Reduce / Reuse / Recycle

December 23, 2008

 

Japanese Non-Profit Group Spreading Anti-litter Message Across Country and Beyond

Keywords: NGO / Citizen Reduce / Reuse / Recycle 

Green Bird, a non-profit organization launched in 2003 by a group of young people involved in collecting street litter in the Harajuku and Omotesando areas of Tokyo, is inspiring more people to participate with their slogan of "Clean Town, Clean Spirit." Thanks to its open atmosphere of free participation and trendiness, the clean-up activity has since gained popularity throughout Tokyo, including in Shibuya and Shimokitazawa, where the younger generations like to gather.

Green Bird promotes three major activities: litter collection in certain areas once or twice a week or month, public relations, and fund-raising to collect the funds required for operations and management. The group is calling for wider public participation by including the following line on its website: "Once you declare that you won't throw litter or cigarettes on the street, you are a member of Green Bird." Besides encouraging people to participate in clean-up activities, the group is working to change public attitudes about littering, so that they increasingly view making a mess in town as shameful.

With the aim of achieving its grand vision of convincing 40 million people by 2010 that littering is bad behavior, Green Bird is promoting its activity through 16 local teams around Japan, including those in Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagasaki. The concept has also expanded to a group in Paris, France, which is conducting similar activities from time to time.

- Green Bird official website (Japanese only)
http://www.greenbird.jp/

Posted: 2008/12/23 06:49:19 AM

Japanese  

 

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