Following the initiative of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Latvia, Karin Höglund (Karin Höglund), and the Ambassador of Ireland to Latvia, Eimear Friel (Eimear Friel), many foreign embassies in Latvia have expressed an interest in participating in this year's Big Clean-up. The Big Clean-up will take place on 22 April.
The Swedish and Irish embassies have worked closely with the Big Clean-up in the past, and this year they invited their colleagues from other countries to lend a hand in making Latvia cleaner and more beautiful for everyone.
The Swedish Embassy has a long history of promoting sustainability and participating in environment and climate-friendly projects in Latvia, as these issues are priorities in both Sweden and its foreign policy.
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Latvia, Karin Höglund (Karin Höglund): “We all share this earth, and we must join forces to protect the environment. We believe that by participating in the Big Clean-up, we can contribute to building a clean and green Latvia today, as well as raise awareness of the efforts that everyone must make so that Latvia, Europe and the world are green and prosperous tomorrow as well.”
Sweden is currently the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (until June this year). One of the key priorities of the presidency is the 'green' transition. The global climate problem requires a global response, and Europe must lead by example by achieving ambitious climate goals and accelerating the green transition to a climate-neutral and nature-positive future. Maintaining the cleanliness of our environment and reducing the production of waste that can pollute our land and water is an important part of this priority, and the Big Clean-up is a great initiative that highlights this issue.
“The Swedish Embassy is also proud and grateful that two Swedish-Latvian companies are joining the ranks of Big Clean-up supporters this year – the law firm 'Glimstedt' and the forestry company 'SCA',” emphasises Karin Höglund.
Ambassador of Ireland to Latvia, Eimear Friel (Eimear Friel): “At the Irish Embassy, we believe that it is everyone’s duty to look after, respect and clean up the surrounding environment. We live and work in Latvia day by day, and by participating in the Big Clean-up, we want to make our own contribution towards making Latvia a beautiful and green country. The more people who are ready to lend a helping hand, the more work we can get done. That is why we wanted to involve as many embassies residing in Latvia as possible in this work, so that our collective effort brings about positive change.”
We can see the impact of climate change in our own countries and in Latvia. No one is immune to it. It is our duty to do everything possible to clean up the environment around us and live in an environmentally conscious way. Participating in the Big Clean-up is just one way we, as embassies, can do this. Other ways we can adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle in our daily lives include, for example, ensuring that we reduce plastic use, recycle or reuse, and make environmentally sustainable choices.”
Vita Jaunzeme, head of the Big Clean-up: ”On behalf of the Big Clean-up, its organisers and activists, I would like to thank the Ambassadors of Sweden and Ireland to Latvia – Karin Höglund and Eimear Friel – for their involvement and the tremendous work they have put into raising awareness of environmental and climate issues in Latvia. We are especially grateful to both
embassies for this initiative – to unite foreign embassies in Latvia for a joint campaign within the framework of the Big Clean-up, and also to the Irish Embassy for its courageous participation in the 2022 World Clean-up Day. I hope that through our joint efforts, we will succeed in both carrying out public education work and making the world at least a little cleaner, greener and more beautiful for everyone.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGhYQd15dmU