nature protection - Kayaking and trash collecting: Free rides for the environment
Next to various Fish swimming in the Spree, there are many things that don't belong there. Whether intentionally or accidentally, plastic containers, cigarette butts, bottles, and frequently E-Rollers end up in the water. To keep the waters clean, the German company Greenkay offers free kayaking trips in the capital. The project is a mix of leisure time and Environmental Protection. Participants can enjoy a free trip, but they must fish trash out of the water.
Last year, 1,850 kg of trash were collected in Berlin, says Oke Carstensen, one of the two founders of the non-profit organization. That's almost two tons of Waste. Besides plastic and cigarette butts, volunteers found many cigarette lighters, which they pulled out with grabbing hooks from the water and collected in a bucket on the boat.
113 Tonnes of Waste collected
Greenkay operates 80 Kayaks Europe-wide. Offers are available in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. A total of 113 tonnes of Waste were collected last year, says Carstensen. "The amount of Waste we pull out is small compared to what collects in the world's oceans per minute," admits the entrepreneur. "We won't save the world with the Waste we collect. But we give people the opportunity to engage." It's about raising environmental awareness and questioning one's own consumption.
This seems to be working. The offer is very popular, says Sebastian Bunk, managing director of Backstage Tourism, one of the three Berlin partners of Greenkay. The idyllically located boat rental is located at the Spree, on the other side of the Plänterwald. "People feel they are making a contribution," says Bunk. Some felt guilty if they didn't find anything. In general, the trash cans at the end of the two-hour tours were well filled. Between one and twenty kilograms of Waste came together per trip.
In Berlin, there are several initiatives that organize cleanup actions on land and in the water, for example, the Clean River Project association, which offers guided tours on the water. Trash will always be there, says Carstensen, but it's about something bigger. "If we don't care for our planet, nothing else matters."
- The ecological impact of environmental pollution in the Spree is evident with the regular appearance of plastic containers, cigarette butts, bottles, and E-Rollers.
- Participants of Greenkay's free kayaking trips in Berlin not only enjoy leisure time but also contribute to nature protection by collecting müll from the water.
- Greenkay's operations extend beyond Berlin, with 80 kayaks available for environmental cleanup endeavors in various European cities.
- The Clean River Project association in Berlin is another initiative dedicated to promoting nature protection through organized land and water cleanups.
