To mark this year’s World Environment Day, a group of enthusiastic young Dawoodi Bohra children took to their local streets in West London to remove all plastic waste, bottles, cans and scrap paper. They set out one morning and cleaned 3 roads completely in 2 hours, collecting over 150 litres of rubbish from the streets. The children were surprised at the amount of rubbish left on the streets but were encouraged by locals walking on the streets giving their thanks and drivers honking their horns in support as they passed by.
The United Nations World Environment Day is held every year. This year called for urgent action to revive damaged ecosystems. This is a global undertaking at massive scale, bringing back plants and animals from the brink of extinction and taking action every day to grow trees, green our cities, rewild our gardens, change our diets and clean up rivers and coasts.
More than 2 million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day. The cost of cleaning the streets is £1 billion a year. Litter contributes to water, soil and air pollution. Research suggests that more than 40% of the world’s litter is burned in open air. In the UK, as in many other parts of the world, the easing of lockdown restrictions has seen an increase in litter as more people have returned to the streets.
As part of our global Project Rise initiative, the Dawoodi Bohras regularly lead practical efforts to conserve, enhance and clear up the natural environment, while raising awareness of the need for sustainable development. As well as street clean-ups, community members throughout the world participate in tree plantings, beach cleans and recycling awareness campaigns.
