CRISTINA
WHO-WHAT-WHERE
Cristina Mantas, a model and a sustainability volunteer, talks to us about the importance of connecting, or re-connecting to nature, as well as the power of individual and collective action to save our oceans. Inspired by the everyday miracles of nature, and inspiring to follow, Cristina Mantas highlights an important lesson: that the oceans are not only a vital part of the planet’s ecosystem, but a part of our souls. Cristina is a Danish/Portuguese model, who volunteers with Os Om Havet and Project O for the protection of the sea and everyday sustainable practices.
Cristina’s own inspiring heroes are Dr. Sylvia Earle, Asha De Vos, and Kristal Ambrose.
PLASTIC AND THE LIVING OCEAN
Through her voluntary work, Cristina is part of both diving and shore cleanups, looking out for ocean plastic; while also educating youth around sustainability challenges through lectures at schools and kindergartens. She spent last summer volunteering with a team of marine biologists in the Azores on the island of Faial collecting data on the different whale species in and around the islands. “I would spend my days either above water observing and collecting data on the different species and their behaviour, underwater improving my diving skills or if the ocean was too rough to sail, I would be on the computer analysing the collected data.”
For Cristina, the biggest threat to marine life is the amount of fishing gear that is left in the ocean, where marine creatures can get entangled, as well as the large bycatch numbers of species trapped by commercial fishing nets. “Having worked closely with cetaceans, this was one of the very heartbreaking threats I witnessed.”
Cristina hasn’t limited herself to organised beach cleanups - she also carries out her own every time she is near the water. “Every time I am near the ocean, I spend at least an hour a day cleaning the area. It’s gotten to the point now where I always carry a Swiss knife in my pocket to cut the plastic from the cliffs haha!”
RE-CONNECTING TO NATURE
The ocean plays a tremendous part in Cristina’s life as it is crucial for her wellbeing and happiness. Nature and a healthy environment have always been part of her lifestyle - from avoiding plastic whenever possible, to choosing a plant-based diet, and doing her best to lower her carbon footprint. She is thankful that the ocean has the power to bring her back to her true being, through sickness and through health. “Whenever I feel out of balance, the ocean always brings me back and I will forever be grateful for that.”
“For as long as I can remember I have felt a special connection to nature, in particular to our oceans. I am half Portuguese, so I spent most of my childhood on the beaches of Portugal playing in the sand and in between the corals..The feeling I get when I am in and around the ocean is exactly that. Like I am home. I feel most at peace and whole when I am by the ocean.”
Connecting to nature comes with experiencing it, exploring it and understanding it. “I remember swimming between the corals as a kid, with all the fish around me. In Australia, I once went for a night swim during a full moon and it was incredible - the whole ocean was lit up by the moonlight! In Azores I saw a pod of pilot whales, which was amazing.”
THE TANGIBLE AND MORAL ANSWERS
Our ocean hero believes there is a need for society to make the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and that for the shift to happen more pressure is necessary on our leaders and big corporations. Sustainability challenges, as wicked as they are, can be addressed by advancing new and innovative solutions that can support society in day to day life. But, fundamentally, Cristina believes that to create change, an appreciation and acknowledgment of the connection between us humans and between humans and nature is necessary. As she describes it, “everything we do and everything we say every day makes an impact on the world”. Thus, for her it is key that we do not forget how much power we have as individuals that come to form society.
#Tavaha
To Cristina, #Tavaha means that we are a part of the ocean and the ocean is a part of us. That a need to take care of ourselves should also be a need to take care of our environment.
“When we understand this, we understand that when we hurt the ocean, we hurt ourselves.”
Cristina’s #tavahatips are:
Pick it up! Whenever you see plastic, take a few minutes to clean it up;
Avoid supporting the fishing industry;
Implement little changes in your daily life that lowers your carbon footprint and reduces the use of single-use plastic. Replacing your soaps, kitchen things and bath things with sustainable and reusable versions is often easy and lasts longer.