5th of June, World Environment Day, is celebrated every year all over the world contribute to a healthier living environment. And since from the day it was observed, it has inspired many governments, organizations, businesses, and individuals in making a better and sustainable world. The Clean Upper Dharamsala Project was also founded on this very day in 1994 and ever since then,we have been celebrating World Environment Day by organizing different activities and encouraging our people to participate. Likewise this year, we organized a public mass clean up to encourage everyone to take responsibility for the environment they live in and thereby also providing a beautiful opportunity to take a step with the rest of people around the globe to clean up the world, our only home.

Some of the TSO staff that participated in the mass clean-up

Although under the Clean Upper Dharamsala Project runs a recycling programme, and door to door recyclable waste collection exists, public indiscriminate rubbish dumping still takes place in the hillsides and riversides, causing unhygienic and unaesthetic conditions. The CUDP's main goal on World Environment Day 2010 was to clean up these areas by involving the people living around to pick up their own trash with us. The mass clean-up concentrated on 8 main areas and more than 300 volunteers including local residents of participated. More than 800 waste bags were distributed with gloves and masks for the clean-up and our 2 trucks were also engaged.

At 9 a.m. sharp we dispersed to our respective areas with our groups and started cleaning up, while some of the residents joined us later on. The clean up lasted 2-3 hours. We all worked hard by helping each other after cleaning up our given areas which gave us a wonderful sense of team work and dedication. And after finishing the clean up, these 8 focus areas were much, much cleaner than before that anyone will have to think twice before they dump their waste here ever again.

This wonderful work of cleaning up the hillsides and the illegal dumpsites have not just resulted in a cleaner environment but has helped McLeod Ganj regain its aesthetic beauties. And taking this wonderful opportunity, we wish to convey our heartiest thanks to the Shop Association members, Tibet Charity, LHA Charitable trust, Namgyal Monastery, GuChu Sum, all volunteers and those local residents who joined us in the mass clean-up dubbed “Clean up Your Own Mess”.