Green meets blue at river clean-up

This year’s World Environment Day was one of the biggest, most widely celebrated, global days for positive, environmental action.

Commemorated on 5 June since 1972, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

This year’s theme for World Environment Day was Positive Environmental Action, and in true Green Spirit Timberland and the 2010 Semi Finalists of Miss Earth SA started celebrating and taking action when they launched their official Clean-Up. The Semi Finalists got hands on involved in cleaning up the Melville Koppies.

 

A Johannesburg Heritage site and a great natural wonder in the heart of Melville, this area is always in  need of volunteers and assistance. The Semi Finalists along with volunteers from Timberland spent an entire day weeding and cleaning.

A group of girls also jumped right in and walked through the Westdene Spruit, which flows through the Melville Koppies, and cleaned out an enormous amount of waste. Some of the items they took out of the spruit included a curtain, shoes, a coat, bottles and an unfortunate amount of plastic waste.

 

Timberland is very involved in backing the Miss Earth team and doing as much hands-on work and volunteering as possible. City Year also sent a group of young enthusiasts to get involved and assist. Wendy Carstens and her team look after the Conservancy on a daily basis and run group walks throughout the month.

This is one Johannesburg site that the public need to claim back and make their own. Once you enter the Koppies, it is easy to forget that there is a whole crazy world out there.