Visiting Europe this Summer? Join a Beach Cleanup

Responsible Travel

May 31

For families planning a summer European adventure, a local cleanup is one of the easiest ways to give back, meet the ocean-loving community, and even learn a few words in a new language. We’re all in.

Beach cleaner organization in Germany after a beach cleanup. — Germany’s beach cleaner after a local cleanup in Nuremberg, Germany.

For many families, Europe is an obvious landing pad for those eager to explore beyond their borders during the summer months.

Whether island-hopping across Greece’s lesser known islands or traversing the banks of the Elbe in eastern Germany, it’s more than likely there will be a beach, lake, river, or some body of water where you wander.

As parents, we all know a trip to the coast, kayaking down a river or paddling around a lake on a SUP board provides endless educational opportunities for kids (learning to swim, identifying aquatic creatures, counting sea shells), it is also a great conversation starter about how we can keep our waterways healthy.

So why not merge your family adventure with a local cleanup and have the chance to meet like-minded families, learn a few words in a new language and give something back to the place you are visiting?

Kids picking up trash at a beach cleanup.

Why We Love Cleanups Around the World

Choosing to join a beach cleanup while on holiday may seem like more of a chore than an activity, but really it’s one of the most multifaceted ways to learn about the place you are visiting. What better way to get outside, run around on the beach for a few hours, meet locals, learn a few words in another language (anyone say, “Plastik-Müll”?) and learn how another culture manages their environmental footprint? It’s a high-intensity, sustainable-educational travel sandwich, and for kids, it’s another way aside from playgrounds to connect with other children their age.

We’ve heard this statistic before: every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic gets dumped into the ocean. And that number is only set to increase, the amount of plastic overtaking fish in the ocean by 2050.

That’s why it’s all-the-more important to teach the value of recycling and minimizing single-waste plastic usage to our children, whether at home in Virginia Beach or road-tripping on the southern coast of Spain — plastic affects us all.

Trash collected from a beach cleanup, Germany.

The European Perspective

According to the 2022 EPI Environmental Performance Index, the top 25 greenest, most climate-conscious countries all are in Europe, besides Australia and Japan. Top of the chart spans Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Switzerland, Iceland and Germany. It goes without say, participating in a beach cleanup in any of these countries is sure to be a PhD lesson in keeping things green.

When visiting Germany, for example, families can learn about the ubiquitous Pfand system: a small deposit paid for bottles, to be reimbursed when they’re returned. At local festivals (a must do if coming to Germany), it’s a perfect incentive for both beer drinkers and kids, with the universally-loved Apfelschorle to return their bottles back to vendors, keeping public grounds effortlessly clean.

Germany is also a world leader in recycling, turning more than 60% of its waste into new products or fuel. Though there’s a long way to go, Germans are hip to the fact that eco-initiatives are necessary for a livable planet. Here, citizens here are highly engaged in environmental policy, the Green Party has an actual seat at the table, Fridays for Future climate marches began on the streets here, and is one of the most sustainably industrialized nations.

Beach cleaner at Rothsee, Germany — Beach cleaner’s Anne Mäusbacher leads a fun cleanup on Germany’s Rothsee, complete with SUP Riders’ stand-up paddle boards.

Spotlight: Germany’s beach cleaner

Beach cleaner is a cleanup and plastic-free initiative based in Nuremberg, Germany, doing all of that— and more. By harnessing the enthusiasm of an eco-friendly culture, they have taken it a step further to get locals involved in beach cleanups, affect local policy and make greater systemic changes within the country.

Founder Anne Mäusbacher isn’t deterred from not being based on the coast— alongside hosting clean-ups at local lakes, rivers and parks- she has forged a networked of local activists and water enthusiasts to help prevent plastic that if not collected, will eventually make it’s way to the Atlantic Ocean. Here in Nuremberg, kids can dredge trash out of the lakes with the help SUP Riders and Board Nerds. Beach cleaner spans outreach across western Europe with organizing cleanups in Spain, the Balearic Islands, and even into northern Africa.

This is the face of a homegrown movement, and it’s infectious to be a part of whether you live in Germany or are simply visiting.

Beach cleaner preps for a cleanup in Germany.

How to Get Involved

If planning a trip to Europe, the European Environment Agency keeps a list of active organizations that organize cleanups, Surfrider Europe and of course beach cleaner. In the United Kingdom, look up the Marine Conservation Society or Surfers Against Sewage and as a backup, ask your hotel, or check out Facebook groups for any more localized information.

Traveling farther afield than Europe? In the United States, Surfrider Foundation’s local chapters list upcoming events on their various websites. In Australia, check out Clean Up Australia and Take 3 for the Sea, in Canada, Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup and in Southeast Asia, Trash Hero is a great resource for cleanups.

If you can’t find an organized cleanup, there’s nothing stopping you from beautifying the beach area or the sand around you you are visiting. Cleaning your space helps you form a deeper connection to the place you are visiting and is a good reminder for our kids how we treat disposables, both abroad and back home.