Before Clean Up Australia Began

Ian Bruce Kiernan was born near the shores of Sydney Harbour, Australia, in 1940 and grew up learning to swim, fish and sail on his favourite waterway.

Educated at The Armidale School in Northern NSW, Ian became a builder in the construction industry, specialising in historic restorations.

Throughout his life, Ian has also been a passionate yachtsman, sailing competitively for more than 40 years and representing Australia at the Admiral's, Southern Cross, Dunhill, Clipper, Kenwood and Trans Pacific Cup competitions.

In 1986/87 Ian fulfilled a long-held dream by representing Australia in the BOC Challenge solo around-the-world yacht race. He finished 6th out of a fleet of 25 yachts from 11 nations, setting an Australian record for a solo circumnavigation of the world.

It was during the BOC Challenge that Ian saw and was appalled by the amount of rubbish choking the world's oceans. He committed himself to do something about it on his return, starting in his own backyard - Sydney Harbour.

With the support of a committee of friends, he organised a community event - Clean Up Sydney Harbour on Sunday 8 January 1989. They were overwhelmed by the response from Sydney residents, with 40,000 volunteers turning out to lend a hand to clean up.

The huge success of the first Clean Up event in 1989 sparked national interest in the simple but effective community-based idea.

In 1990, the first Clean Up Australia Day took place on Sunday, 21 January. Again, the response of Australians was astounding. More than 300,000 Australians volunteered their time to help make a difference to the health of their local environment.

Since then more than 7 million people have heeded the call through annual Clean Up Australia Days, Friday Schools Clean Up Days and Business Clean Ups.

Next Step...The World

In June 1991, Ian and his team were invited by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to meet at their Headquarters in Nairobi to discuss Clean Up Australia's proposal for a global Clean Up campaign.

Ian signed an agreement with the UNEP to manage and promote Clean Up the World, commencing in September 1993.

The results were staggering. During three days (17-19 September 1993), more than 30 million people in 80 countries participated in the Australian initiative.

Since then Clean Up the World has grown to encompass some 40 million people from more than 120 countries who annually take to the streets, beaches, river banks and parks to clean and conserve their local environment.

And After Nineteen Years of Clean Up

Ian Kiernan is now the full time Chairman of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World.

Ian holds Chairmanships with the Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) for Environmental Biotechnology and Lord Howe Island Museum Trust. He is a Director of CVC Reef Ltd, is Patron of the Enviro-Finance Association of Australia, Australasian Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association and the Sydney Agricultural, Rural and Public Land Trust, the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre, Charles Sturt University Institute for Land, Water and Society and a member of their Advisory Board.  During 2004 Ian was made a NSW Ambassador for the Year of the Built Environment.

In recognition of his leadership in the environment and the community both in Australia and internationally, in March 2006 Ian was awarded a Doctor of Science Honoris Causa by the University of New South Wales and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Trust of Australia (NSW).  The children of Poland, in 2005, made Ian a Companion of the Order of the Smile. The Centenary Medal was awarded to Ian in 2003 and on Australia Day 1995 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).  Ian was named the Australian of the Year in 1994 and also holds the Order of Australia Medal (OAM).

In 1993, Ian was made a UNEP Global 500 Laureate for leadership in the local and global environment. The prestigious United Nations Environment Programme Sasakawa Environment Prize was awarded to Ian in 1998 while the World Association of Girl Guides nominated him for the ‘Building World Citizenship award' in 1999.

As an avid sailor and Ambassador for the Great Barrier Reef Ian maintains his love for the sea as Patron of a number of sailing groups including ASPECT Sailors with Disabilities, SCEGGS Redlands and Scots College Youth Sailing Programs. Ian is also President of the Australian Association of Greater Public Schools, and a member of Maritime Australia.