Japanese Take To Volunteering For The Eiffel Tower's Cleanliness

One of the world's most visited landmarks, Eiffel Tower, saw a team of Japanese volunteers donning green vests and yellow gloves and take the cleanliness of Paris into their own hands at the weekend - by sweeping up litter around the Eiffel Tower.

Joined by passers-by of several nationalities, the Green Bird squad -- part of a volunteer movement in Japanese and European cities -- was aiming to encourage residents and visitors alike to keep the French capital tidy.

"I don't think that Paris is particularly dirty, but it's a good way to set an example and make our cities clean," said Masataka Tanigawa, 25, a Japanese expatriate who joined Saturday's effort under a cloud-free sky.

Like their counterparts in Berlin, Geneva or London, Greenbird volunteers in Paris descend on a tourist site every month for an hour-long sweep-up. Past targets have included the Champs-Elysee and Place de le Concorde.

"I like doing this," said El Shafey Ayman, 36, an Egyptian who came with his Japanese friend. "Cleaning up my city makes me feel like a better person. If everyone did this, it would be very clean."

City councillor Francois Dagnaud joined the effort. "The Japanese have emerged from urban civilisations; they're a bit more advanced than us," he said. "The cleanest cities are the ones that people don't litter."

Source-AFP
TAN