Created in 2017 in Marseille, the Clean my Calanques association has since been working to preserve the environment around the city.
While many tourists visit Marseille's calanques every year, their passage is not without consequences. What prompted the Clean my Calanques team to set up their association was the contrast between the calanques' paradisiacal setting and the garbage that covers them. With just 7 pairs of arms, they carried out their very first collection, and since then, the association has gone from strength to strength.
The growing success of Clean my Calanques in Marseille
Although the association first made a name for itself by word-of-mouth, it was its eco-friendly cover version of a PNL song that made its popularity soar. The video made the rounds on social networks, quickly racking up over a million views.
That's nothing compared to the release of Cleaner Organisé in 2020, a cover version - again, eco-friendly! - of the hit Bande Organisée. It racked up over 3 million views on the association's networks. It was from this point on that many influencers joined the team, raising awareness of the environmental cause in their own communities.
The association's mission
Since its creation, the association's primary mission has been to clean up Marseille. Once or twice a month, volunteers get together to collect garbage. The waste is then sorted and distributed to local associations for recycling.
Ideally, there should be no more pick-ups. To encourage local residents to be careful with their garbage, Clean my Calanques works with schools and young people to raise awareness of the environmental cause. Since 2017, more than 15,000 schoolchildren have been educated by the association!
The article to read if you're planning a trip to Marseille, don't hesitate to make yourself available for a collection to help preserve the environment on your own scale.
Whether you're staying in Marseille or elsewhere, don't forget that you can get involved in regenerative tourism. The idea is to participate in local actions to limit the consequences of mass tourism. It's all the more welcome in the Calanques, a popular tourist destination in France.
If you too would like to visit the calanques, don't hesitate to go to Marseille(by train, it's even better). Be respectful, and make sure you don't leave anything behind!
