Media release 11 May 2006

Cleaning up the world for 10 years and still going strong

Clean Up the World members mark a decade of participation in the global environmental campaign, now in its fourteenth year

Sydney, Australia - Clean Up the World congratulates 41 of its member organisations on attaining the ten-year milestone of participation in this global community-led environmental campaign that mobilises an estimated 35 million volunteers in over 110 countries each year to "clean up, fix up and conserve the environment."

These organisations, ranging from grassroots community groups to nationwide campaigns and government departments in 34 countries spread across five continents, have been undertaking clean ups of local streets, waterways, parks and beaches, environmental projects such as tree planting, energy conservation and water recycling, and educational activities over the past decade.

"Clean Up the World is proud to have such a long-standing involvement of so many diverse organisations and thanks them for the contribution they have made to the campaign and the environment worldwide through their participation," said Ian Kiernan, Chairman and Founder of Clean Up the World.

"As the campaign is entering its fourteenth year, we are looking forward to working with our worldwide network of members and volunteers to take practical steps in making our planet a cleaner and healthier place," he announced from Clean Up the World headquarters in Sydney, Australia.

The Girl Guides of Bahrain are among the 41 organisations which have been Clean Up the World members over the past ten years. Their annual "Keep Bahrain Beautiful" initiative involves 2,500 volunteers cleaning up the beaches, parks and historical places around the 33 Bahrain islands situated in the Arabian Gulf.

In Venezuela, Fundación para la Defensa de la Naturaleza (Foundation for Nature Protection) coordinates large-scale clean ups of waterways and coastal areas across the country, in which as many as 15,000 volunteers from the community, business and government sectors take part each year.

Two organisations in Slovakia have been involved in the Clean Up the World campaign for ten or more years: the Slovak Union of the Protectors of Nature and Landscape, which is one of the oldest environmental organisations in the country, and GREENWAY NGO, which has been mobilising volunteers to keep natural areas surrounding the Slovak capital Bratislava clean and tidy.

In Nigeria, the Clean Up Ondo State campaign mobilised 13,922 volunteers at over 48 sites throughout 2005. As part of the campaign, students held beautification programs in their school grounds, community groups concentrated on the weekly removal of waste from roadsides and markets, and farmers' groups piloted "waste to wealth" programs, through which organic waste was converted into compost.

Held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Clean Up the World is a not-for-profit, non-governmental, apolitical organisation that unites nearly 700 Members in over 110 countries with a shared vision of a cleaner and healthier environment. The campaign's flagship event is Clean Up the World Weekend, this year taking place from 15-17 September.

Groups, organisations, businesses and communities around the globe are encouraged to register with Clean Up the World by visiting www.cleanuptheworld.org. Members receive information and materials to assist with the promotion and implementation of environmental activities.

For more information, contact Xenya Cherny at +61 2 9692 1215, email or visit www.cleanuptheworld.org. Photographs and detailed information about Clean Up the World activities in your area/country are available on request.

Clean Up the World is a campaign held in conjunction with our Primary Partner UNEP.
Patron - Fondation d'Entreprise Veolia Environnement. Global Media Partner - National Geographic Channels International. Sponsor - Qantas. Supporter - The Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Clean Up the World
The Clean Up campaign started in 1989 when an Australian solo-yachtsman and builder Ian Kiernan, disgusted with the amount of rubbish he came across while sailing, organized a clean up of the Sydney Harbour, during which some 40,000 volunteers removed rusted car bodies, plastics, glass bottles and cigarette butts from the water.
The campaign went global in 1993, with Sydney becoming Clean Up the World's headquarters. Today it brings together nearly 700 members from around the world ranging from local community groups to national campaigns that carry out environmental projects throughout the year. The Clean Up the World Weekend held in September each year has the highest participation of all. For more information, visit www.cleanuptheworld.org.

About Clean Up the World Members of 10 years or more

The 41 organisations recognised for being a Clean Up the World Member for at least ten years are: ACA Environment and Development (Uganda); Arab Office for Youth and Environment (Egypt); Asociación de Scouts de Bolivia (Bolivia); Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Nature Néo-Caledonienne (New Caledonia); Ballymun Healthy Cities Project (Ireland); Bulgarian Blue Flag Movement (Bulgaria); Christchurch City Council (New Zealand); Clean Up Greece (Greece); Clean Up Kisumu Group (Kenya); Clean Up Ondo State (Nigeria); Club of Rome Turkey (Turkey); Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association (Cyprus); Dubai Municipality (United Arab Emirates); Fundación para la Defensa de la Naturaleza (Venezuela); Girl Guides of Bahrain (Bahrain); Grameen View (Bangladesh); Green Power (Hong Kong); GREENWAY (Slovakia); Grupo Ecologico de Cascais (Portugal); International Society of Naturalists (India); Japan Environmental Action Network (Japan); Jordan Environment Society (Jordan); Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation (Sweden); Lake Billy Chinook Day Planning Team (United States of America); Legambiente Lombardia Onlus (Italy); Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment (Malta); Ministry of Environment (Cambodia); Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development (Kiribati); National Forum for Environmental Studies and Conservation (India); National Women's Welfare Centre (India); North Rocks Community Church (Australia); Obu International Association (Japan); Our Earth Foundation - Fundacja Nasza Ziemia (Poland); PITCH-IN CANADA (Canada); ProDivers Dive Center - Kuredu (Maldives); Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey (Turkey); Slovak Union of the Protectors of Nature and Landscape (Slovakia); Solid Waste and Cleaning Section (Seychelles); Thai Environmental and Community Development Association "Magic Eyes" (Thailand); United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Africa (Kenya); and Westmoreland Cleanways (United States of America).

Detailed information about each member is listed below in the alphabetical order by country.

AUSTRALIA
North Rocks Community Church
The North Rocks Community Church has mobilised the community living in Sydney's western suburb of Parramatta to eradicate weeds that threaten native vegetation in the Lake Parramatta Flora & Fauna Reserve. In 2005, an area of 100m² was cleared of blackberries and Asparagus Fern. Invasive plants and animals are among the top threats to Australia's unique wildlife.

BAHRAIN
Girl Guides of Bahrain
Organised by the Girl Guides of Bahrain, "Keep Bahrain Beautiful" involves 2,500 volunteers cleaning up the beaches, parks and historical places around the 33 Bahrain islands situated in the Arabian Gulf.

BANGLADESH
Grameen View
Grameen View has been part of the Clean Up the World campaign since 1996, organising annual activities with a focus on education. In 2003, students created a model town with industrial, commercial and residential areas mixed together, highlighting waste as a key health risk for local residents.

BOLIVIA
Asociación de Scouts de Bolivia
The Bolivian Scouts Association carries out extensive clean up campaigns across the country, in which thousands of volunteers participate each year. It also coordinates year-round reforestation and water conservation projects. In recognition of the campaign's success, the Bolivian Scouts Association Environmental Commission passed a requirement for all members to conduct an annual clean up in their area.

BULGARIA
Bulgarian Blue Flag Movement
This nationwide campaign mobilises some 43,000 volunteers, the majority of whom are children, teachers and parents each year to clean up their neighbourhoods, beaches and nearby forests, and recycle plastic and paper collected.

CANADA
PITCH-IN CANADA
PITCH-IN CANADA organises annual environmental campaigns in which up to 550,000 volunteers participate. Specific initiatives include "litterless lunch" programs, poster competitions, mobile phone recycling, tree planting, habitat restoration, and general clean ups. The campaign attracts a broad cross-section of the community including schools, youth groups, local government, and environmental groups.

CAMBODIA
Ministry of Environment
The Cambodian Ministry of Environment has been a Clean Up the World member since 1995. It organises annual clean ups, tree planting and recycling projects, which mobilise thousands of volunteers across the country.

CYPRUS
Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association
Formed on the initiative of the International Shipping Community of Cyprus, the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association has participated in the Clean Up the World campaign since 1995. Volunteers take part in annual clean up activities, to ensure that the booming tourism industry does not affect the island's sandy beaches and fishing harbours.

EGYPT
Arab Office for Youth and Environment (AOYE)
AOYE's 2005 Environmental Streets campaign was a successful collaboration among government ministries, regional and local authorities, community organisations and residents. Over two months, some 1,200 volunteers took part in a wide range of activities in the greater Cairo area, including awareness raising, clean ups, building and infrastructure improvements, and tree planting on the streets and in rooftop gardens. The campaign received daily coverage on the popular TV program "El Afdal" (The Best), which promotes environmental best practices across Egypt.

GREECE
Clean Up Greece
Clean Up Greece runs highly effective nationwide campaigns every year. In 2005, the campaign took on the proliferation of graffiti in major Greek cities. In the centre of Athens, 500 students helped remove graffiti from walls and rocks and instead created their own graffiti pieces sprayed onto paper after participating in the "Positive Graffiti" workshop run by a German artist Thomas Baumgärtel.

HONG KONG
Green Power
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Green Power launched a campaign to remove large amounts of waste left behind by festival goers and draw the public's attention to the problem. Volunteers held an educational campaign in 40 schools, during which students took part in a waste reduction competition and were encouraged to apply what they had learned at home.

INDIA
International Society of Naturalists (INSONA)
INSONA organises numerous initiatives each year, including environmental education workshops for teachers, and school campaigns which involve thousands of students and children in clean up and recycling initiatives. INSONA has also launched a project to restore wetlands near the city of Vadodara, in the State of Gujarat.

National Women's Welfare Centre
The Centre is a state-level women's organisation working in the fields of environment, welfare and development. It has participated in the Clean Up the World campaign since 1994. In partnership with other organisations, the Centre is organising clean ups and other environmental activities throughout the State of Kerala in south-western India, one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in Asia.

National Forum for Environmental Studies and Conservation
This NGO was established by an ecologist Dr S.B Pandey at Ewing Christian College to create environmental awareness and conduct research on related issues. In 2002, the Forum's program called "Eco-Town" saw 48 students in life sciences address environmental problems of the eastern Himalayas.

IRELAND
Ballymun Healthy Cities Project
Ballymun Healthy Cities Project has promoted the annual CUW campaign for the last 12 years, building each year's campaign around a specific theme. In 2005, the Project focused on education targeting the young and old alike, through a series of lectures, exhibitions and a children's art competition. Ballymun also carries out annual weekends of planting flowers, shrubs and vegetables.

ITALY
Legambiente Lombardia Onlus
Legambiente joined the Clean Up the World campaign in its second year, and has been an active supporter ever since. In 2005, Legambiente mobilised over 700,000 volunteers to clean up city squares, streets, woods, embankments, beaches and sea beds. They gathered tonnes of rubbish, including large objects such as motorcycles and refrigerators. Thanks to the partnership with RAI, Italy's main television channel, clean up activities attracted nationwide media coverage.

JAPAN
Japan Environmental Action Network (JEAN)
Established in 1996, JEAN coordinates nationwide and international clean up campaigns with a specific focus on the marine environment. To this end, it coordinates activities with the US-based Center for Marine Conservation.

North Obu International Association
As part of its "Zero Waste" campaign, the Association ran several clean ups covering major rivers that flow through residential and industrial areas, farmland, and several illegal dumping sites. Its clean up last year coincided with the 2005 Aichi World Exposition and was attended by Clean Up the World Chairman and Founder Ian Kiernan, among others. Organisers noted that there was a significant reduction in the amount of waste collected from areas where clean ups had previously been held.

JORDAN
Jordan Environment Society
Jordan Environment Society launched their 2005 campaign with the theme "Towards Sustainable Development and Tourism". During the 2005 Clean Up the World Weekend, hundreds of volunteers cleaned up the Dibeen National Park, north of Amman, which supports over 17 endangered species. Another major clean up took place in the ancient city of Jerash, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.

KENYA
Clean Up Kisumu Group
Clean Up Kisumu Group organises clean up and tree planting activities throughout informal settlements within Kisumu City, the third largest urban centre in Kenya and the country's poorest.

United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Africa (UNEP ROA)
UNEP ROA has supported the Clean Up the World campaign since its inception. Every year, UNEP ROA celebrates the Clean Up the World Weekend in Nairobi and other locations in Kenya by organising clean ups, tree plantings, maintaining road infrastructure, and educational activities. These activities are held in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the National Environment Management Authority and the Nairobi City Council, in addition to numerous community-based organisations.

KIRIBATI
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development
Every year, the 40,000 residents of South Tarawa generate 6,500 tonnes of waste - threatening the health and wellbeing of those living on this low-lying atoll in the South Pacific. Moreover, surveys have found that up to 80% of this waste can be recycled or composted. The Ministry of Environment of Kiribati is therefore promoting "Zero Waste" and "Return the Rubbish" campaigns that seek to change public attitudes towards waste. Volunteers from the Ministry and the community also organise joint activities such as mangrove planting.

MALDIVES
ProDivers Dive Center - Kuredu
Since 1995, the ProDivers Dive Centre has been organising clean ups on the Kuredu Island to raise awareness among the locals as well as the many overseas guests. In 2005, more than 130 dive school staff took part in the annual clean up, with divers removing waste from the reef and other volunteers scouring the land. The "catch of the day" was 50 bags of rubbish.

MALTA
Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment
The Ministry runs a number of environmental campaigns on this Mediterranean island, in addition to annual clean ups. Last year, the Ministry organised a "Car Free Day" in conjunction with the Clean Up the World Weekend.

NEW CALEDONIA
Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Nature Néo-Caledonienne
The Association has been part of Clean Up the World since its very beginning. Each year, it organises clean ups on this group of islands in the South Pacific, which attract some 4,500 volunteers. Plastic bottles, together with aluminium cans, rank among the top commonly found items every year.

NEW ZEALAND
Christchurch City Council
Christchurch City Council runs a successful community awareness campaign called "Clean City Partners," which targets the main types of litter in New Zealand's third largest city: snack wraps and cigarette butts. The campaign seeks to involve both consumers and businesses in tackling rubbish, and so far over half of the retailers and businesses in the campaign's implementation area have joined in.

NIGERIA
Clean Up Ondo State
The Clean Up Ondo State campaign mobilised 13,922 volunteers at over 48 sites across Nigeria's Ondo State throughout 2005. Students held beautification programs in their school grounds, while community groups concentrated on the weekly removal of waste from roadsides and markets. Farmers' groups concentrated on "waste to wealth" programs, through which organic waste was converted into compost.

POLAND
Our Earth Foundation - Fundacja Nasza Ziemia
Our Earth Foundation is both one of Poland's most successful NGOs and Clean Up the World's longest-standing partners, having mobilised over 15 million volunteers to take part in annual clean up activities since 1993. Its scope of work has also been expanding over the years, with environmental education being its key component. Last year, as part of this expanded vision, Our Earth Foundation joined with other Polish organisations to establish a nationwide environmental education program.

PORTUGAL
Grupo Ecologico de Cascais
As part of the 2005 Clean Up the World campaign, Grupo Ecologico De Cascais cleaned up Boca do Inferno and Parque Natural Sintra-Cascais, both protected coastline zones that house unique flora and fauna. Volunteers removed a total of 100 bags of waste from these areas - an awareness raising stunt that prompted the council to organise further clean ups of green areas and a collection of select urban solid waste.

SEYCHELLES
Solid Waste and Cleaning Section
Up to 1,500 volunteers from all sectors of the community organise annual clean up campaigns with an emphasis on education, which last year included radio and television quizzes and placing environmental messages on car registration stickers. In the wake of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, clean ups took place on the Islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue along with revegetation activities on the disaster-affected Anse La Mouche beach.

SLOVAKIA
GREENWAY
GREENWAY has been coordinating groups and activities for Clean Up the World in Slovakia for over ten years. In 2005, most activities were carried out by NGOs and local authorities. They involved their communities - 28,300 individuals and 164 schools in total - in clean ups of parks, river banks, protected areas and schools. Waste was separated for reuse and recycling facilities. Students also plant trees, organise art exhibitions and musical entertainment.

Slovak Union of the Protectors of Nature and Landscape
The Slovak Union of Protectors of Nature and Landscape is one of the oldest environmental organisations in the country. In 2005 the Union celebrated its ten years of participation in the Clean Up the World campaign by organising a travelling exhibition to raise awareness of environmental issues, especially lack of waste separation facilities.

SWEDEN
Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation
Litter is becoming a big problem in Sweden, despite its long-standing reputation as a clean and environmentally responsible country. The Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation believes that the problem should be tackled at its source, and is advocating for stricter legislation for manufacturers and a litter tax.

THAILAND
Thai Environmental and Community Development Association (TECDA) "Magic Eyes"
TECDA, better known to most Thai people simply as "Magic Eyes", is a successful partnership between the private sector and a community-based NGO to help create a better environment in Thailand. Since its first anti-litter campaign in 1984, "Magic Eyes" has completed more than 100 projects with involvement of all sectors of the community, from the military to the Buddhist monks. As part of Clean Up the World campaign, the Association conducts clean up and recycling projects in the Thai Capital Bangkok.

TURKEY
Club of Rome Turkey
The Club of Rome Turkey believes that the Bosphorus, the meeting point of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, is a perfect location for dialogue on global issues such as the environment. Last year, 17,343 volunteers, united under the Clean Up the World banner, cleaned up the Bosphorus Straits, uncovering six tonnes of glass bottles and plastic bags, and even larger finds such as bicycle frames.

Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey
As part of their nationwide activities, Turkish scouts and guides organise tree plantings, clean ups and environmental exhibition. The Federation is also planning the "Clean Up the Black Sea" campaign in coordination with the six riparian countries, which would involve scouts and guides from 26 countries.

UGANDA
ACA Environment and Development
ACA Environment and Development organises educational workshops to enhance the community's understanding of environmental conservation and ways to alleviate poverty at the household level, focusing on energy-saving stoves to help reduce deforestation and tree planting. Since the workshop, nurseries have been established in four parishes and demonstration stoves are now in 28 villages.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai Municipality
Over 14,000 volunteers take part in the Dubai Municipality's annual campaigns. Last year, fishermen removed 1.5 tonnes of marine debris from coastal waters, while on land, volunteers cleaned up streets, parks and beaches, and organised environmental awareness activities such as a recyclable materials sculpture competition.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Lake Billy Chinook Day Planning Team
The 4,000 acre Lake Billy Chinook, a popular recreation and fishing spot, is formed at the canyon confluence of the Metolius, Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. During the annual Lake Billy Chinook Day (September 24th), organized since 1994, volunteers clean up all three arms of the Lake focusing on problems such as rubbish, erosion, weeds and illegal dumping. The confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is a primary participant on the Day as well as volunteers from local youth groups, clubs, businesses and government.

Westmoreland Cleanways
As the Designated County Recycling Coordinator, Westmoreland Cleanways organises collection days throughout the year to recycle hard-to-dispose-of items including tyres, batteries and household appliances. In 2005, with the help of volunteers, they also cleaned up several illegal dump sites removing nearly 2,000 tyres and provided an environmentally-sound disposal for close to 35 tonnes of hazardous household waste.

VENEZUELA
Fundación para la Defensa de la Naturaleza (FUDENA)
FUDENA coordinates large-scale clean ups of waterways and coastal areas across the country, in which as many as 15,000 volunteers from the community, business and government sectors take part each year.