Israel and Spain will clean up the Mediterranean beach together
The initiative was originally scheduled to take place on Earth Day, April 22, but was postponed due to COVID restrictions in Spain.
By GADI ZAIGUpdated: JUNE 18, 2021 07:41Israel and Spain announce joint Mediterranean beach cleanup(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Israeli embassy in Spain organized a joint beach cleanup on the two ends of the Mediterranean to occur simultaneously in both Span and Israel. The initiative was announced in collaboration with the Israeli EcoOcean Association and Ecomar Spain for the International Oceans Day last week.The cleanup in Israel was led by the EcoOcean, which has promoted the protection of the marine and coastal environments in Israel for over 15 years. It is a non-profit organization that was founded in Israel in 2002 by a group of scientists and leading environmentalists, according to their website. On the other side of the Mediterranean, the Israeli embassy in Spain led the operation with Ecomar in beaches in the Alicante area, where more than 50 schoolchildren cleaned up the beach.Rodica Radian-Gordon, Israel's ambassador to Spain, said: "I welcome the joint activity to clean up the shores of the Mediterranean on both sides, in Israel and Spain."The initiative was initially scheduled to take place on Earth Day, but was postponed due to COVID restrictions in Spain. Just last year, EcoOcean collaborated with the Environmental Protection Ministry to release a campaign that called on the public to reduce their use of disposable plastic on Israeli beaches. “The parallel activity on both shores on both sides of the Mediterranean is of educational and social significance. The sea is an integral part of human life and therefore, whether in Israel, Spain or any other country, it is our duty to preserve it," said Arik Rosenblum, CEO of the EcoOcean. Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.
