begin on the high seas. It begins here, on dry land. In our cities, in our daily habits and decisions. And also in these small symbolic gestures that allow us to see things differently and share what we feel.
Below are some of the contributions, among the 190 cards collected:
MakeEUBlue campaign
The aim of the campaign ‘MakeEUBlue: Cities in Action’ is to involve municipalities and citizens in protecting the oceans and waters.
Whether a city is by the coast or inland, it has an essential role to play in protecting and restoring Europe’s waters. Pollution, carbon emissions and other human activities threaten our aquatic ecosystems, but together, we can turn the tide.
MakeEUBlue: Cities in Action empowers city dwellers to call upon their municipality to act for ocean sustainability. How? By giving citizens the opportunity to petition their city and ask for meaningful action, and by providing cities with a simple guide to act for their rivers and ocean. Why? Because a wave of local commitments will have a lasting impact on our waters.
This guide outlines 10 actions you can take to help achieve European goals for river and ocean sustainability. It offers a variety of actions that can be a place to start or a source of inspiration to complement or raise the ambition of your existing initiatives.
- Upscale your waste management to sustainable resources management. Establish city-wide universal collection and safe disposal, reduce and treat food waste, boost recycling rates, encourage a circular economy or set a zero-waste goal to reap social, economic and environmental rewards.
- Introduce or support innovative local governancemapproaches that bring citizens of all ages on board municipalmdecision-making impacting aquatic ecosystems. This can minvolve setting up a citizens’ ocean forum or an ocean youth committee, associating citizens’ representatives to plenar sessions addressing ocean challenges and solutions, and ensuring the city’s newsletter and website have dedicate thumbnails or resources outlining your ‘blue’ actions.
The campaign is organised by the European Ocean Coalition, #EU4Ocean, which brings together various organisations, projects and individuals dedicated to promoting knowledge of the oceans and their sustainable management.
