For the second year running, New Acropolis UK celebrated International Mother Earth Day in London.

The day began with a sacred dance around a tree in a local public garden before setting off on the second stage of our celebration: a litter pick in the London Borough of Hackney. With the support of the local council, we cleaned up two neglected woodland areas. By the end of the morning’s work we had collected more than 100 bags of rubbish, some of it recyclable, with an estimated weight of 1.5 tons.

Afterwards, the volunteers had a meal together and shared their experiences of the day. Many of the volunteers commented that it had made them more aware of the need to reduce their own consumption, and reminded them of the importance of the slogan ‘Reduce-Reuse-Recycle’, with the emphasis on ‘Reduce’. They also noticed how much better it is to do this kind of activity in a group, where everyone supports each other, transforming a mundane task into a joyful experience.