‘Our ocean starts with you’. This was the 2020 motto of the EU Beach Cleanup campaign. With this message, the European Commission wanted to emphasise how the problem, as well as the solution, is on us. How we behave at home and on our holiday, affects not only the specific location but the whole ecosystem.
In 2021, the motto of the campaign shifted a bit to emphasise the collaborative theme: ‘Together to protect marine life’. We can’t make change alone. We need to be together, apply changes to our daily habits and be overall more conscious of the impact we have on the planet.
This is what the EU Beach Cleanup campaign aims to do. Raise awareness and help reduce waste and pollution in the sea. Events will take place online but, where possible, also offline. The final event of the campaign – World Coastal Cleanup Day, will take place on 18 September.
Together with the UN, ActNow and the Smurfs, the 2021 edition will focus on the protection of marine biodiversity, in line with the UN Biodiversity Conference in October.
Remember you can also organise your own event, just need to let the EC know at
Follow the event hashtag on social media to be up to date with what’s happening: #EUBeachCleanup
