Queen Sofía of Spain resumed her agenda after the summer break with a visit to a beach in Alicante to mark World Clean Up Day.
Her Majesty, dressed in appropriate clothes and gear, went down to business picking up and separating trash that had accumulated on the beach following the summer break and the massive influx of locals and tourists to the seaside.
Saturday,18 September 2021, marked the fourth consecutive year in which Queen Sofía has taken part in this initiative that brings her each year to a different corner of the country.
In June of 2021, she did the same thing, picking up litter in the mountains that surround the city of Madrid.
Her Majesty was accompanied by Federico García, CEO of SEO/Birdlife, Óscar Martín CEO of Ecoembes, as well as the Mayor of Alicante Luis Barcala, Oceánidas representative Julio César Marcos and the provincial president of the Alicante Red Cross Francisco Galván.
SEO/Bridlife, Ecoembes and Oceánidas are the three Spanish organisations in charge of coordinating events for World Cleanup Day in the country. They also collaborate with LIBERA and the Spanish Red Cross, as well as groups of volunteer scuba divers to clean up litter from the bottom of the sea and analyse the impact this littering has on the marine ecosystem. After her efforts, Her Majesty heard from all associations present about their work and their role in the herculean effort to deliver cleaner environments to wildlife and the human population alike.
This initiative was introduced in Spain four years ago, and Queen Sofía has been present for every single one of them.
Her Majesty has sounded the alarm on the environmental crisis for many years, and it seems like her concerns have rubbed off on the younger generations of the family.
King Felipe has granted an increasing amount of audiences to enterprises that tackle the climate and environment issues with innovative solutions, and Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, in addition to a few engagements focussed on solutions for the future of the environment, have reportedly been among the advocates for a plastic-free school experience at Santa Maria de los Rosales, where the two sisters attended classes.
