By Ileana Nicholson
- Executive Director of the NGO Together Cyprus
Every year, thousands of volunteers across Cyprus put on gloves, grab trash bags, and head out to beaches, forests, parks, and neighborhoods. We collect tons of trash, proving that civil society is responsive and environmentally conscious. However, if we focus solely on the numbers—the more than 350,000 participants mobilized to date by the Let’s Do It! Cyprus—we overlook the deeper meaning of this effort.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Police on the Streets: What They’ll Be Checking and When
Police on the Streets: What They Will Be Checking and When
Our long-term goal is not to become more efficient at collecting trash, but to shape a generation that won’t litter in the first place.
This change isn’t achieved through theoretical proclamations, but through lived experience. When a child picks up a plastic bottle and sees their surroundings transform, the experience becomes ingrained in their consciousness. This is an educational philosophy that has been applied for decades in countries such as Japan and the Scandinavian countries, where cleaning public spaces is an integral part of school education and teaches shared responsibility. If we invest systematically in children today, by 2050 a 30-year-old citizen will not need to be told what respect for nature means. Dumping construction debris in the forest or plastic on the beach will simply seem unthinkable to them.
At the same time, we must not turn a blind eye. Volunteer cleanups are not a panacea. The uncontrolled dumping of bulky and construction waste remains a common occurrence. We cannot constantly ask volunteers to fill institutional gaps or expect local communities to tackle unchecked behavior without resources or enforcement mechanisms. For this reason, the government must move from ad hoc support to institutionalized funding for environmental NGOs that produce measurable results. Similarly, the business community is called upon to view Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives not as a temporary public relations stunt, but as a long-term investment in the local community.
The transition to a new environmental culture requires the creation of a strong, cross-sectoral alliance. The government, local authorities, the educational community, businesses, and civil society must join forces. When schools incorporate hands-on activities, municipalities provide infrastructure, and businesses offer substantial support, volunteerism becomes a catalyst for institutional and social change.
Public space belongs to “no one.” It is home to all of us. This year’s Cleanup Week (October 26–November 2, 2026) is yet another opportunity to prove that a change in mindset isn’t an abstract concept, but a daily choice. Because, ultimately, protecting our environment is truly in our hands #InYourHands.
