Clean Coast Sardinia. The beginning.

The idea was developing but it still felt a bit strange to simply go to the beach one day, take out a plastic bag and fill it with the rubbish found there. I will end up being called a crazy lady, I thought. Then there was the weekend I spend in the north of Sardinia, with my dear friend Stephan. There were other guests at his home, a fantastic Norwegian couple, Hege and Arne. Among all the topics we discussed at the table, we also talked about the level of awareness regarding environmental issues in the Scandinavia.

These two came for a short holiday in Sardinia and you could see how much they adored the beauty of its nature. Two days later I saw a picture on Hege’s Instagram profile. She had just done the “5minbeachcleanup” on the Maria Pia beach in Alghero. We messaged, exchanged ideas. I started browsing the Internet in order to find more information and to my surprise, I discovered that she was not the only one, there were THOUSANDS doing this.

People from all over the world, on the shores of Alaska and the beaches of Australia, from the tropical paradise of the Bali island to the Pacific coast of Japan. From California to East Africa and the UAE. In Holland, Denmark and Germany. And closer to home, on the Mediterranean seacoast, people are participating in beach cleanups in Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Spain.

There was only one thing left. I plucked up the courage, put the bag in my pocket and went to the beach.