Alina Oprea • 24 August, 2023 at 5:20 PM
OTP Bank Romania invited the audience from the Anonimul International Independent Film Festival to an action to green the Danube River, under the slogan "We want a Delta like in the movies". Thus, during the 20th edition of the festival, OTP Bank challenged moviegoers to a day of doing good for the environment, by promoting responsible behavior towards waste collection and knowledge of the area's biodiversity, but also to explore the idyllic beauty of the landscape. The experience was organized the other day in partnership with the festival team and with the support of the Plastic Free Water Association.
The results of the action "We want a Delta like in the movies" were noted by a large amount of plastic collected, over 400 kilograms, representing 28 bags, in a short time of only 3 hours. The entire amount of waste is to be recycled.
The action took place in an area of 2 kilometers, in the perimeter of the commune of Sfântu Gheorghe, and participation was free.
In addition to the greening objective, the action also has an educational and awareness component, being an opportunity to bring to the attention of the public at the festival, the importance of protecting the Danube Delta from the effects of plastic pollution. So, the volunteering action was documented through a video, which was projected to the attention of an audience of over 4,000 moviegoers, even on the evening of the closing gala of the festival.
"We have seen our much-loved Delta polluted with PETs, which we know how much endangers the biosphere. It is sad to see that these layers of plastic are forming among protected plants and species. However, I am very happy that we had the opportunity to document this idyllic area for a few hours, and together with the 30 volunteers we managed to capture over 400 kg of floating PETs from the river, but also from its edge. It's an example that we want as many people from the commune as possible, but also those who visit the nature reserve, to follow, because that's the only way we'll be able to have a cleaner Delta," said Mihaela Duică, PR Manager of OTP Bank Romania.
"Much of what we do at the festival is due to this area, the place where we are. And then it is absolutely normal for us to be the first to want this area to be taken care of, protected, to take care of it in a concrete way" added Miruna Berescu, Director of the Anonimul Festival.
OTP Bank has initiated and supported the last two years' internal and external projects that emphasize ecological education and has also chosen to act both by cleaning up plastic and by environmental revitalization actions, offering customers thousands of plantable papers.
The action was organized with the support of the ”Ape fără Plastic” Association, which provided all the intervention equipment on the Danube.
"After almost 5 years of Ape fără Plastic, hundreds of volunteers present at our actions, examples of good practice shared all over the country and many, many tons of waste removed from the Jiu River, I remain with the conviction with which I set out: the more effective actions (of a corrective type like the one in the Delta) are those carried out on the tributaries of the Danube. Otherwise, I welcome and praise any action like the one organized by our partners from OTP Bank", said the President of the Plastic Free Water Association.