On Thursday, September 24, 2009, with support from U.S. Embassy Belgrade, over 50 alumni of the State Department’s exchange programs gathered near the Museum of Contemporary Arts at 11 a.m. to clean the bank of the Danube.

This cleanup is a part of a wider alumni initiative with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of environmental issues and promoting youth activism. To date, high-school alumni have organized similar activities in Subotica, Loznica, Aleksinac, and Nis. Alumni from throughout Serbia will gather in Belgrade to clean up the bank of the Danube, with the support from “Gradsko zelenilo”, “Hyatt Regency Belgrade”, NGO “Fraktal,” and American Councils for International Education.

Another part of this initiative is a press conference which will be held on September 25, 2009, at hotel “Hyatt Regency”. During this conference, alumni will announce the results of completed activities across Serbia.

The U.S. Embassy in Serbia is fully committed to supporting the protection of the environment and is looking forward to similar activities in the future.