The cleaner the better

November 7, 2008 - 10:43 AM by Harry

Cleaning up Israel Many of us were raised singing songs about how we should “Clean up / Clean up / Everybody everywhere,” but we might not have thought about that on a global scale until around the time Al Gore won an Oscar.

When Clean Up Australia merged with the United Nations Environment Programme in 1993, Clean Up the World was born. Held each fall, member communities participate in Clean Up the World Day, with over 35 million people picking garbage out of their neighborhoods’ flora, fauna, beaches, urban landscapes, etc.

Locally, grassroots efforts to clean up after our less conscientious peers have been active for years, but never institutionalized on a major scale.

With a statement from President Shimon Peres that we ought to “Take the broom and together we will make Israel clean, healthy and green,” the Israeli government (in partnership with the JNF) kicked off its own version of International Cleaning Day one day just over a year ago.

As part of that campaign, which enlisted the help of some 17,000 local volunteers, the JNF organized a mixed crew of Jews and Muslims in the Bedouin village of Rahat for some collecting of strewn garbage. Talal al-Qarnawi, Rahat’s mayor, was glowing at the time:

“JNF not only plants trees, it spreads love between people with a common goal. Today, when Jewish and Bedouin children cleaned the streets of Rahat with their green garbage bags, I saw how much this meant for the residents of my city. JNF is building our common future, and together we will create a better and cleaner Negev for all to share.”

Now Israel’s National Cleaning Day is becoming even more official, according to a recent report on YNet. This week, the Knesset ratified a law to involve the national government in 2009’s festivities, enlisting students, civil servants and IDF conscripts to help in the efforts – which will involve not only actual cleaning up, but also educational activities aimed at minimizing 2010’s workload.

Image courtesy Eitan B from Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

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