Sportsmen and volunteers support the international idea of ​​Clean Rivers Experience

April was a month full of activities. We focused on cleaning the surroundings and ourselves. We have connected with organizations of various kinds and supported the ideas of #rivercleanupchallenge #cleanriversexperience #only10minutes #liveconsciously . Together for cleaner watercourses and surroundings.

We have teamed up with organizations to highlight the importance of protecting the environment and linking the idea of living consciously, pointing out that not only families but also sportsmen care about a clean environment, that sportsmen also value and appreciate when they can train in a clean environment, and that they care about the watercourses in what condition they are.

This time, on June 17, as part of the international organization River Cleanup, whose main partner in Slovakia is the Human Health Institute, we focused on the Danube as part of the Clean Rivers Experience - Clean Danube Experience, in which sportsmen of Kajak & kanoe klub Komárno (the most successful section of speed canoeing in Slovakia) and activists from Hungary, KÖSZ (Kisvárosi Önkéntes Szemétszedők) took part.

The main idea of the project and involvement in a joint activity within the Human Health Institute n.o. is to raise awareness of the benefits of implementing an ecological way of behaving within a sports club.

"Our goal is not only to educate children to enjoy sports, but also a general acquaintance with the basic values of our club. Ethical acting is the key to the long-term prosperity of a company. Respecting ethics is a manifestation of responsibility towards all people around us and thus allows us to have a positive impact for the benefit of society as a whole. ” - Viktor Demin, Chairman of the Kajak & kanoe klub Komárno and multiple champion of Slovakia, European and World Champion.

Taking care of our surroundings is one of the basic and at the same time most important values that the club has at its disposal. The protection of values and their spreading is a priority for all club members. Our main goal is also to inform that physical activity keeps humanity in good and healthy shape and prolongs human life. In any case, the conservation of natural resources is essential for maintaining a clean environment and maintaining its good condition for future generations.

For this reason, on April 17, we organized the cleaning of banks of water areas around the town of Komárno (SK) and Komárom (HU). With joint efforts, we managed to collect dozens of bags of garbage.

As part of the ecological program, sportsmen in Komárno have replaced all standard rubbish bins with bins suitable for the collection of sorted waste, and composting of municipal waste is also planned.

Furthermore, all sports events organized by the club will be held in an environmentally sustainable manner, including the collection and recycling of empty beverage cans.

In addition to sports performance and education, another goal is to establish strong cooperation with new partners not only from Slovakia but also from abroad.

For this reason, within the international program River Cleanup and Clean Rivers Experience under the auspices of the Human Health Institute, which organizes activities such as #Rivercleanupchallenge #Only10minutes a week #CleanRiversExperience we will join the Hungarian neighboring town Komárom and KÖSZ (association of voluntary waste collectors in the city, which was founded in November 2020 in order to clean up Komárom, in particular the Danube bank, from waste collected over the years) to further collect waste on the banks of the Danube. The activity in Hungary took place twice.

The first event was attended by 25 volunteers and they have collected 40 of 240 liter bags of waste, which means about 10 cubic meters of waste, and at the second meeting they have filled another 17 of these bags with 4-5 cubic meters of waste that was sorted out.

In this way, the Szőnyi Islands and the surrounding area were cleaned of a total of 15 cubic meters of waste.

We are convinced that, thanks to the strength of the international characteristics of sports, which bridges ethical and cultural differences, it is particularly suitable for bringing groups of people closer together and for strengthening a sense of belonging within society and move society towards zero-waste and permanent sustainability.

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