Michael Reichel (ari)
Ilmenau is cleaning up! And all environmental activists are invited to take part in the garbage collection campaign. This year, it will take place on Saturday, September 13 - one week before the international Clean Up Day. As part of TU Ilmenau's sustainability initiative, a collection campaign will be organized on campus again this year. Together with hopefully many other members of the university, the members of the Sustainability Task Group and the Sustainability Working Group in the Student Council want to collect and dispose of carelessly discarded plastic packaging, bottles and more.
"All you really need is a sturdy bin liner and you're ready to go," explains Prof. Jens Wolling from the university's Sustainability Task Group, "but I also recommend gloves and sturdy shoes. I know that many people would like to take part but don't want to set off alone. That's why there's a meeting point at 10 a.m. in front of the Ernst Abbe Center (EAZ) near the magnifying glass for anyone who is taking part for the first time or is looking to join in." Following the collection campaign, there will also be a small "after-clean-up event" at the International Meeting Center (IBZ).
It is also possible to collect at other locations in Ilmenau, together with friends or family members. Information on all meeting points, collection points and how to mark them can be found on the website of the Sustainable Ilmenau Network https://www.nena-ilmenau.de/stadtoekologie/.
The collection campaign on World Clean Up Day is once again being run under the patronage of the Lord Mayor this year and is actively supported by the city's employees.
"It is always depressing to see how much garbage can be found even in protected areas such as Ilmenau's ponds," says Prof. Wolling, "but I always hear from those who actively take part in the campaign that it was even fun in the end when we have done something for the environment together. It is a small sense of achievement to have contributed a little to the protection of nature. I hope that parents will also take part in the campaign with their children so that the youngest children develop environmental awareness at an early age."
Anyone with questions about the campaign can contact the event's organizing team at info@nena-ilmenau.de or nachhaltigkeit@tu-ilmenau.de.
