International Coastal Clean-Up Day!

Start:

Sep 17, '05

Asia Pacific's Cities and Communities Unite for a Greener World

Sydney, Australia -- From Manila to small Island Nations in the Pacific volunteers across Asia Pacific will take to the streets, parks and beaches next weekend to clean up, fix up and promote green living in their community.

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers from 29 Asia Pacific countries are expected to take part in the annual Clean Up the World Weekend, celebrated globally on the 16th - 18th of September.

Held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Clean Up the World campaign, now in its thirteenth year, empowers over
35 million people in over 110 countries to take simple, positive steps to improve and protect their environment each year.

"Our 2005 theme 'Green Cities Green Communities' is encouraging people around the world to look at ways they can reduce their environmental impact across the areas of waste, water and energy. This is of particular importance in urban areas as 75% of the planet's natural resources are consumed in cities," said Ian Kiernan AO, Chairman and Founder of Clean Up the World.

Volunteers from the most populous city in the Philippines, Quezon City, will raise awareness about the local environmental issues of waste management and rubbish in public places.

Students and teachers from schools throughout Chittagong, the commercial capital city of Bangladesh, hope to raise awareness about the city's pollution problems.

In India, sustainable conscious youth will focus their attention on cleaning up the heavily polluted River Noyyal. The river reluctantly plays host to waste from Coimbatore and Tirupur, the two main cities in its basin.

Over 80,000 people will take part in a nation-wide clean up campaign at 600 sites across Taiwan.

The campaign extends beyond the urban environment with communities in coastal and mountain areas also planning environmental activities.

Ian Kiernan alongside staff from Clean Up the World's global Patron, Fondation d'Entreprise Veolia Environnement, Dungun District Office and local environmentalist Captain Mokh will join hundreds of volunteers from across Malaysia in a clean up of the 10km shoreline from Seberang Pintasan to the famed turtle beach, Rantau Abang. The beach is one of the main nesting areas for sea turtles, and one of only six in the world to be
visited by the giant leatherback. Rubbish has accumulated along the
shoreline and plastics, petrol cans and nets can be found in the surrounding water.

Refugee camps located in the hilly north of Thailand have few facilities to cope with waste management and the associated health issues. Volunteers will hold a series of environmental information sessions for camp residents to raise awareness.

Tonga's Princess Nanasi will lead a contingent of environmentally conscious volunteers who will be working to address the issues of solid waste disposal in the Pacific.

"I encourage more groups to register as Members of Clean Up the World. Join us in creating greener cities and communities across the world," concluded Ian Kiernan.

Communities across Asia Pacific 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.

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.