The Voice of the Scheldt
Our dedication to the clean-ups and Convenant Schone Schelde (Covenant Clean Scheldt) has led this project grow into something much bigger. Beyond doing clean-ups, we now engage with municipalities and businesses to advocate for the Scheldt's future. Inspired by a previous lecturer of water management (Liliane Geerling), who organised a summit on the Rights of the Scheldt, we also participate in the Scheldt Youth Parliament, empowering young voices from France, Belgium, and the Netherlands to take action.
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But all of this came together into the Scheldt Walk by the Foundation Drinkable Rivers - a hike from the source of the Scheldt, in France, to the delta, Vlissingen. The goal? Mobilising communities, connecting upstream and downstream voices, and making decision-makers listen. Words aren't enough - we're taking steps, literally!
Rights for the Scheldt
The Scheldt is one of Europe's most polluted rivers, with industrial expansion threatening its future. A petition is underway to grant the river legal rights, ensuring water quality is a prioirity in urban planning.
🖊 Sign the petition: Give the Scheldt a Voice
But we want to go further - our vision is for every local authority to have a representative who speaks for the Scheldt when environmental decisions are made.
Drinkable Scheldt Hike
Drinkable Rivers is a foundation that has a similar goal to the Rights for the Scheldt petition but a completely different approach. The concept is to walk along a river from source to delta, and talk to locals about what the river means to them, and encourage them to become active in improving water quality of their river.
Well, the Scheldt is up next! From April 21 to May 23, 2025, Drinkable Rivers will lead a hike from the Scheldt's source, France, to its delta, Vlissingen. The Green Office has two excursions lined up with the Scheldt Youth Parliament and both Ingrid and Jan will walk the route between Antwerp and Vlissingen. See the "tour dates" and sign up here: Drinkable Rivers Scheldt Walk 2025
Ways to join:
- Host hikers in your area
- Organize an activity or lunch
- Hike for a day, a weekend, or the full journey!
Scheldt Youth Parliament
As a local youth participation hub for sustainability, the Green Office has been collaborating with the Scheldt Youth Parliament (SYP) for several years already. From the Excursion to Ghent, to the Exchange trip to Croatia, visiting the Sava Youth Parliament for a week in April of 2023, to hosting the SYP right here in Zeeland for a weekend in January of 2024. And we will be back together in Valenciennes in late April and in Ghent in early May!
Led by Good Planet Belgium, the Scheldt Youth Parliament (SYP) unites young changemakers from France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Through policy discussions, excursions, and international exchanges, they advocate for better water quality in the Scheldt.
💡 Interested? Join SYP here
Together, let’s give the Scheldt a voice! Can you hear it?
Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals
Through our water activities, we are actively contributing to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
