Algerians are cleaning up their cities better thanks to initiatives on Facebook

Algerians are using social media sites to encourage their fellow citizens to make Algeria greener and to take better care of the environment around them.

Used actively in cities like Annaba, Skikda , Oran and the capital Algiers, Facebook has been instrumental in discussions on environmental education and making citizens more conscience of better preserving their country.

Interaction on social networks has allowed for community efforts to create initiatives to protect forests, woodlands and green spaces and mobilise social groups to take part in reforestation efforts and clean-up campaigns.

Djamel, a young volunteer from Oran, who spoke to Algerie Presse Service (APS), believes that the increase in environmental culture on social networking sites is “very important and profitable” where awareness can be raised quickly and at any time.

“This virtual procedure makes it possible to reach women at large-scale households through their children [who use the sites] in raising awareness to behave better towards the community,” another volunteer explained, who called for companies to open social media pages to better inform and educate citizens on rubbish collection times amongst other things.

Community groups on Facebook use their pages to discuss steps to improve the condition of the environment which are often positively received by members in a “constructive way”. Topics often raised include bettering the image of the city and discussing measures against the large-scale dumping of garbage and landfill areas affecting a number of protected natural sites.

The Facebook page “The Green Network – Oran” welcomed more than 100,000 visitors in one week and is devoted to the preservation of the environment and bringing together more than 50 active associations and groups of volunteers in the field as well as members of civil society to better preserve nature and keep the city clean.

Thanks to the group and its steps to raise awareness about the natural sites in Oran, several families have been motivated to explore the previously unknown natural reserves and communes.

The page has been established as a showcase for the Green Network’s activities in the area of forest protection, particularly against fire, and has noted the number of fires that have decreased significantly since last year as a result compared to previous years thanks to efforts of popularising environmental education in the community.