Hidden European Values in Kleisti – A Forest Clean‑up Flash Action

Kleisti is home to the largest forest in Riga, though few people know it was planted over 50 years by forest ranger and rescuer of Jews, Pēteris Kupšis (1906–1999).

On Europe Day (9 May), the European Climate Pact in Latvia, together with Pact Ambassadors Mārtiņš Eņģelis and Agita Baltbārde, will highlight his legacy as a symbol of European environmental and social values through a forest clean-up and community picnic in Kleisti.

Participants will meet at 10:00 at the memorial stone to Pēteris Kupšis on Apakšgrāvja Street, before walking through the forest to collect litter while hearing stories about his life and the development of the area.

After the walk, a ‘resource archaeology’ activity will explore what can be sorted and recycled from the collected items, and how they may have ended up in the forest. The event will conclude with an environmentally friendly picnic.