Brussels, 23/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - “Let's clean up Europe” is the slogan for the European Day of cleaning up, which will be celebrated on 10 May. The culmination of voluntary initiatives by citizens who commit to cleaning their neighbourhood, this event is intended to raise public awareness of the worrying issue of the millions of tonnes of litter thrown every year into the streets, the oceans, the forests and the countryside, as well as on to beaches - in order to mobilise the greatest number of citizens for this cause and encourage changes in behaviour.
“Let's clean up Europe” is coordinated by the Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and sustainable Resource management (ACR+) - the organisation that is also responsible for the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) - and is supported financially by the EU's LIFE programme (see EUROPE 10964). The European Commission is an ardent supporter of the initiative - even though the neighbourhood clean-ups are organised at the local level by citizens.
“We have put together a network of national contact points in 21 countries to let people know what is going on in their neighbourhood, and what they can do to help. It's a hands-on initiative”, said European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik.
“Let's clean up Europe” will take place in 15 EU member states, as well as in Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. People wanting to know about local action in their member state can consult the website http://www.ewwr.eu/lets-clean-up-europe/list-of-coordinators.
The organisers of “Let's clean up Europe” have developed a set of communication tools, which will be made available for all participants via the coordinators.
In 2012, Let's Do It! World, based in Estonia, coordinated a World Clean-up 2012 action, which mobilised 7 million volunteers in 84 one-day clean-up actions in Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Europe.
Further information can be found at: http://www.letscleanupeurope.eu (AN)