From the 17th – 22nd of April Canoeing Ireland will be holding our River Clean Up week. Our aim is to get as many paddlers and clubs around the country as we can to join us in cleaning up and maintaining our water environments. We want everyone in Paddlesports to take ownership of the rivers, lakes and coasts in which they enjoy our beautiful sport and ensure these ecosystems can be preserved and flourish for future generations. To take part and organise a river clean up along your local stretch of river there are some key steps you can take –

  1. Register with the National Spring Clean from An Tasice. Register your clean up event to receive a clean up kit to ensure you can collect litter safely – https://nationalspringclean.org/register-for-the-national-spring-clean/
  2. If you are performing a clean-up on or along the river ensure you wear appropriate safety equipment – Buoyancy aid, helmet and appropriate footwear.
  3. Ensure you have arranged an appropriate method of disposal for the litter you have collected. You can engage with your local county council to help with this.
  4. Share photos of your local clean up with Canoeing Ireland so we can highlight the great work being done in the Paddlesports community for sustainability.
  5. Keep it going. River clean ups can be a year round habit. Stay consistent and keep the environment at the forefront of what we do.

As part of this week Canoeing Ireland will be running a Liffey clean up on Saturday 22th April, engaging with a range of local clubs and providers to clean up our local river and ensure we start the year as we mean to continue, with a focus on our water environment, and its future. To get involved in the Liffey Clean Up contact bookings@canoe.ie. There is a great range of other ways you can help us create a more sustainable future for our sport – create a sustainability charter for your club, creative biodiversity sections on your club grounds, ensure your access points to the river have minimal impact on the bank environment, and visit Leave No Trace for plenty more tips on helping our environment.