During the past three weeks of the revolution, hundreds and even thousands of Lebanese citizens coming from different age groups and backgrounds came together to clean the streets every morning before the first chant is even heard.
While many Lebanese begin their day with protesting and closing roads, Peter Mouracade, founder of Beirut Marathon NGO, begins his day holding a bag on his back and wearing gloves in his hands. When asked about the motive that drove him to start cleaning, Mouracade’s answer would be really simple: «We aim for a civilized revolution». «I turned on the TV the night of the revolution, and after I saw the damage that has happened, I couldn’t sleep,» Mouracade said. «The next morning, I woke up and went down to the Martyrs’ Square, and I started cleaning,» he added.
The initiative has started with around 10 people only on the second day of the revolution. From 10 people to 100, it has reached more than 1000 people cleaning the streets every single morning. As the revolution grew by the day, the cleanup initiatives have also developed to be more organized. It expanded to a group called «muwatin lebnene» which translates in English into «Lebanese citizen». The group identifies the initiative simply as a «collective action of individual Lebanese citizens driven by civic duty and social responsibility». And as randomly and spontaneously as it started in Beirut, it has spread to other Lebanese cities and grew exponentially over social media.
Each day the volunteers would start cleaning in the morning and the collected trash would be sorted and recycled at the end of the day in collaboration with NGOs such as Arcenciel, Recycle Lebanon...
In only 10 days, 10.3 tons of trash were sorted, only 10% of trucks were sent to Landfills, 5000 volunteers came together, and half a million cigarette butts were collected to be turned into paddleboards.
The cleanup initiatives, during this revolution, have provided an opportunity for the demonstrators to feel more active as citizens and have reinforced their civic engagement in their country. Not only that- it has also raised awareness among the Lebanese about recycling and sorting. In fact, it has become noticeable that the Lebanese attitudes, in general, have become more eco-friendly over the years and that has been proven to be right in today’s revolution, according to Mouracade.
«People have become more aware of the importance of living in a clean environment,» Mouracade said. «This initiative will stay ongoing and I believe we were able to set a good example for the government and not wait for the government to do so.»
Not only have the youth and grownups been involved in this initiative, but children have also been taking part in the cleanups.
Lina Daouk-Öyry, an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the American University of Beirut, believes that engaging the children and parents in such initiatives is also as vital.
«We should expose the children to such activities at an early age. It's our duty to encourage them to be part of the revolution in a positive way through recycling and other civic activities because at the end of the day, this revolution is for their future,» Daouk-Öyry said.
Teaching children to care for the environment is an ongoing learning process that needs to start at an early age. This has pushed Daouk-Öyry to encourage some parents to take their children to the streets and start cleaning and recycling.
Maya Abouchalbak, a mother of two young girls, also stressed the importance of involving her daughters in cleanup initiatives because it encourages them to get used to such principles at an early age and provides them with a chance to develop their citizenship skills and civic engagement. In fact, according to the national scientific council on the developing child, implementing citizenship principles in children at a young age is like an investment in the future generation because children are the foundation of a sustainable community.
«They shouldn’t be afraid of the revolution. Instead, they should learn how to add a positive contribution to it,» Daouk-Öyry added.
If the Lebanese citizens have been described as «peaceful» and «civilized» after this revolution, they have proven to be «eco-friendly» as well.
«I think this revolution has shown, not only to Lebanon but also to the world, that we know how to revolt in a very civilized manner,» said Hanin Haidar Ahmad, one of the young protesters who have been part of the cleaning initiatives since day one.