SEE FLICKR PAGE AS IMAGES START FLOODING IN!

GBC Video links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpDSgAOqpcE

https://www.facebook.com/GBCNewsroom/videos/1679851085360564/

See also:

www.yourgibraltartv.com/society/15537-sep-26-clean-up-the-world-event-removes-over-20-truckloads-of-rubbish

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CUTW 2017 – 25^th September 2017

The ESG would like to send out thanks to all involved in the Clean up event on Saturday. Over 20 full truckloads and 30 teams of 400 volunteers helped Clean up Gibraltar. A mountain of waste was once again produced and piled up at the Eco Park.

The action was launched with an energetic Parade supported by schools and a few teams with the Minister for the Environment joining the awareness effort. This concluded at Wellington Front where the ESG now has new premises and a number of activities related to litter and the environment followed.

The clean up saw several areas around Gibraltar stripped free of waste, mainly plastics, although some bulky items were also picked up. The teamwork witnessed in the Clean up is always inspiring with areas transformed, clearly fulfilling, as reports coming in confirm. This year has also seen a number of new teams and individuals sign up. Volunteers were shocked to see levels of littering at some of the hotspots.

A full report on all sites will be produced on the littered areas that have benefited from the voluntary effort this weekend.

Thanks to our sponsors, supporters and especially to the individuals who work tirelessly in the run up to the Clean up to make this large operation happen as smoothly as it does.

“Our new premises, courtesy of the Culture Ministry, improved our logistics too and will undoubtedly help us run many similar programmes from here”, says organiser.

The Campaign will continue to work throughout the year for greater civic pride, better facilities, information and enforcement, to continue to reduce the amount of rubbish we find in our target areas every September. ”

Clean up the World 2017

Parade and Awareness:

Bishop Fitzgerald Middle School, St Anne’s Middle School, Loreto Convent School, Bayside Comprehensive School

Minister for the Environment

Rotary International

Eco Art

ESG

Sunbow Projects Ltd

Royal Gibraltar Police

Sadie Lucas

Daniela Pitto

CUTW Teams:

ESG, Schools: Prior Park, Bishop Fitzgerald, St Anne’s, Bayside, Westside, St Joseph’s, Loreto Convent; Master Services, Environmental Agency, Dept. of Environment Dive and Land team, Alameda Tenants, Clubhouse Gibraltar, PWC, Laguna Youth Club, Plater Youth Club, Cassava, Team of Individuals, MH Bland, Wake up Gibraltar, GJBS, GSD, Nautilus Project, Gibraltar College, Rotary International, Ofs &Youfra, GibSubAqua, Atlas Recycling, GSLTC, Maroc 4 x 4

Trucks:

Wildlife Gibraltar, Toyota Gibraltar, Master Services, Eco Park –special thanks to Tom Scott, Jim Howitt, Andrew Abrines, David and his team at Eco Park

Support also from Department of Environment, Environmental Agency

Standby support from Gibraltar Community Support Services

Props and equipment preparation Team:

Karen Everett, Norah Brown, Ania Maza (Eco Art), Grey, Ania and Stan (Sunbow Projects Ltd), Tim Howitt, Eddie Lucas, Jenny Brown

Sponsors, Equipment and Support:

Open Day Trust, Interbuild, Master Services, Ministry for the Environment, 101 Ltd, Morrison’s Gibraltar, AquaGib, Gibtelecom, Hammonds, Ministry of Culture, Royal Gibraltar Police, Land Property Services, Eco Park and the Gibraltar community

Thursday 21st saw ESG broadcast news of the upcoming Clean up via our airwaves thanks to Radio Gibraltar.

Reminders were given to team leaders about final plans and equipment collection as well as news of our Awareness Parade that will launch the event on Saturday.

We call upon the community to support the Parade that aims to bring to the heart of Gibraltar news of our volunteers working hard to remove dangerous litter from our natural environments.

Thanks to them, to our supporters and sponsors for making this big day HAPPEN!!

2017 CLEAN UP THE WORLD IS HERE AGAIN!

Organisers of Clean up the World in Gibraltar are pleased to confirm that all plans are now in place for Saturday’s Gibraltar-wide clean-up.

26 Teams will be tackling 24 sites in out of the way, green and marine environments.

In its 13^th year running in Gibraltar, the ESG has coordinated this event as part of the inspiring global campaign since 2005. For some years now the theme has been: “Our Place, Our Planet, Our Responsibility”, encouraging personal and community action, displaying civic pride and supporting the agenda for environmental progress in various parts of the world. Gibraltar has also seen this agenda move over the years and we are in a very different place today to where we were when we first began.

Specifically to litter and fly tipping we have seen various old dumps and green areas, saturated with waste, cleared through the extraordinary efforts of volunteers and subsequent follow up and response by authorities.

Areas like Seven Sisters, a hidden jewel located “somewhere behind the dockyard” has seen real hard graft with skip after skip of waste lifted from the enclave by our volunteers with assistance from local agencies and GibDock. It is now a protected site. The Upper Rock has also seen major projects carried out in previous Clean ups in severely degraded hotspots.

More broadly, the campaign pursues a number of objectives to address underlying causes of litter in our community and for the need of better maintenance of our regular sites. Education, Facilities and Enforcement is our focus with the need for a Roving Unit for hotspots on our agenda and for contractors to take greater care when carrying out works and disposing of old or unused materials. After every major clean up fresh reports are submitted to the authorities.

The Campaign has already seen the ESG hold a number of planning meetings engaging the community as well as giving talks at schools. It is an important civic campaign that pulls the community together demonstrating a real love and pride in our natural environment and homeland.

The clean up will be launched by a vibrant Parade departing from Casemates at 11am on Saturday the 23^rd September and finishing up at Wellington Front. Some teams will already be out and about tackling various sites around Gibraltar.

The ESG would like to thank its sponsors and supporters in getting the campaign ready to go this year as well as the many volunteers who have signed up once again. It also commends the voluntary efforts being made by individuals, groups and organisations who, year round, are giving their time to look after our natural or historic heritage and hopes this attitude will continue to thrive in our community.

Visit reports and images from past clean ups – click on flickr on our home page

ESG Press Release on La Junta and Fuel Farm Pollution

1^st September 2017

“ESG wishes to comment on recent news in the Spanish press that La Junta is investigating possible solutions to mitigate the unacceptable fumes produced this summer in the Algeciras Port where a major fuel farm facility is located.

It beggars belief that such a major fuel installation did not appear to apply best practice and best available technology when setting this up in full view of all authority and legislators. Not only was major land reclamation undertaken with further loss of marine habitat, but major expansion of dirty fuel activity also, when existing petrochemical works in the Campo area have caused such wide spread impact on citizens and on the living environment in the Bay for several decades.

Projects such as these are cross border in nature by virtue of scale and type of activity and in 2013, when this fuel farm was announced, we called for action from the Commission, initially to oppose it, and also to ensure that cross border, environmental protocols were followed by the company concerned. Nothing happened.

It is clear that polluting impacts from this fuel facility is such that La Junta is being forced to act. Pity it did not seek highest technology and standards when licensing the plant in the first place.

Companies must not cut corners when dealing in these industrial practices that commonly degrade and impact on the environment and La Junta must tighten up its act on this and on all Campo industry.

The group further notes and regrets that environmental groups, often the first to raise alarms on polluting incidences, are not included in the forum by La Junta to assist in its investigation.”