Few million people joined World Cleanup 2012

TALLINN - Almost three million volunteers from nearly a hundred countries joined the Estonian initiative Let’s Do It! international project Let’s Do It! World Cleanup 2012 this year, Postimees Online reports.

Altogether volunteers cleaned the nature of more than 100,000 tons of garbage during cleanup campaigns in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. The largest amount of people convened to clean their communities in Sweden (675,000), Italy (600,000), Bulgaria (322,000) and Slovenia (265,000).

Initiator of the Let’s Do It! World Cleanup 2012 Rainer Nolvak said that none of the initial team could expect such popularity to the initiative. "I am surprised that the simplicity and constructiveness of the Let's Do It! initiative that started in the small Estonia has found such a positive feedback in the world," he said. "We have been a lot like pioneers, giving with our activities faith to ordinary people in the power of a single human being to really change something, even in regard to big and global problems."

The first “Let’s Do It!” campaign cleaning day took place in Estonia in 2008 when 50,000 volunteers cleaned 10 tons of garbage in five hours per day. Since then a similar volunteer event has taken place every year, with a different focus.