Citizen move inspires people to save nature

The organisers of a pro-environment citizen movement have been working in Helsinki for more than two decades to encourage the people with the view save the nature by collection waste.

The initiative called ´Littlermovement´ also drew attentions of number of people including prominent citizens to clean the nature by collecting plastic bottles and trash in various ways, said the organisers.

Tuula-Maria Ahonen together with her husband and two children initiated the movement in the year 2000, has invented this year a little mini trash cans that found very useful to prevent litters on the nature.

“The can makes environment safer for us and animals”, Ahonen, a freelance journalist and social psychologist in profession told Daily Finland.

According to the Finnish Association for the protection of Animals, throwing away litter in the nature is dangerous to animals as well as for humans.

It has been calculated that it takes 450 years for plastic soda can holders, floating in the water, to degrade.

All kind of plastic items, such as plastic bags, soda can holders, plastic ropes and strings, and balloons, are dangerous to animals, said the association, adding that Birds, fish, and seals may die from swallowing garbage floating in the sea.

Ahonen said that mini trash cans could be a good solution to reduce the litter in the nature.

“In mini trash cans, you can throw a cigarette while it´s burning, as well as chewing gum, drinking can clip, etc,” said Ahonen.

She pointed out that a can of film could be collected from photo studio or the can of diabetes test strips might be used as a can.

“May be you can think of another airtight Jar,” Ahonen added.

Describing the background of the Littermovement, she said the plan came in their mind when Ahonen together with her husband Jari Peltoranta and their small children, Lisa and Ilona went to a beach in 1996.

The beach was very littered and Ahonen had to say to their children to put the shoes on.

“I felt upset about what I saw on the beach, and asked myself seriously What Can I do for the better future of my children,” Ahonen told Daily Finland, adding that the Littermovement was initiated after a process of four years.

“If everybody would pick up at least one piece of litter we would live in much tidier and purer world” she thought while picking up litter in 2000.

She invited people to do the same that she was doing and found Finnish people eager to collaborate to this initiative. Ahonen invited many people to join her campaign and number of prominent personalities such as President Sauli Niinistö and former President Tarja Halonen accepted her invitation, she said.

The initiative has been spread to outside of Finland as she wrote the texts in her website in 23 languages.

She has also visited Denmark and Iceland and told to people about her movement.