Clean my Calanques
A heavenly setting… damaged by man and plastic waste. This is what can be seen in Marseille’s calanques, as in so many other beautiful natural sites throughout the world. Rubbish on land visible to all, and also rubbish under the sea, resembling an underwater dump. A heap of cans, scooters, bicycles, bottles, plastic bags, and other waste that will take hundreds of years to decompose.
To save this natural heritage, Clean My Calanques is mobilizing the people of Marseilles through monthly waste collection operations. In 7 years, the association has carried out about 130 clean-ups and collected more than 65 tons of waste, always staying true to its winning formula: taking action while having fun. Indeed, in Marseille, waste collection operations often go hand in hand with electro-music festivals, encounters with popular influencers, challenges of all kinds, and local vegetarian treats!
Clean My Calanques is a great success, and it is extending its activities across the city with a new project – Les Brigades Vertes (The Green Squads) – which aims to enable local residents to take action in their neighborhoods, considering that 80% of the macro-waste discharged into the sea comes from the land.
Association
Founded in 2017, Clean My Calanques is an association based in Marseille that campaigns to protect the environment by collecting waste and organizing weekly awareness-raising events in schools, care homes, and social centers. Above all, it’s a “band of mates” who have decided to roll up their sleeves and hike through the Calanques, on the lookout for the waste destroying their environment. The association totals over 90,000 “cleaners” on social networks and has forged several partnerships, notably with companies such as Véolia, to categorize and sort out the collected waste.
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Contributors
Photographers, video artists, volunteers, explorers of all kinds, they declare their passion for Mother Nature.