Keep Danube Clean
PROJECT TOUR DATES: June 29th – July 29th, 2017
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
“KEEP DANUBE CLEAN!” BIKE TOUR is an internationally attended project, an educational caravan on two wheels along the Danube, starting from its origin up to where it flows into the Black Sea, at Sulina, over a 3,000-kilometer long trail. The route is Donaueschingen, Germany – Sulina, Romania, by way of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldavia and Ukraine.
Winning Project 2016
SPONSORS
Why do we do it?
The project is aimed at discovering what needs to be done to reduce the pollution of the river with the most multinational drainage basin in the world, one that spans an impressive 19 countries. We are also looking to encourage ecological education and environmental protection activities in the Danube region, as well as in its drainage basin. Additionally, we are trying to raise awareness about pollution affecting Europe’s rivers and especially the Danube, which claims over 30 of Europe’s major rivers as its tributaries.
How do we do it?
Participants will use bicycles to cover some 3000 kilometres over a period of 30 days. We aim to organise meetings with environmental groups and local authorities in the main cities that we’ll be passing through (Donaueschingen – this is where the river becomes the Danube, Ulm, Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava, Gyor, Budapest, Vukovar, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Orsova, Calafat, Vidin, Turnu Magurele, Giurgiu, Ruse, Braila, Galati, Sulina and others) to find out about local pollution issues concerning the Danube and other rivers, and possible solutions to those issues. The message we send will be “Keep the Danube clean!”
Get involved!
We encourage local organisations and their supporters to join us on this tour for whatever distance they see fit and to organise local events (speeches, workshops, cleanup actions, presentations, educational booths) all focused on sustainability and environmental protection. This stems from our core message, but also from the fact that we’re promoting mobility through using bicycles for the tour.
Follow the project on Facebook
Check the list of the cities we will pass through during the 30 days tour and join us!
Let us know you are interested: KeepDanubeClean@ecostuff.ro
KEEP DANUBE CLEAN Bike Route |
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| Monday | Monday, June 26, 2017 | departure from Timisoara to Donaueschingen | ||
| Tuesday | Tuesday, June 27, 2017 | arrival in Donaueschingen | ||
| Thursday | Thursday, June 29, 2017 | Donaueschingen | GERMANIA | |
| Thursday | Thursday, June 29, 2017 | Ulm | GERMANIA | |
| Friday | Friday, June 30, 2017 | Ingolstadt | GERMANIA | |
| Saturday | Saturday, July 01, 2017 | Regensburg | GERMANIA | |
| Sunday | Sunday, July 02, 2017 | Passau | GERMANIA | |
| Monday | Monday, July 03, 2017 | Linz | AUSTRIA | |
| Tuesday | Tuesday, July 04, 2017 | Krems an der Donau | AUSTRIA | |
| Wednesday | Wednesday, July 05, 2017 | Wien | AUSTRIA | |
| Thursday | Thursday, July 06, 2017 | Wien | AUSTRIA | |
| Friday | Friday, July 07, 2017 | Bratislava | SLOVACIA | |
| Saturday | Saturday, July 08, 2017 | Bratislava | SLOVACIA | |
| Sunday | Sunday, July 09, 2017 | Gyor | UNGARIA | |
| Monday | Monday, July 10, 2017 | Budapesta | UNGARIA | |
| Tuesday | Tuesday, July 11, 2017 | Budapesta | UNGARIA | |
| Wednesday | Wednesday, July 12, 2017 | Baja | UNGARIA | |
| Thursday | Thursday, July 13, 2017 | Osijek | CROATIA | |
| Friday | Friday, July 14, 2017 | Novi Sad | SERBIA | |
| Saturday | Saturday, July 15, 2017 | Belgrad | SERBIA | |
| Sunday | Sunday, July 16, 2017 | Belgrad | SERBIA | |
| Monday | Monday, July 17, 2017 | Bazias | ROMANIA | |
| Tuesday | Tuesday, July 18, 2017 | Orsova | ROMANIA | |
| Wednesday | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | Orsova | ROMANIA | |
| Thursday | Thursday, July 20, 2017 | Vidin | BULGARIA | |
| Friday | Friday, July 21, 2017 | Kozloduy | BULGARIA | |
| Saturday | Saturday, July 22, 2017 | Turnu Magurele | ROMANIA | |
| Sunday | Sunday, July 23, 2017 | Giurgiu/Ruse | ROMANIA | |
| Monday | Monday, July 24, 2017 | Silistra | BULGARIA | |
| Tuesday | Tuesday, July 25, 2017 | Cernavoda | ROMANIA | |
| Wednesday | Wednesday, July 26, 2017 | Braila | ROMANIA | |
| Thursday | Thursday, July 27, 2017 | Izmail | UKRAINA | |
| Friday | Friday, July 28, 2017 | Tulcea | ROMANIA | |
| Saturday | Saturday, July 29, 2017 | Sulina | ROMANIA | |
THE REASONS BEHIND THE “KEEP DANUBE CLEAN” PROJECT
What do we need to do to reduce pollution in the river with the most multinational drainage basin in the world – 19 countries, in the Danube Delta (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and in the Black Sea, into which the Danube flows?
This is the main question we aim to answer over the course of the tour’s 30 days, most importantly by finding viable solutions.
There are a large number of pollutants, each with devastating effects on both the fauna and flora living in the Danube, as well as the people living near it.
Nutrients, fertilisers and herbicides used in agriculture, as well as most of the animal waste and residue from farms and meat processing plants, make their way into groundwater or are spilled directly into lakes and rivers.
The lack of functional waste management systems, mainly in rural areas, lead to countless illegal garbage dumps in or near streams and river beds. That garbage is later washed downstream with each rain or flood.
Rain and snow pick up oil residue, lead from fuel emissions, particles coming from tire abrasion and brake pad usage, etc. A decreased capacity for processing rainwater in many cities often leads to a complete bypass of sewage treatment plants, meaning rainwater is spilled directly into rivers and lakes.
