An island full of contrasts
Fuerteventura is located around 100 kilometres west of the Moroccan coast. The island is known for its endless beaches, volcanic landscape and mild, sun-kissed climate, which attracts tourists all year round.
Environment
Limpiaventura is an environmental initiative on Fuerteventura that has been working continuously for years to clean up coastlines and protect nature. The following article provides an insight into the origins, working methods and impact of the project.
- When a simple gesture becomes a movement
Not all great projects arise from great ideas. Some start with a simple, concrete action that is repeated over and over again over a long period of time. Collecting rubbish on a beach may seem like a small act at first glance and does not in itself solve a global problem such as environmental pollution. But if this action is shared, organised and continued with consistency, it can grow into something very big.
It is precisely on this idea that Limpiaventura, an environmental initiative that was launched on Fuerteventura in 2015. Founded by Alina Kunz, the organisation is now one of the island's most important players in the field of coastal cleaning and environmental education.
Ten years ago, it all started spontaneously - almost naturally: a group of friends who were tired of seeing the polluted beaches of Fuerteventura decided to take action.
„En aquel momento ya existían otras iniciativas dedicadas a la limpieza ambiental», cuenta Alina Kunz, fundadora de la asociación, «y también había muchas personas que recogían basura de manera individual. Pero eran acciones aisladas, poco coordinadas y, por lo tanto, con una eficacia limitada. Sentimos la necesidad de dar forma y organización a todo ese esfuerzo para hacerlo más impactante.“
The trigger was as simple as it was symbolic. One day, Alina started collecting rubbish on a beach on her own. The more she moved between the sand and rocks, the more she realised that she couldn't even get a small stretch of coastline really clean on her own. So she asked her friends for help.
„The idea was so well received that we repeated the cleanse every Sunday - for five years. But at the heart of it all was a group of friends who no longer wanted to just watch.“
- From Bristol Beach to the whole island
The first cleaned beach was the Bristol Beach in Corralejo.
„It hurt me every time I walked past it and saw the rubbish. The decision was almost automatic.“
From there, Limpiaventura expanded its activities to the whole of Fuerteventura - and even as far as Lanzarote. The focus was primarily on the coast. After all, it's not just beaches that are affected: currents and tides wash enormous amounts of plastic into areas that are difficult to access, between cliffs and rocks.
Over time, the team learnt to „read“ the sea - to understand where and when operations make sense. The east and north coasts and the region around Cofete are usually particularly badly affected.
- An association of nature-conscious people
Today, Limpiaventura has around 80 registered members. The membership fee is a symbolic one euro per month. The missions are organised via a WhatsApp group and social networks.
„The groups are always very mixed,“ explains Alina. „Long-time islanders, new arrivals, but also tourists or people travelling through.“
In this way, the cleaning days also become encounters: People with very different life stories, united by a love of nature and the desire to do something concrete for the island.
- A typical day with Limpiaventura
A cleaning day usually starts in an uncomplicated and personal way: you meet for a coffee, organise car pools and drive to the job site together.
Limpiaventura provides all the materials - gloves, bags and tools. The cleaning operations usually take at least two hours, depending on the conditions on site.
At the end comes a particularly cherished moment: eating together.
„We eat together in the place we have just cleaned. Everyone brings something. It's a great feeling to enjoy the landscape and to know that you've helped to give something back to it.“
- Sensitising children for the future
A central component of Limpiaventura is environmental education, especially with children. Alina is a teacher and has a clear approach to this:
„I don't believe in purely theoretical lessons that distance children from real life. Learning works best by example and by doing.“
The first project with children came about rather by chance - with her son's school class. The success was immediate, and collaborations with many schools on the island soon followed.
To inspire children, Limpiaventura uses play and theatre: the children draw sea creatures, listen to stories about animals that live in a polluted ocean and end up becoming superheroes themselves who save the sea.
„They have fun - and at the same time understand how important their contribution is. Not only when collecting rubbish, but also in everyday life. They take this awareness home with them, to their families.“
- More than just environmental protection
Over the years, it has become clear that Limpiaventura also has a strong social and human impact.
„There's something healing about this work,“ says Alina. „Being outside, doing something meaningful with your hands, being part of a community - it all has a strong effect on your inner well-being.“
She remembers a girl who came to a cleaning day feeling sad. By the end of the day, her mood had completely changed - she said it had been one of the best days of her life.
Or a young volunteer who found a way out of a deep depression through regular participation.
„We didn't realise it at the time. But going out, being in nature and socialising with other people helped him a lot.“
- What you really find on the beaches
All sorts of things turn up during the clean-ups: Decades-old plastic bottles, packaging, fishing material such as nets, ropes and buoys - but above all large quantities of hardened oil that often looks like stone.
„And an incredible amount of microplastics, especially when the sea is turbulent and washes up algae and sediment.“
Interestingly, highly touristic beaches are often cleaner - partly because they are less affected by currents and many visitors are careful with their surroundings.
- Challenges and outlook
Despite the growth, the organisational structure of Limpiaventura has remained largely the same.
„The biggest challenge today is the workload, which falls on very few shoulders. There is not a lack of ideas, but often a lack of energy.“
The initiative also works with reception centres for migrants and language schools and integrates cleaning days into educational programmes - as a contribution to more conscious, more sustainable tourism.
„It is a movement from within the population. The people themselves keep Limpiaventura alive.“
More institutional support would be desirable - but without losing its own independence.
- How you can support Limpiaventura
The most urgent need is currently of a financial nature. Limpiaventura is financed exclusively by private donations.
Donations can be made by bank transfer, PayPal or cash.
Contact:
+34 610 01 34 24
„With more funding, the first thing we would do is purchase an inflatable boat to reach hard-to-reach coastal areas where a lot of rubbish collects. That would be a big step forward.“
- The message at the end
„I say to everyone who visits Fuerteventura: try to leave the island a little bit better than you found it - not just in terms of rubbish, but also in the way you treat nature, people and local culture.“
And she adds with a smile:
„I always say to the volunteers from outside: Welcome! Your rubbish was here before you and is already waiting.“
But the deeper message is an invitation to act:
„If we want a different world, we have to start with ourselves and set a good example. Even small actions can have an unexpectedly big impact. Limpiaventura is proof of this.“
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