The Azores repeated, this year, the number of 23 blue flags that had already hoisted, in 2007, in so many others balneal zones and recreation marinas of the archipelago.

During the 2008 summer, no balneal zone of the Azores was forced lowering the blue flag due to the criterion of the quality of the sea water, having been checked before a general improvement of these results.

According to the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, the available results of the quality of the sands demonstrate equally an improvement regarding the previous years.

During the last balneal season, that government department proceeded to the distribution of 2.350 beach ashtrays, next to the autarchies with balneal zones rewarded with blue flags.

In parallel, 400 booklets were also distributed on “How much time lasts the garbage in the sea” and 45 puzzles with aim at moving the population for the time of degradation of residues in the sea and for the protected sea sorts.

Among the actions carried out as part of the Campaign of the Blue Flag 2008 there are, still, the distribution of the allusive poster to this initiative and diffusion of the contests “Activities of Environmental Education”, “Concessionaires of Beaches” and “Photography of the Blue Flag Program”.