In brief

Prince Albert II and 30 schoolchildren pick up litter from Monaco to La Turbie

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© Mika Alesi / Prince's Palace

The second edition of the Olympians Clean Up was held on Monday 3 April. 

It is a litter clean-up operation. Prince Albert II, accompanied by pupils from the Principality and Beausoleil, several Monegasque athletes and a number of members of the government, led the walk from Monaco to La Turbie. The aim was to collect all the litter they came across on the way. Cigarette butts, paper, glass… the event is about collecting rubbish but also recycling and ecology. “We’ve learned about sorting waste since we were little. It’s good that we’re doing this and it also gives us a chance to get some exercise,” smiled Victoria, a pupil at Charles III middle school, interviewed by Monaco Info.

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  • In the first photo, Prince Albert II and Jérémy Bottin, President of the Association monégasque des athlètes olympiques (Monegasque Olympic Athletes Association). © Mika Alesi / Prince’s Palace

After passing through the Parc Grima, in Beausoleil, where the Prince left the procession, it headed for the Tête de Chien promontory. A long walk from the Principality during which the group managed to collect a total of 15kg of waste, some of which will be incinerated in Monaco by the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement. “It is important to raise awareness among the young people who are with us today, they are the future,” said former Monegasque Olympic athlete Brice Etès, speaking to Monaco Info.

Jérémy Bottin, President of the Monegasque Olympic Athletes Association, is behind this Olympians Clean Up, an event that also conveys the three values of the Olympic movement: excellence (exemplary behaviour), respect (for the environment),  and friendship (doing it together!). “I had the idea while I was out cycling. I would often saw rubbish on the ground. I thought we should get the Olympians and the pupils involved and send a message,” he explained to Monaco Info.