Clean up after yourself. In fact, why not clean up after everyone else also? It’s a sad fact that people have no respect for the environment in which they live, but alas, some people just don’t care.

Today is Clean up Australia Day. In 1989 an ‘average Australian bloke’ had a simple idea to make a difference in his own backyard – Sydney Harbour. This simple idea has turned into an annual tradition in which ‘average Australians’ clean up their beautiful country. But why must it be just one day out of the year, in which we clean up around us? Wouldn’t it just be easier to keep it clean all year round? Probably, but unfortunately most people don’t think that way.

So what can you do?

Today, all across Australia, thousands of people are volunteering their time to clean up the land around them, but it doesn’t stop there. You can become involved in organisations that continue to do this year round and help keep this country beautiful. “Living Green” is a lifestyle that is becoming more and more common within Australia, as many Aussies realise that our carbon footprint continues to grow and continues to impact the world around us. Many have become actively involved in organisations, while others simply become more conscious of things like the amount of water we use, the amount of electricity we use, or what is thrown away or recycled. Even the smallest, environmental decision will help Australia become more environmentally friendly.

After all, it started with an ‘average Australian bloke’, Ian Kiernan. Once setting up the “Clean up Australia” campaign, he approached the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), with an idea to take his Clean Up concept global. Clean Up the World is an international campaign that encourages communities to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment through the Clean Up the World Membership program.

Who says one man can’t make a difference? So get out and do your part. Australia appreciates it.

I came across the most intriguing article (Ok, it was a boring work day, I admit it) awhile back about an area of the NSW coast that’s actually being put aside as a “surfing reserve”, somewhere that developers won’t be able to overwork or build up like they’re doing everywhere else. So what else does it allow for? Not much really, it seems as if it’s more of a title than anything else, but it’s a start in the right direction. Surfing is a sport that carries such a low impact on the environment. No need for a big grassy field, no sidewalks or roads, no long chairlift cut up a mountain…it’s a sport that takes advantage of what mother nature has given us. Oh, and did I mention it’s good to get out and exercise?

“Both the lands and waters of Lennox are recognised worldwide as a breeding ground for surfing legends and folklore,” Mr Kelly said.

“We want to make sure those waters are protected for surfers for the future.”

He said surfing spots such as Lennox were as valuable to Australians as Uluru, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or the Opera House.

This action isn’t completely about surfing, it’s about preserving the natural, pristine beaches that Australia is lucky enough to have, and it’s good that we’re starting now. In Southern California, surfers are fighting to protect some of the most historic surfing spots around, keeping highway bypasses and huge developments from ruining the beautiful vistas and spoiling the natural habitats that are quickly being bulldozed over. Is it too late there? Perhaps not, as a recent vote to save Trestles, a popular and historic spot passed. I’ve had the privelidge to visit this amazing beach, and a highway bypass would have just decimated the area. I’m glad to see the outpouring of emotion over this small area of land.

So why a reserve? I think it’s Australia’s way of preempting the overdevelopment of the beautiful beaches we take for granted here. Sure, this particular beach is off the beaten path, and overdevelopment may be decades away, but it’s never to early to start thinking about the future. After all, who wants a highway bypass running through their favourite beach?