Kayaking for a Cleaner City – Move4Nature Activity in Leipzig

As part of ENGSO’s Move4Nature project, I organized a special activity last week together with women from our community sports group: going kayaking while collecting trash from  the rivers. 

Leipzig, often called “Little Venice” thanks to its vast network of canals and rivers – even  surpassing Venice in the number of bridges and footbridges – is the perfect place for this  kind of initiative. The city has adopted the Danish concept of Green Kayaks: you can rent a green kayak for free, as long as you commit to picking up waste from the water during your trip. It’s a low-threshold, intergenerational and socially-minded project, made possible  thanks to local boat rentals that provide their infrastructure free of charge. 

And the impact is remarkable: since the start of the project last year, more than two tons of waste have already been collected from Leipzig’s waters – ranging from plastic bags and  bottles to metal parts and even entire carpets. We were astonished by what we found  during our tour, but proud to contribute with two full loads of trash that helped make our  rivers a little cleaner. At the same time, it was a great sporting challenge and left us all with a well-deserved muscle ache the next day. 

Beyond the environmental aspect, the activity turned into a true team-building experience.  Paddling together, laughing, and sharing the sense of purpose created a unique energy  that strengthened our community spirit. 

One thing is clear: we will definitely do this again. This project is a perfect example of how  sport, community and sustainability can go hand in hand – and how, together, we can make a tangible difference for our city.