Everybody will swim in the rivers the same day, at the same hour, in all the European rivers, from the sources and the glaciers to the oceans.
The Big Jump: Take the plunge!
Rivers are the irreplaceable arteries of Europe which move across all
boundaries, sustaining people, communities, businesses, and our
ecosystems.
This summer, hundreds of thousands of Europeans will
simultaneously jump into Europe's major rivers and lakes, all at the
same time on the same day, showing their support for protecting and
improving the health of Europe's water.
July 11th at 15.00h
For too long politicians have failed to live up to their promises on protecting Europe's waters. The Big
Jump is a huge, wet wake up call that people from all across Europe want their rivers and lakes back
in a clean, healthy state.
Wake up the politicians and make that splash!
Right now, many rivers and lakes are in a poor state due to pollution from unsustainable industrial
and agricultural activities and other human impacts. Important progress has been made in the last
decade, but there is still a clear need for increased action if Europe is to achieve the water targets
politicians committed themselves to (established in the EU's Water Framework Directive).
During this International Year of Biodiversity, the Big Jump is a huge opportunity to tell Europe's
leaders that they must take more action for supporting life in our waters – and that we to have more
clean river to jump into in five years time!
In 2005, 250,000 people from all corners of Europe took part in this action, and 2010 promises to be
an even bigger event. The 2010 Jump could trigger a huge European-wide water restoration effort, if
we make a big enough splash! Join us!
How to participate?
Associations, companies, municipalities, sports clubs & individuals are all welcome to celebrate and jump!
Check out our website for jumping sites in your region.
You can also organise and coordinate an event yourself, big or small, even with your family and friends. Jump
into a river or a lake, organise a temporary river beach, a debate or a party on the riverbank. Even if you can't
swim in the water, something can be done to highlight the problem.
Your event presents a great opportunity to show local problems and innovative local solutions for your country
and for Europe.
Interested? Please check our website, contact us and spread the word!
Information: infos_bigjump@ern.org, - www.bigjump.org (English, French & German)
Overall Coordination: European Rivers Network (ERN)
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Main Partners: European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
