EU “Generation Awake” Campaign Says Stop Wasting Waste!

The latest phase of the European Commission’s “Generation Awake” campaign focuses on the environmental, economic, social and personal consequences of using resources unsustainably.

The campaign launched in October 2011 and targets 25-to 40-year-olds with a special focus on young urban adults and families with small children. It is translated in all EU languages.

Generation Awake aims to make consumers aware of the consequences their consumption patterns have on natural resources, illustrating the benefits if they choose to act differently. It centers round a fully interactive website available in all 24 official EU languages, where cartoon characters show the environmental impact of everyday purchasing decisions.

English

Greek

Despite EU-wide recycling targets and successes in certain areas, Europe’s waste is still a hugely under-used resource. A study prepared for the Commission estimates that full implementation of EU waste legislation would save EUR 72 billion a year, increase the annual turnover of the EU waste management and recycling sector by EUR 42 billion, and create over 400 000 new jobs by 2020.

The Generation Awake website invites visitors to discover the value of waste, showing how it can be reused, recycled, exchanged and repaired rather than being thrown away. A related Facebook page invites citizens to take up challenges like reducing food waste and cutting water use.

Anyone can join in, and everyone is encouraged to spread the message: waste which cannot be avoided can become a valuable resource, and saving resources means saving money.

Photo competition

This new phase of the campaign includes a photo competition for suggestions on turning rubbish into a resource. The winner will be awarded a trip to Copenhagen, the European Green Capital 2014!

For more information, check out the campaign multilingual website: www.generationawake.eu or the campaign’s Facebook page.