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Clean up beaches to mark the 100th anniversary of Åland’s autonomy

Government Communications Department
Publication date 31.5.2022 14.12 | Published in English on 31.5.2022 at 14.37
Press release
Kuvassa mies lävelee rannalla ja kerää roskia.

June 2022 marks 100 years of Åland’s autonomy. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating the centenary with an environmental action. The Clean up Åland project encourages everyone to clean up litter along the coast and in the environment.

The aim of the project is to inspire everyone in mainland Finland – organisations, groups and individuals – to celebrate Åland’s anniversary by taking part in clean-up initiatives on 6–12 June. The themes of Åland’s anniversary celebration are closely linked to sustainable development and the Baltic Sea. Wednesday 8 June is UN World Ocean Day and Thursday 9 June is the centenary of Åland’s Parliament.

The Clean up Åland project promotes the protection of the Baltic Sea and brings together new ideas for facilitating waste collection.  Eutrophication in the Baltic Sea is a problem, but so is littering. The Finnish coast differs from the shores of other Baltic Sea countries in that it is often rocky. This makes it difficult to pick up waste other than by hand.

Participants can report the litter they collect using the tools in the Clean Beach mobile application run by the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association. The project is sponsored by Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries.

How to participate

Everyone interested is invited to join in cleaning up the environment and picking up litter, especially along the coasts of Finland and in the sea.

Here’s what you can do to help:

  1. Pick up litter along the shores and in the environment.
  2. Set a good example for your friends on social media and challenge them to get involved with the hashtag #cleanupaland100.
  3. Report the litter you collect using the Clean Beach application and help with maintaining statistics and gathering information.

Inquiries: Noora Löfström, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 150 302, noora.lofstrom(at)gov.fi
 

 
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