Ambassadors for Biodiversity (EmBio) is an ocean literacy research project that contributes to the improvement of literacy on marine and coastal biodiversity, namely encompassing the areas covered by the Natura 2000 Network, by promoting coastal and oceanic resources conservation and natural and cultural values preservation of the Portuguese western Atlantic coast. This project directly promotes the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of 2030 Agenda developed by the United Nations and adopted by most countries in the world, which define the priorities and aspirations for global sustainable development until the year of 2030, mobilizing a world-wide effort to meet a common set of goals and objectives. This paper contributes to understanding how ocean literacy, and specifically the EmBio research project, fits into the international agenda for sustainable development and the SDGs and its targets. Through an analysis and a comparison between the project EmBio and the SDGs, it was possible to identify connections on 11 out of 17 goals and 31 out of 169 targets, with a special emphasis on the SDG 14—Life Below Water. The results highlight the relevance of this project and, especially, ocean literacy for the accomplishment of the SDGs.

Waste management is currently facing multiple challenges worldwide. The population growth in urban areas and related environmental concerns have increased the need to promote urban sustainability, namely where urban waste is a challenge. Thus, research on efficient waste management to reduce resources overload and to develop more sustainable production and consumption is key. Having this in mind, modern society is now seeking for an active voice and to be part of the decision-making processes that directly affect citizens. Citizens need to play an active role on decision-making to co-construct action guidelines, aiming a higher implementation success for an effective and inclusive management of urban waste. In this sense, UrbanWINS project was developed to promote co-construction and implementation of pilot actions involving citizens. In this paper the authors described the framework developed, and reflect critically on the results achieved.