Employees from the British Consulate in Marseille and from Crystal Ski Holidays joined forces once again this year to help local volunteers to clean up France’s longest glacier, the Mer de Glace in the Mont Blanc Massif, France. The glacier forms a large part of the world’s longest lift-served off-piste ski run, the Valley Blanche.
The annual clean up operation, which took place last Friday, has been run since 2008, organised by the town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc , the French Alpine Club, Lafuma and other mountain-based organisations.
It calls on large numbers of volunteers who, to date, have picked up 18 tons of rubbish left by 500 000 visitors as well as waste from abandoned bivouacs, cables and ski lifts that reappears decades later as the glacier ice melts.
Michèle Solari, Vice Consul at the British Consulate in Marseille said: “The British Consulate in Marseille works closely with Crystal Holidays and other partners, as well as the French authorities, to ensure that our many British visitors to the Alps remain safe through our #skisafe campaign. It is also a perfect way of raising awareness of the importance of protecting the environment.”
Nial Mclean, General Manager for Crystal Ski Holidays France, Switzerland and Andorra, said: “We work hard to provide high quality holidays that cause minimal environmental impact, respect the culture and people of the destinations and offer real economic benefit to local communities. For us, sustainable tourism is not just an idea, it’s fundamental.“
