GREENWAY, as an international organization consists recently from 31 member organizations. It is functioning as a network of environmental non-governmental organizations from the Central and Eastern Europe for exchange of information, ideas, opinions and experiences.

GREENWAY Head Office in Bratislava introduced and coordinated Clean Up activities in Slovak Republic together with other NGOs. The Clean Up the World event was organized this year on 19 - 23th September and followed as a whole year campaign in many country communities.

The Clean Up activities were carried out by groups of volunteers - by GREENWAY NGO members in Slovakia. Those NGO people are working together with other citizens in their own communities to remove garbage from designated sites, separate waste for recycling and reusing.

The activities are complemented by environmental awareness seminars and discussions, community meetings, school activities, exhibitions and music entertaitments.

GREENWAY was acting as coordinating body for the Clean Up activities in Slovakia for the groups involved: 1. Local Government with Ecocentre, Bratislava-Devinska Nova Ves 2. Local Government, Bratislava-Ruzinov 3. Ecocentre Tree of Life, Banska Stiavnica 4. SZOPK (Slovak Union of Landscape and Nature Protectors), Cadca 5. Nature Protectors, Cerveny Kamen 6. Green Apple Group, Kosice 7. Ecocentre SZOPK, Levice 8. SOVS, Malacky 9. Ecocentre Poniklec, Povazska Bystrica 10. SZOPK, Prievidza 11. SZOPK ZO Pcola and ZO Plamienka, Presov 12. SZOPK, Senica 13. SZOPK, Group for Waste, Spisska Nova Ves 14. SZOPK, Zilina

Activities organized GREENWAY Head Office as coordinating body prepared CUW project for Slovakia, has selected and informed groups in the country, organized a coordinating meeting and workshop for the CUW SR coordination committees in Bratislava, sent out published posters and stickers for all groups involved, summarized and published reports from all groups, publicized information in national mass-media about the event, informed Ministry of Environment SR on prepared campaign.

During the project period served GREENWAY as contact point, clearinghouse, information service, organization and coordination body for Slovak Republik Clean Up the World campaign.

The activities organized by above mentioned groups in the year 1996 were mostly aimed to environmental education of young people and to raising awareness of citizens on environmental problems in the local communities.

The most frequent activities were:

• cleaning surroundings of private houses, blocks and public areas with separation of the waste (paper, metal, glass, clothing) into special containers,
• collecting rubbish in nature protected areas,
• cleaning of educational pathways,
• pupils and students from the schools cleaned up their schools areas and planted trees and shrubs,
• cleaning brooks and rivers banks from rubbish,
• competition for households in separation of waste, plus cleaning of private areas and planting trees,
• competition (as above) for companies, firms, schools and non- governmental organizations,
• likvidation of "black" dumps,
• exhibitions of reused waste for practical and art articles,entitled "For Pleasure and Use",
• literary competition,
• film and concert entertaitments,
• exhibition of photographs, eco-humour,
• market of eco-information,
• theatre performance for nursery schools "World Sweepings-Show"
• discussions on environmental problems of local communities mayors with citizens.

Cooperation with media Information on concrete activities were published in national newspapers and journals (SME, PRAVDA, HLAS LUDU, TASR), regional nad local newspapers (Devex, Hlasnik, Kosicky Vecer, dennik Luc, Korzo, Sosna Bulletin, Ekopanorama, BV-Press, Presovsky Vecernik, Vecernik - Bratislava, Zahorak).

National, regional and local broadcasting corporations (Slovensky rozhlas - Slovak Radio, FUN Radio, ROCK FM Radio, KIKS Radio, Radio FLASH) and TV (VTV, TV NASA, CABLE PLUS, SENTV) informed continuously on the events organized in separate regions of Slovakia.

Evaluation

Problems:

Shortage of finances caused that we must realised coordination meeting only in one day, information on the Clean Up the World campaign were sent by mail and fax. Therefore we used for coordination, and contact with the Clean Up committees mainly phone contacts. Propagational materials (posters and stickers) left from the previous year were used.

In spite of the situation that we didn't succeed to find a main sponsor for CUW in Slovakia, only many local sponsors from all kind of business, organisations and local government were helping financially and practically by organization of the Clean Up activities.

Positive results:

Slovak Republic was involved in the Clean Up the World campaign as an international event for the second time this year. The campaign engaged inhabitants - children from the schools of all levels, environmental non-governmental organizations, local governments, business, companies, factories, institutions and citizens of towns and villages to react actively for improvement of their own environment.

Improved and positive cooperation with other organizations and governmental institutions and administration offices by activities practical organization.

Improved information of environmental problems and concrete activities of citizens in cooperation with mass-media.

Clean Up the World project was developed as a whole year program for many non-governmental organizations in Slovakia.

Finally, the Clean Up the World campaign in Slovak Republik could be evaluated as an interesting and attractive idea for raising environmental awareness of the inhabitants.

The second year of Clean Up the World activities organized in Slovakia was very successful - 15 CUW coordination committees involved approximately 32,140 individuals and 178 schools (nursery, primary, secondary) for their activities!

Report written by Elena Vartikova, contact address - see cover page.