Written by: Laurence Klein
The ‘LIBERA, united against littered nature’ project, created by the environmental Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) SEO/BirdLife, in alliance with the non-profit organization Ecoembes, came to life in 2017 to curb the consequences of abandoned litter in natural spaces (littered nature, basuraleza in Spanish) in Spain. Ecoembes promotes a circular economy through the recycling of packaging and, in the specific case of the Libera Project, promotes the awareness and mobilization of citizens to keep nature free of waste and litter and thus contribute to healthier ecosystems and conserve more resilient biodiversity.
For its fifth anniversary, the Libera Project organized a country-wide environmental clean-up activity called ‘1m2 against littered nature’. The clean-up activity took place on June 12th throughout Spain with the participation of organized citizens in the form of local NGOs, city councils, associations of mothers and fathers of students (AMPA), among others.
The group ‘Semillero DEEP’, whose members are mostly students and professionals of the International Master in Peace, Conflicts and Development Studies of Jaume I University of Castellón de la Plana, joined the litter collection point organized by the AMPA of El Palmeral School of Benicasim (Castellón), to contribute a small seed to this great citizens’ initiative. Semillero DEEP offers a platform that supports any person or group that wishes to initiate projects or activities that promote social justice with the aim of creating safe spaces for dialogue through peace circles, art exhibitions, and experimental workshops. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go if we want to leave a healthier and more sustainable planet to our children and future generations. We all have the responsibility to inform ourselves, raise awareness and mobilize in favor of the maintenance of a litter-free natural environment, so that in the future, this type of clean-up activity is no longer necessary.
Get to know more the Libera project here
Follow the activities of Semillero Circle here
Remark: Original publication here