Video Message Ian Kiernan AO, Chairman and Founder

I invite you to join Clean Up the World and become part of a global community sharing a common goal - to clean up, fix up and conserve our world's precious environment. Clean Up the World is an inspiring and effective international environmental campaign, attracting an estimated 35 million volunteers in 120 countries each year. By joining Clean Up the World your local actions to assist the environment are taking on global significance.

Ian Kiernan AO* welcomes all existing and new members to the Clean Up the World campaign 2010.

Click on the video to start it, and don't forget to turn on your speakers.

*AO Order of Australia awarded for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large.

Hi, Ian Kiernan - Founder of Clean Up the World here to let you know that, in 2010, we’d like to focus the energies of our millions of volunteers on supporting the International Year of Biodiversity.

Here’s why.

What do you think is the total number of animals, plants, micro-organisms and other species - on planet Earth? Hundreds of thousands? A million?

Well, estimates vary from three to 100 million but, according to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the total number of species on this great planet of ours is about 13 million – with only about 1.75 million having been identified.

Quite apart from the sense of wonder we feel when we come upon a plant or animal, these diverse life forms are essential to our survival. They provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services we cannot live without.

Sadly, this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities.

As human beings, we tend to put our needs above all others, but no species is more important than any other, and no species – no matter how microscopic - is unimportant, because we’re all interconnected.

We rely on these other species - this biodiversity - for the sustenance and survival for our own, and for future, generations.

Human beings are part of nature’s rich diversity and we have the power to protect or destroy it. It’s time for us to act to prevent this loss.

In this our 18th year, Clean Up the World asks you to join us in supporting the International Year of Biodiversity.

Clean Up the World’s 2010 theme is “Communities Caring for Nature”.

We want to inspire and empower communities like yours around the world to take local action to protect and promote biodiversity.

In over 120 countries around the world, an estimated 35 million people will be doing their bit to nurture nature in their communities.

Your group can join and conduct an activity such as planting trees, cleaning a park, recycling waste, conserving water or undertaking environmental awareness raising or education initiatives.

We’ll supply you with information and resources to plan, promote and gain support and volunteers for your activity - and let you be inspired by the global network of people, like you, who’ve joined Clean Up the World to do something positive for the planet.

But we won’t be telling you what activities your group should undertake – it’s up to your community to decide. We believe you know best what needs to be done to help care for nature in your space.

Keep us up to date with what you’re doing at activities.cleanuptheworld.org.

I look forward to learning of your creativity, energy and ability to inspire your community to take action for the benefit of all species and the planet.

By working together, I’m sure we’ll make 2010 the best yet in the history of Clean Up the World.