The nationwide campaign, organized by the Ministry of Environment, will comprise numerous cleanups along the Lebanese shoreline.
The ministry pioneered this initiative in hopes of “[saving] the face and [conveying] a cleaner image of Lebanon.” The cleanup, which will take place this Sunday 9 June, will cover over 150 locations and reach up to 25 meters in water depths.
“We usually always participate in the National Cleanup Day, which occurs every second Sunday of May,” says Clara El Khoury, co-founder and secretary of Save Kfaraabida, an NGO that engages the youth of Kfarabida to protect the marine life and keep the beaches clean.
Photo – Joe Sokhn
When we heard of the “Save Our Face” campaign, we definitely wanted to participate. It’s an incredible initiative that will help us clean the image of our country, which has been tarnished lately. We want to show foreigners that Lebanon can be – and, in many places, is – clean.
For its participation, Save Kfaraabida will be doing more than just organizing cleanups; it will also focus on raising awareness of the dire circumstances that pollution and plastic have on the environment, and how we can contribute to solving these issues.
“If we want to save the sea, it’s not enough to simply clean up our beaches,” says El Khoury. “We need to teach the youth, most of whom are unaware of the gravity of the circumstances, how they can prevent this from happening in the first place. We tend to focus more on the youth because they are more easily influenced, responsive, and proactive than their elders.”
If you wish to join Save Kfaraabida’s activities, you can message them on Facebook or Instagram.
For more information on the other cleanups and how you can join those, visit moe.gov.lb
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