ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/18/2003 23 September 2003
Delhi students join hands to Clean Up the World
Four hundred students from 13 schools in Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad today joined forces to launch the 2003 Clean Up the World campaign in Delhi, supported by the Australian High Commission, at the Buddha Jayanti Park.
The campaign, which has its roots in Australia, has become a world-wide movement with the support of the United Nations Environment Program. The Australian High Commission has cooperated with Delhi schools for the last four years in encouraging students to take part in this activity.
"It is most satisfying to see that the campaign has been taken on in real earnest by schools in Delhi," said Ms Michelle Marginson, Charge d'Affaires, Australian High Commission, at the launch.
She said that she was impressed with the enthusiasm the campaign had generated in Delhi. Schools are taking up initiatives like adopting neighbourhood parks and regular clean-up activities.
She said volunteering was a universal idea, but it is also an Indian idea, which Gandhi put into practice. She said that the Buddha Park held special relevance for the launch of the event. The teachings of the Buddha, like other great religious codes, spoke about respecting the community and the environment.
Started by an Australian sailor, Ian Kiernan, as a local campaign, Clean Up the World has now become a global movement. Over the years, there has been an increasing number of countries taking part in the campaign.
In 1993, 80 countries were enlisted and now in the eleventh year, more than 100 countries are taking part, mobilising around 40 million people to join in for voluntary effort to clean-up and improve the environment.
For further details, please contact Mr Rory Medcalf, First Secretary (Political), on telephone 26888223, ext. 197.