Two people setting off on a mission
Ever thought of crossing a continent with nothing but a backpack?
Well, that’s exactly what I, Michaela Dolan – a Climate Pact Ambassador from Czechia – did with my husband! Our journey began with a simple idea: to clean up and raise awareness about waste and pollution.
Over the years, we’ve become increasingly worried about how litter is affecting our environment. Through our project Verdederos, we wanted to turn that concern into action and inspire others to do the same.
Along the way, we’ve teamed up with incredible, like-minded people to organise cleanups in 31 countries, worked alongside more than 2,000 volunteers and picked up over 18,000 kg of litter.
Teaming up with Climate Pact Ambassadors to make a bigger impact
In summer 2025, we organised a 50-day hitchhiking trip across 12 countries in Europe called ‘Hitch for Change’. Our mission? To organise a cleanup in every capital city.
We started out with no team or budget. Just backpacks, plenty of motivation and the belief that others would join in.
And they did! In each country, we reached out to locals and found people willing to help clean beaches, streets and forests.
Many of these volunteers were proud members of the Climate Pact community:
- In Denmark, we worked with Pact Ambassador Nicolae.
- In Luxembourg we cleaned with César, Pact Ambassador and founder of Clean Something For Nothing.
- In Estonia, we teamed up with Pact Ambassador Katarina.
We met many other inspiring people along the way, too.
In Finland, we joined Roskapäivä, a cleanup initiative led by Finnish environmentalist Eino.
In Lithuania, we partnered with Mes Darom, the national cleanup campaign.
In the Netherlands, we joined Waye of Life, an ‘eco-runner’ who was picking litter while running across the country in a banana suit (yes, you read that right!).
In Sweden, the running continued as we went ‘plogging’ (litter-picking while jogging) with Erik Ahlström, founder of the Plogging movement.
“When these efforts come together, they become even more powerful.”
Every stop reminded us that amazing things are already happening – and that when these efforts come together, they become even more powerful.
Lessons learned along the way
During Hitch for Change, travelling sustainably meant relying on strangers for rides, adapting our plans and often carrying all our belongings on our backs.
Some cleanups were small, others brought together dozens of people. But what mattered wasn’t the distance we covered or the size of each event – it was the sense of shared purpose.
We saw beaches, streets and forests that looked spotless at first glance, but then filled our bags within an hour. We saw people noticing the problem for the first time and deciding to act. And we saw hope: proof that once people recognise the issue, they want to help.
Looking back, a few lessons stand out:
- Small actions really do connect across borders and inspire others.
- Local initiatives are powerful, and when they are made more visible, their impact grows.
- And perhaps the most important lesson of all: climate action doesn’t have to be perfect – it just has to start.
This is the kind of climate action we want to represent: accessible, imperfect, human.
“Wherever we go, one thing is clear: every bottle picked up, every young person inspired, every local connection made – it all counts.”
Making a difference with each small step
Our journey has taken us to every corner of two continents – in addition to Europe, we have also travelled and organised cleanups across Latin America. It has been a truly amazing experience.
Verdederos isn’t just a travel project, it’s an act of solidarity. We believe that our choices – how we travel, what we consume, how we act – all make a difference. The project has shown that across languages and borders, we are facing the same issue and can support one another to tackle it.
Wherever we go, one thing is clear: every bottle picked up, every young person inspired, every local connection made – it all counts.
While we’ve been lucky to combine our passion for travel with climate action, you don’t need to cross continents to make a difference.
Whether it’s picking up litter in your neighbourhood, joining a local cleanup group, or inspiring others to care for their surroundings, every action adds up.
With passion, persistence and teamwork, anyone can make an impact.