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Feature: Clean Up the World
‘Clean Up the World’ is a community based environmental programme that inspires and empowers individuals and communities from every corner of the globe to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment.
Promoting community action as the key to long term environmental change, ‘Clean Up the World’, in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), brings together businesses, community groups, schools and individuals in a range of activities and programmes that positively improve local environments.
Activities
‘Clean Up’ events and celebrations take place on or around the 3rd weekend in September. But ‘Clean Up the World’ is also a year-round campaign and members are encouraged to conduct environmental activities throughout the year.
Some examples of ‘Clean Up the World’ member activities include: Clean up events; Recycling and resource recovery; Tree planting; Education campaigns; Water reuse and conservation; Competitions; Exhibitions; Fix up projects.
Fix up projects are a natural extension to a clean up event. They stem from environmental problems that require a long-term strategy and resources that are over and above what can be achieved during a clean up event.
Objectives
* To bring together citizens from every corner of the globe in a simple activity that will positively assist their local environments.
* To share with all nations and cultures the information and practical experience ‘Clean Up Australia’ and other ‘Clean Up’ organizations have developed.
* To create an international media focus for ‘Clean Up’ activities thereby raising the awareness of governments, industries and communities about local environmental issues, particularly waste minimization, recycling and waste management.
2004 theme
In 2004 the campaign takes on a “Seas and Oceans” theme. It is estimated that half the world’s population lives within 60 km of the coast causing increasing pressure on our marine environment.
Members would build ‘Clean Up’ activities around the “Seas and Oceans” theme. For those not located near the coast, remember that waste entering inland waterways, stormwater drains and similar can eventually find its way to our seas and oceans.
Members
More than 390 have registered as Clean Up the World Members. Countries participating in the 2004 campaign are from around the globe: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, West Asia, North America and the Pacific.
The clean up story
‘The Clean Up’ campaign began as the inspiration of one man, Australian builder and solo yachtsman, Ian Kiernan.
As an avid sailor, Ian had always dreamed about sailing around the world. In 1987 his dream came true when he competed in the BOC Challenge solo around-the-world yacht race.
As he sailed through the oceans of the world in his yacht ‘Spirit of Sydney’ he was shocked and disgusted by the pollution and rubbish that he continually encountered in areas such as the Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean.
Having waited years to see the Sargasso’s legendary long golden weeds, Ian’s excited anticipation turned to anger and disappointment when he found them polluted and tangled with rubbish.
“I can’t overstate the disappointment I felt when I found this sea of magic and myth littered with rubbish from discarded thongs, plastic buckets, disposable nappies, toothpaste tubes and plastic bags.”
The polluted state of the world’s oceans motivated Ian to act.
Once back in Sydney Ian enlisted the help of his friends and focused on his goal.
What happened after this is now well documented.
‘Clean Up Sydney Harbour Day’ in 1989 received an enormous public response with more than 40,000 donating their time and energy to clean up the harbour. Rusted car bodies, plastics of all kinds, glass bottles and cigarette butts were removed by the ton.
The idea of a clean up day had ignited an enthusiasm and desire among the community to get involved and make a difference to their local environment themselves.
The next year ‘Clean Up Australia Day’ was born. Almost 300,000 volunteers turned out on the first ‘Clean Up Australia Day’ in 1990 and that involvement has steadily increased ever since.
In the past twelve years, Australians have devoted more than eight million hours towards the environment through ‘Clean Up Australia Day’ and collected over 165,000 tonnes of rubbish.
The next step for Ian was to take the concept of Clean Up Australia Day to the rest of the world.
After gaining the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ‘Clean Up the World’ was launched in 1993. In its inaugural year, ‘Clean Up the World’ involved 30 million people in 80 countries.
The appeal of ‘Clean Up the World’ has demonstrated that this simple Australian idea has universal appeal and the health of the environment is of concern to people and communities worldwide.
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