Corona Extra is running a pioneer initiative to protect and preserve the beaches of Britain and Europe. This conservation campaign calls for members of the public to send in videos of photos of beaches in need of cleaning up. Already a shortlist of beaches has been drawn up – and on July 23rd, the worst beach will be cleaned. You can visit the site, view the shortlist and vote for yourself here

Corona will recover at least one European beach each year, chosen by the voting public on the campaign website. You can also keep sending in video or photos of dirty beaches to the gallery for the 2010 clean-ups.

The project is committed to saving Europe’s beaches, a heritage that is rapidly disappearing. A recent study has been made which offers an analysis of the best and worst beaches in Europe which can be downloaded here.

Several marine eco-systems and coastline wildlife are endangered due to the deterioration they are suffering, most of the time by man’s hand. People are unaware of the 3 million tons of oil and garbage dumped into the oceans each year, most of them in the Northern Hemisphere, and the big environmental impact caused by the dramatic increase of man-made constructions close to the coastline.

The initiative is supported by Fee, the Foundation for Environmental Education which develops programmes like Blue Flag, the quality seal awarded each year to beaches and marinas meeting strict environmental criteria. Other supporters include Alexandra Cousteau, the legendary oceanographer’s granddaughter, and supermodel Bar Rafaeli.

Please participate if you can – either by voting on the video gallery of beaches or sending in your own endangered beaches. Voting is just one click – no need to register, so it only takes a minute. Thanks for your help!

Article by Mel Rodicq