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Global
Environmental Health Coalition asks
Governments and Citizens to Reject Incineration
and
Adopt Zero Waste |
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21
April 2004, Kovalam, Trivandrum.
On the eve of Earth Day 2004, Thanal,
a voluntary organization working on waste
and issues of toxics in Kerala, joined
the global environmental health coalition,
GAIA and launched a report that promises
a sustainable remedy to the rising waste
problems in developing countries.
The
report “Resources up in Flames:
The Economic Pitfalls of Incineration
versus a Zero Waste Approach in the Global
South” was released by the Global
Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
(GAIA), who challenged policy makers to
stop spending money for installing
incinerators and other waste burning machines
and redirect the funds into waste prevention
and reduction and zero waste systems.
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Releasing
the report at a “Children
for a Toxic Free World” workshop
being held at the Zero Waste Centre
in Azhakulam, Kovalam, Shibu K Nair,
the Coordinator of the Zero Waste
Kovalam Project said that “The
Zero Waste Kovalam will be one of
the models, where we have shown
that sustainable benefits to the
community by way of better jobs
and cleaner environment can be ensured
by adopting a Zero Waste approach.”
He reminded the Children gathered
there that “This is also a
model where the Government, Policy
makers, Public, Business groups
and Local Panchayath has come together
to play a pro-active role to stop
incinerators from harming the public.”
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Aisharaya
the youngest member of the “children
for a toxic free world “ camp
organized by Zero Waste Centre,
Kovalam releasing the copy of the
Resource up in the Flame report
by ILSR at Kovalam beach on 21 April
2004 by giving the same to Abhilash
senior participant.
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On
this occasion Ann Leonard, GAIA Co-Coordinator
in Manila said that “Incineration
encourages a one-way flow of materials
on a finite planet. It makes the task
of conserving resources and reducing waste
more difficult, not easier. Policy makers
and citizens need to work together to
advance sustainable community-based solutions,
without incineration.”
Across
the world, today GAIA member organizations
are organizing various programmes for
releasing this report to create awareness
among people about the dangers of incineration
and to warn the Governments against incineration.
The
Zero Waste Kovalam Project was a culmination
of an anti- incineration campaign launched
in Kerala by Thanal, Greenpeace, Equations
and GAIA against the incinerator proposal
at Kovalam. Now initiatives and efforts
are on at Kovalam to take it to a zero
waste destination.
For details contact : Shibu K Nair, Thanal
Ph: 0471-2727150, 98472-46681
Thanal
is a Public Interest Research, Advocacy,
Education and Action Trust working
on Environmental Justice and Health. For
more information www.thanal.org.
Zero Waste Kovalam Project is an on-going
multi-stakeholder program led by Kerala
Tourism, Thanal Greenpeace, GAIA (Global
Alliance for Incineration Alternatives),
KHRA (Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association)
- Kovalam Unit, and Local Self
Governments.
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