| Deleted: | Added: <h3>"Atiduotuvės" ("Giving Shop")</h3><p>“Atiduotuvės” refers to an initiative, during which items are given away for free, serving as a way to reduce waste and promote reuse. This initiative, launched by the Kaunas Region Waste Management Center (Kauno RATC) in 2019, aims to encourage the recycling and repurposing of household goods. The first “Atiduotuvės” drop-off points were established at bulky-waste collection sites in Kaunas. Since its beginning, the initiative has expanded beyond bulky-waste drop-off areas. “Atiduotuvės” has also taken root directly within Kaunas communities through “Atiduotuvės Kiemas” (“Giving Yard”), where community members can exchange items they no longer need for those they do. People often donate a variety of items, including dishes, cutlery, books, children's toys, furniture, household appliances, photo frames – essentially anything found in a typical home. This service is entirely free of charge, allowing anyone to donate clean, reusable items and, conversely, take anything they find useful, also at no cost.<br />Click here for a list of “Atiduotuvės” drop-off point locations.</p><h3>MES DAROM</h3><p>“Mes darom” is a cleaning initiative dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues and bringing communities together to clean and restore the natural environment. This popular movement encourages people to clean lakes, forests, beaches, and nature reserves all across the country throughout the year.</p><h3>The Lithuanian Food Bank "Maisto Bankas"</h3><p>“Maisto Bankas” is a Lithuanian food bank that began its operations in Lithuania in 2001. Initially, it was part of the charity and support fund “Lietuvos ir JAV Iniciatyvos” (“Lithuania and U.S. Initiatives”), which launched the “Maisto Bankas” program in Lithuania’s larger cities. This initiative brought together hundreds of non-profit organizations and thousands of volunteers to collect food donations for those in need.</p><h3>The Final Four Sustainability Initiative</h3><p>During the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Euroleague Basketball launched two impactful sustainability initiatives focused on sustainable mobility, education, and raising awareness about emissions. These initiatives were developed through a collaboration between Euroleague Basketball and the Lithuanian app #walk15.</p><h4>Reforestation Campaign</h4><p>The first initiative was a reforestation campaign, setting a goal of planting 15,000 trees. It was estimated that this quantity of trees would absorb over 100 tons of CO2 annually. Additionally, the selected tree species support the needs of the local wildlife, enhancing biodiversity in Kaunas. To kickstart the campaign, Euroleague and its partner #walk15 successfully planted 10,000 trees in the Dubravos Forest.</p><h4>Walking Challenge</h4><p>The second initiative was a walking challenge held over the Final Four weekend, from May 18 to May 21. Participants took part both individually and in teams to walk the most steps over the weekend. The goal was to promote sustainable mobility by encouraging participants to walk and use public transportation, rather than driving a vehicle. The walking challenge also contributed to the planting of more trees. On May 21st, the first 5,735 trees from the Final Four Walking Challenge were planted during a community celebration named the “Final Four Steps Forest.” The initiative exceeded its expectations with 7,332 participants walking a total of 229,417,951 steps during the Final Four weekend. Needless to say, The Final Four Sustainability initiative was a great success. By utilizing Lithuania’s passion for basketball, Euroleague Basketball was able to successfully promote a more active and sustainable lifestyle and engage the public in a meaningful environmental initiative.</p><h3>Plogging in Kaunas</h3><p>While many community awareness initiatives are often limited to specific locations, one initiative has transcended its local origins to become a global movement – accessible to everyone, everywhere, and at any time.</p><p>In 2019, the Citadele Kaunas marathon thought up a creative solution to reduce the amount of litter left behind after the event by incorporating the plogging initiative into the marathon. After marathons and other major running events, cities are often left littered with single-use plastics and other trash. However, the organizers of the 2019 Citadele Kaunas marathon decided to change that. The day after the marathon, two groups of runners agreed to run 21 kilometres in total (around 10-11 kilometres per person) to collect any trash left behind after the event. This initiative not only resulted in cleaner streets but also inspired others. Following the success of the Kaunas plogging event, the organizers of the Danske Bank Vilnius marathon decided to launch a similar initiative. The “Eko bėgimas” (“Eco-run”) was a free running event, encouraging people to clean up the streets of Vilnius as they ran.</p> |
