World Cleanup Day (WCD), and the whole Let’s Do It World (LDIW) movement, has elevated its profile significantly, with attendance at COP28 appreciated by many, and with praise and congratulations for UN Calendar inclusion coming from distinguished fellow panelists, members of other nations’ delegations, and even random passers-by. A packed four-day schedule saw Heidi Solba present on numerous debates, and she also made certain of meeting with all LDIW country leaders also present.
Friday 8 Dec
Arrival, registration, and straight in at the deep end with the first panel discussion!
With the support of Estonia’s National Foundation of Civil Society (‘KÜSK’), our team arrived in Dubai early Friday morning, a journey that kickstarted a frenetic weekend of discussions, debates, and networking, with LDIW’s delegation of Heidi Solba (President & Head of Global Network), Rein-Eerik Savi (CEO) and Jim Sharman (Head of Communication) heading straight to the conference venue for a full day’s activity, excited and filled with eager anticipation.
The first panel at which WCD was presented was one of two sessions hosted that weekend by the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the aim of which was to bridge the gap between raising awareness and implementing concrete actions for behavioral change, charting a course towards a zero-waste future.
Panelists brought case studies to discuss how we can ensure that awareness will translate into action and lasting behavioral change. Heidi spoke about how WCD works towards achieving zero waste globally, that everyone is responsible for delivering a waste-free world and ensuring that sustainable solutions are arrived at collectively, and how crucial engagement on every level is.
From there, our delegation headed to the Estonian Pavilion, with this year being the first time Estonia has had its own Pavilion at a COP conference! The WCD banner stood proudly outside the entrance as we prepared for the sessions ahead and mapped out where to find our networking targets..
Saturday 9 Dec
BIG news announced, more panel debates, a focus on engagement, fabulous live interviews with LDIW country leaders (plus a President!), and an Estonian-themed reception to enjoy.
Saturday was filled with excitement and anticipation, as we had heard the previous evening that the UN General Assembly was about to confirm the addition of World Cleanup Day to the UN calendar – news that we already knew internally but could not yet broadcast to the world. Joyously though, at the very start of the first of our three sessions in the Estonian Pavilion, Ado Lõhmus (Sustainability & Public Affairs Manager) made the official inclusion announcement, which was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
Ado moderated the subsequent panel discussion, ‘World Cleanup Day as a Trigger for a Sustainable Change’, during which panelists discussed why advocacy is critical in driving an impactful and just green transition and how citizens can contribute to sustainable transformation. On the panel with Heidi were H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid (Estonian President 2016-2021), Andre Dzikus (Chief of the Urban Basic Services Section at UN-Habitat) and Valentiin Lavaill (Senior Project Manager, Roland Berger, Middle East).
Key takeaways from the discussion include Kersti Kaljulaid talking about sorting as “the new ground zero” for effective waste management. Andre Dzikus acknowledged that, “When we have a critical mass of population, when we find that tipping point, a large number of people in a country showing others how to carry out effective waste management, it makes a difference as a social movement.” And Heidi concluded, “We want to catalyze systemic change worldwide. By bringing together education, local municipalities, and other NGOs, we can step forward through collaboration. Cleanups are a starting point – not the solution. Cooperation, from every background, at local and international levels, is the solution.”
The day continued with a series of discussions and interviews with several of our amazing LDIW country leaders and some of their team members – Gulsara Gasimova (Azerbaijan), Fataï Aina (Benin), Edilainne Pereira (Brazil), Mahamat Soukaya (Chad), Aijan Chynybaeva (Kyrgyzstan), Abdul Haque Banglani and Gulfam Abid (Pakistan). We also met with Merle Liivand (aka ‘The Miami Mermaid’ and an LDIW Ambassador), and even managed to scoop an exclusive live interview with Kersti Kaljulaid! All these meetings were proud and humbling moments for us to witness and partake in.
The evening presented a great networking opportunity in the Taste Estonia pavilion, hosted by Kristi Klaas (Deputy Secretary General at Estonia’s Climate Ministry), where people from governments and private sector industries were able to learn more about LDIW’s mission, above and beyond WCD. Heidi was invited to give a speech to celebrate UN Calendar inclusion and several new contacts within the private sector were also established in a very useful event.
Sunday 10 Dec
WCD goes walkabout, a panel discussion on digital enablement, another on Mozambique’s WCD 2023 impact, and scientific endorsement from a Professor!
Sunday was a dazzling mix of panel discussions, spontaneous meetings, networking discussions, and serendipitous talks in between, as we traversed the site, with Rein-Eerik literally flying the WCD banner.
We stopped at several other pavilions in between sessions, including India’s, where we had the profound fortune (or was it kismet?) to receive blessings from Sadhguru, as well as establishing contact with the ‘Save Soil’ organization, founded by him, which campaigns globally to preserve healthy soil.
That set the scene for an intense yet celebratory day of connections, the next being via a panel on the ‘World Cleanup Day Impact Model, using Mozambique as an example’. Although country leader Carlos Serra could not join the panel in person, we had the privilege of him joining remotely to contribute to a fascinating discussion on how we can map the examples of countries like Mozambique and establish a quantitative, as well as qualitative, measure of WCD’s impact.
Heidi and Carlos were joined once again by Andre Dzikus, plus Aveliina Helm (Science Advisor to Estonian Minister of Climate and Professor of Restoration Ecology at Tartu University). Key takeaways can be found here, but one prominent highlight is when Ado asked Professor Helm, “From a scientist’s viewpoint of the global [LDIW] movement, how will this address the global waste problem?”
She replied “The LDIW model can be repeated in other activities, not just waste. You can make changes from your own home all the way up to your entire country, empowering and incentivizing others to make a difference. The success of WCD makes you wonder what other problems we can address, what other solutions can we tap into. One indicator of social change would be the mindset of is there even any waste to clean any more? We might reach the point where there is nothing to clean up, whether it be in nature or cities. Waste generation is one thing, a waste-free world is another.”
The day’s second panel discussion was back at ISWA, on the topic 'Digital Enablers for Sustainable Waste Management’, featuring experts in smart waste systems for recycling e.g. plastic waste. Up for discussion was the role of open data in promoting climate resilience within the waste context, building bridges between citizens and existing data, tapping into the power of digital outreach, and increasing social engagement when taking the voice of the sector forward.
Highlights included Elise’s emphatic viewpoint that, “We cannot manage what we do not measure!”, underpinning the importance of reliable data collection and reporting when it comes to raising awareness of the sheer scale of mismanaged waste globally. And, in a conversation about digital enablement, the topic of Digital Cleanup Day inevitably came up, with Heidi taking the opportunity to enlighten the panel and the audience of the impact of digital waste, as well as highlighting the importance of using technology for more thorough data analysis of all waste from World Cleanup Days.
Monday 10 Dec
A panel discussion about the impact that flooding has on climate change, the negative influence of mismanaged waste in waterways, a new recruit to WCD, and a celebratory event with several LDIW country leaders to round off a successful trip!
LDIW’s final panel contribution, back in the Estonian Pavilion, was at a discussion on ‘Climate Adaptation and Water: Smart Solutions, Smart Stormwater Systems, and Available Open Data’, featuring a distinguished panel comprising Kristi Klaas (Deputy Secretary General, Ministry of Climate, Estonia), Leena Ylä-Mononen (Executive Director, European Environment Agency), Sonja Köppel (Co-Secretary, Protocol on Water & Health, UN Economic Commission, Europe), and Heidi, debating how to engage society in solutions to reducing pluvial flood risks and raise the public’s access to water and climate information for mitigating water problems relating to climate change.
Key contributions from each panelist can be found here, including Heidi’s conclusive statement: “Take the example of hilly areas of some South American cities (i.e. the favelas), where waste management systems are either inefficient or non-existent and local populations end up using the river systems as a convenient way of disposing of their waste. All that waste then clogs up the drainage systems, causing worse problems and, in the end, all forms of waste wash downriver into the oceans anyway. It is essential that there is trust between governments and society, because change starts with a local-level focus on dialogue and education. Global solutions to these problems are too slow to come, so let’s all work on the local level, really fast!”
Atara Sanders, an audience member from Drexel University in Philadelphia asked, “Can you give an example of ‘Global-level-thinking at local-level-collaboration’?” Heidi replied with LDIW’s own example; “We’re proven that small actions at the local level can grow, through passion, commitment, and education, into a global phenomenon that drives systemic change.” Sanders liked the reply and has committed to joining WCD’s activities back home!
Our time in COP28 felt altogether too short, with so many more opportunities open – yet the solid ground work done will bear bountiful fruit when nurtured. Our stay concluded with a meeting of four LDIW country leaders for a team dinner. Abdul, Aijan and Edilainne were joined by Mustaf Ali, United Arab Emirates’s WCD country leader and member of Project Rise. The conversation focused on how we can maximize WCD societally, not just locally, but globally too – a very rich and rewarding end to the trip and a genuine privilege to meet these incredible leaders.
Tuesday 11 Dec
Reflections, taking stock and looking forward, with much gratitude for connections with friends, colleagues and partners, old and new. In the end, it’s all about engagement and the power of empowered people!
To summarize, our delegation reflects on how fortunate we were to present LDIW and WCD to unprecedented levels of exposure, making new contacts in all sectors, being ambassadors for the movement and also for Estonia – but, crucially, also making new friends who have expressed keen interest in our mission, whether they be panelists, members of the audience, or chance meetings onsite. We even identified some potential WCD leaders in countries currently without one!
Because, most of all, it’s about engagement – nothing tops the experience of being able to speak face-to-face, in real-time, with real people. We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to go to COP28 and create such meaningful relationships, in spite of the controversies that COP conferences attract, whether based on location, political infighting, or protests.
Let’s Do It World is an apolitical, inclusive movement and World Cleanup Day works precisely because of our values – cooperation, positivity, and people. Without these, we have no movement, therefore we strive to represent all of you within it to the best of our ability, wherever we find ourselves.
We wish to extend our collective and sincere thanks to the following:
As a final thought, the biggest takeaway from these four days is that the power of people can become greater than the people in power, and our mission is to ensure that people everywhere learn how to unite and become a powerful force of goodness in our world.
It all starts with our individual choices. 🙏
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