Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
On 8 December 2023, the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimously designated 20 September as an international day of action. However, in various countries, such activities have a much longer tradition and reflect the development of a social culture in which responsibility for our shared environment is increasingly understood as a task for all citizens.
The roots of organised voluntary litter collection date back to the 1950s. With the founding of Keep America Beautiful in the United States, the first major citizens’ movement against littering was established in 1953. A milestone in the systematic documentation of cleanup activities was the International Coastal Cleanup, initiated by Ocean Conservancy in 1986. Since 1991, Clean Up Australia has also documented the results of voluntary cleanup activities at national level. These initiatives mark the beginning of a development in which cleanliness and environmental protection have increasingly come to be understood as a shared responsibility of society.
The cleanup activities documented in Hamburg by Stadtreinigung Hamburg are therefore part of an international tradition of civic engagement that, for several decades, has contributed to the development of an active culture of environmental awareness and responsibility.
Our Country Lead sent us a wonderful text, which we have developed into a Culture Story in Tanzania. What is particularly significant is the realisation that a Clean City is not created by the people collecting waste alone, but requires all citizens to play their part. This is where the story takes a turn. Even if the vision and genuine societal transformation still overlap somewhat indistinctly, it is at this point that we see the “Greatest Sign of Progress” being defined.
There is still much to be done. In the face of all these fascinating activities, we are confident that we can overcome the waste crisis.