Amidst the environmental crises, here is an organization taking simple, yet effective actions: Enjoy Cleaning Up is a nonprofit bringing the common experience of dog walking to an opportunity for environmental activism. Founded by Alex van Eck and his faithful Chocolate Labrador Joy more than three years ago in the Netherlands, the initiative has transformed into a worldwide movement boasting over 70,000 followers and about 500 ambassadors in 12 countries. Here's how Alex and Joy have emerged as sustainability champions, inspiring others to move toward them.

From Diving to Cleanup: Founding Enjoy Cleaning Up

Enjoy Cleaning Up was inspired by Alex's 2016 dive expedition in Curaçao, where he was shocked by the litter on the shores. Moved to make a difference, he founded Enjoy Cleaning Up and enlisted his retriever, Joy, who was trained to sniff and fetch rubbish. "Joy was absolutely perfect to tell the story I wanted to tell: one about positively conserving the environment," Alex said. They launched an Instagram account to share their cleaning activities, quickly gaining followers to promote their initiative.

One Piece at a Time

Simple Clean Up is a nonprofit that believes waste removal and cleaning are fun and inclusive processes for all. Thus, draw dog owners to pick up an item of litter on their walk: An action that can significantly create differences across the world. Just in the Netherlands alone, there are over two million dogs that are walked every day. If then, under an average normal situation for each dog owner, there would be eight million pieces of litter collected over a day.

"It's about integrating cleaning up in the everyday routine," Alex mentions. "We want to make it easy for everyone to pitch in, and once you see the outcome, it's intrinsically motivating."

Nostalgic Impressions and Ushering Change         

Meeting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was among the earliest memorable events in Alex's life, where the impact of dog-led cleanup would be communicated as a signature campaign. Perhaps the most satisfying though was this episode in which he and Joy found some kids tossing litter. Instead of throwing fuel on the fire by confronting them, Alex let Joy handle it. As she brought it to him, they started asking about it, and it led to an impromptu cleanup to transform a negative situation into a chance for learning.

"Moments like those are the ones that showcase how amazing a message can be," Alex says. "Even one interaction can make or break people perceptions regarding littering."

Vision for Tomorrow

In fact, broke all of the records for the largest number of dogs trained to clean litter in an annual event this - year. Enjoy Cleaning Up is slated for an even better effect. In a partnership with Pets Place, the organization will continue its outreach and inspire more people to join.

Starting with the simple advice on change "you just start tidying. Pick up each piece matters." For the world, filled with issues, Enjoy Cleaning Up then stands as a shining example of small, continuous actions makes a massive positive change in the environment. The future certainly looks a lot brighter and cleaner for everyone with Alex and Joy and their growing community leading the charge.

About the Leader

Alex van Eck, Founder of Enjoy Cleaning Up, is a happy owner of three dogs, and his entire family—the dogs included—are contributing to the expansion of Enjoy Cleaning Up. Currently, the organization has 500 global ambassadors and 25 volunteers. Alex has two sons and is married.

“Just get the cleaning done. Even if it might not be your garbage, this is still your world. Each time you pick up a piece, you may be positive that no animal is harmed or killed as a result. Therefore, each piece of trash you remove matters.”