Famous Croatian actor gives his support to the Green Sail initiative by filming a video on the dangers of plastic waste in the Adriatic Sea

Every year, the number of tourists visiting Croatia is increasing. In most cases, the reason for choosing Croatia as their holiday destination is the beautiful, pristine Adriatic Sea. However, every now and then, those same tourists will be surprised or saddened to see piles of plastics, bags or other waste spoiling the perfect image that Croatia is usually famous for. Sadly, they would not be the only ones, as the problem of waste in the Adriatic Sea is becoming a sad reality, for local people and visitors alike.

In its efforts to preserve Croatia's unique marine environment, the Green Sail initiative is constantly cooperating with many different people who understand the emerging problem of sea pollution and would like to be a part of its solution. One of these faces has been seen many times in front of the camera, a renowned actor with an outstanding career, including the honour of winning numerous awards in the film industry.

His name is Leon Lučev and he is, without a doubt, one of the best and most sought after actors in Croatia - check out his video below.

With thirty movies and many TV shows and theater plays under his belt, this humble actor wanted to lend a hand to Green Sail. Just days before travelling to the Cannes Film Festival, where his work was recognized once again, he managed to find time to film a video with Green Sail, reminding the local population of the importance of recycling and waste separation.

As a local born in Dalmatia to a once clean sea, he understands more than most, that the situation today has changed for the worse. As we speak, there are 1,455 tones of plastic in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Seas and it is expected that by 2021, half a billion discarded plastic bottles will be endangering both those seas and the coast.

The production of unnecessary plastic material has grown considerably in recent times, to the extent that one million plastic bottles are bought globally every minute. This number is expected to increase to more than 500 billion by 2021. Considering that local people are still lacking the crucial habit of recycling or separating their waste, it makes the situation even more alarming.

So, can we change this? Leon is confident that we can.

In order to preserve the well-known clarity of the Adriatic Sea, we should first reduce this generation of unnecessary waste. "We should all become a part of the solution and follow the reduce and recycle principles", he says. Next, we should start changing our damaging habits when it comes to waste disposal. According to Leon, different decisions and lifestyle changes are surprisingly easy to implement, and can be the best place to start.

As this short video concludes, Leon’s message is clear. Although no one can put a price on the beautiful Adriatic views, we are the only ones who can preserve it. This is why he is passionate in supporting Green Sail in raising awareness about environmental policies in Croatia and the responsible use of the, until now, still pristine Adriatic Sea. Only in this way can Croatia remain a sustainable tourism destination for future generations.

Let's take Leon's advice and preserve our sea for future generations!