| |
  |
|
|
China.
Greenpeace China, one of
the groups, staged a protest
against incineration in
Asia during the opening
ceremony of the Conference
of the International Cooperation
for Tourism Development
Under A New Paradigm “Revitalising
Asian Tourism” being
taken place in the Hong
Kong Convention and Exhibition
Centre.
Kevin
May, Greenpeace Toxics campaigner,
displayed a yellow banner
with black ink reading “ban
the burn”, voicing
out slogan “no incineration”
in front of Tung Chee Hwa,
Chief Executive of Hong
Kong SAR Government, one
of the guests of honour
of the opening ceremony.
After voicing out slogan
“support tourism,
no incineration”,
May was escorted by the
guards to walk out. Meanwhile
May delivered an open letter
to a representative that
was sent out by the organiser
of the Conference. After
thorough explanation to
the police on the purpose
of the action for about
20 minutes, May was requested
to leave the Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre. read
press release>
|
Greenpeace
China Toxics Campaigner Kevin
May is being escorted by the
policemen after displaying
a BAN the BURN banner.
|
|
| |
India.
A very successful meeting
was held yesterday at Kolkata
as notified earlier. DISHA
organised the meeting in association
with the West Bengal Municipal
Association. Eighteen municipalities,
West Bengal Municipal Sanitary
Inspectors' Association, nodal
officers from the departments
of health and environment,
Kolkata Metropolitan Development
Authority, many NGOs (31 organisations)
and concerned individuals
participated.
DISHA published a booklet
"Towards A Zero Waste
Society" on the occasion.
The booklet carried a number
of articles projecting the
vision of "Zero Waste
Society" together with
the synopsys of Neil Tangri's
exposition "Waste Incineration:
A Dying Technology" and
the list of international
bans and moratoria on incineration.
For more information, please
e-mail Sasanka
Dev. |
| |
|
Community
members join the training
on Zero Waste by Thanal.
|
India.Thanal
Conservation Action &
Information Network,
started a training programme
for local community members
in Kovalam in coconut shell
products, which are meant
to replace many of the toxic
and unsustainable materials
like plastics from the consumer
market and waste stream.
The training programme is
being organized at the Zero
Waste Centre at Kovalam,
as part of the Zero Waste
Kovalam project. In this
occasion, the Zero Waste
Centre released a charter
of “Vision Zero Waste”
and called on Corporations,
Municipalities and Panchayaths
in the State to sign on
to the charter and start
taking action against wrong
waste disposal and management
practices like incineration
and start moving towards
“Zero Waste”.
read
press release>
|
Israel.
Greenpeace held a Press
Conference to announce a
new coalition in the campaign
against incinerators, uniting
health experts, chemical
engineers, residents of
regions where waste incinerators
exist, or are in the planning,
and public officials, under
a banner with the words
"BAN THE BURN".
MP Dr Leah Ness, Head of
the sub- Council for Environmental
Hazards, received the Greenpeace
report at the conference,
and promised to act on the
parliamentary level to abolish
the incineration phenomenon
in Israel. MP Yuri Stern,
Chair of the Interior and
Environment Committee in
the Knesset, sent a letter
which was read out in the
conference, stating: "We
must not follow old technologies
such as waste incineration.
We must take the best and
most effective route that
is material recycling and
prevention of environmental
pollution."
read
press release>
|
"I quite like my DNA
as it is, thank you, without
dioxin." |
Dioxin
effects are most commonly
witnessed in children, teenagers
and also the developing fetus.
|
 |
Lebanon.
Nine Greenpeace 'Mothers'
teamed up with eight female
activists and flocked to the
lobby of the Ministry of Environment
to deliver a letter to the
Minister, Mr. Fares Boueiz,
urging him to adopt a national
strategy for solid waste management
that bans incineration. The
activists, representing pregnant
women - the mothers of the
future - voiced their concerns
along with today's mothers
about the threats posed by
the toxic incinerators on
their babies and neighborhoods.
The activists wore T-shirts
carrying the message "Mothers
Against Incineration"
while two of them lifted a
banner saying "Ban the
Burn".
"Lebanese
mothers and Greenpeace are
here today as part of a
global cry to ban the polluting
incinerators which have
a direct toxic impact on
mothers and their children"
said Wael Hmaidan, Greenpeace
Mediterranean campaigner
in Lebanon. read
press release>
|
|
| |
Activists
holding wooden skull clackers
assemble at the DENR on
14 July 2003 to warn against
the health hazards associated
with the burning of waste.
Photo by Jimmy Domingo/GAIA
|
Philippines.
Citizens' groups from the
Ecological Waste Coalition
organized a creative protest
action infront of the Environmental
Department to demand immediate
suspension of clearances
issued to incinerator projects
disguised as pyrolysis systems.
The
Coalition urged the Environment
Department to disallow the
use of pyrolysis as a substitute
technology for treating
health care waste because
it is essentially incineration
by another name, giving
rise to the same set of
problems associated with
waste burning. Under the
Clean Air Act, incinerators
for biomedical waste are
to be phased out by 17 July
2003 and replaced with non-burn
technologies.
The group was met by Under
Secretary Rolando Metin
on behalf of the Environment
Secretary. A copy of Waste
Incineration: A Dying Technology
was handed over to Usec
Metin as reminder to the
Department that they should
uphold people's right to
a clean and healthy environment,
free of toxic emissions.
read press release>
|
|
Nepal.
Pro Public GDA at Kathmandu Nepal
conducted a workshop which was
widely participated by government
agencies, local bodies, journalist,
doctors, academia, professional
working on medical waste management
issues, communtities, NGO, INGO
and medical colleges students.
The workshop started with site
visit at TEKU transfer Station
where the new incinerator was
placed but due to increased awareness
raised by PRO PUBLIC under HCWH
small grant Educational ,awareness
and campaign program , people
is not let them put fire on it.
The program is followed by Technical
panel session where five paper
have been presented covering current
situation of Medical Waste Management,
Situational analysis of present
practices, impact of medical waste
on public health and environment,
Available alternative technologies
for medical waste management,
and legal provision of medical
waste management were presented
and widely discussed. The paper
presented respectively by: Mr
Ram Charitra Sah, Staff Scientist
(PRO PUBLIC), Mr Jaindra Bhatt
( Eng. GTZ), Prof.Dr. Mangla Manandhar
( Central Department of Chemistry),
Dr Susil Koirala ( Executive Director
of National Dental Hospital),
and Mr Laxman Mainali ( Deputy
Secretary , Ministry of Population
and Environment). For more information,
please e-mail Ram
C. Sah.
|
|
| |
South
Korea.
The Korea Waste Movement Network
(KWMN), composed of over 270 groups,
joined the global launch of the
GAIA Report on waste incineration,
the summary of which has been
translated into Korean, posted
to the website and distributed
to 32 citizens' organizations
working on landfill and incinerator
issues. On 14 July 2003, the KWMN
submitted a memorandum asking
the government to ratify the Stockholm
Convention of POPs. Together with
the citizens' organization monitoring
the Mapo Gu, Gang-nam Gu incinerator,
the KWMN had cultural performance
in Seoul which served as a venue
to campaign on sustainable waste
management system. On 11 July
2003, the Busan chapter of the
Korean Federation of Environmental
Movement and the association of
citizens residing near the incineration
facility organized a program and
on the 12th concerned citizens
had a protest action near the
incinerator of the Jung-sun council
in Gang-won-do. For more information,
please e-mail KWMN.
|
|
|
| |
| PLANNED
EVENTS |
|
| Australia.
The National Toxics Network
will take part in the global release
of the GAIA waste incineration report.
|
 |
| |
Cambodia.
The Community Sanitation and
Recycling Organization is
organizing a workshop on People
and the Environment, which is
expected to draw some 500 people
from communities and NGOs. As
a pre-election event, all 23 political
parties will be invited and asked
to support the people's agenda
for environmental protection in
the country. The NGO Forum on
Cambodia is also part of this
initiative
The
Cambodian Center for Study and
Development in Agriculture, an
NGO that focuses on ecological
agriculture and use reduction
of agrochemicals, also supports
the Global Day of Action. |
| |
| China.
Greenpeace China plans to
organize a protest against incineration
in conjunction with an international
conference on tourism in Asia that
will take place in Hong Kong on
14-15 July 2003. A letter demanding
an Asia without incinerators will
be submitted to the organizers. |
| |
| India.
DISHA will hold a meeting
in Kolkata, West Bengal on the theme
"Towards A Zero Waste Society,"
together with local authorities.
The meeting will discuss practical
aspects of scientific and eco-friendly
waste management system in the local
context. Stakeholders, organisations,
peoples' representatives, academicians
and professionals will take part
in the discussion. The GAIA report
on waste incineration will also
be released at this meeting. |
|
|
India.
Pasumai
Thaayagam (Green Motherland)
will organize an awareness campaign
on zero waste in schools in Tamil
Nadu. A protest action is being
planed against the EDL "waste-to-energy"
incinerator project in Chennai.
Also, the group will initiate
"fax action" on 14 July
2003 to the Ministry of Environment
to demand to the Government to
accelerate steps towards the ratification
of the Stockholm Convention on
POPs. Concerned citizens and groups
as well as members of the Tamil
Nadu legislative assembly and
members of the Parliament will
participate in the fax action.
India.
Thanal
will take part in the release
of the GAIA waste incineration
report the summary of which is
being translated into Malayalam.
Jayakumar C. will be in Geneva
to lobby delegates at the INC7
of the Stockholm Convention on
POPs.
India.
Toxics
Link
will send out a press release
in the Indian cities like Chennai,
Bhopal, Kanpur, Jaipur and Allahabad
using 7th INC on the Stockholm
Convention on POPs as an occasion.
Letters will be sent to newspaper
editors and concerned government
secretaries and ministers. A press
meet is being planned to launch
the GAIA Report "Waste Incineration:
A Dying Technology" at a
Press Meet. Toxics Link offices
in Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai are
participating in the GDA.
India.
Poovulagin
Nanbargal has translated into
Tamil the Summary of the GAIA
Report.
India.
Chintan
Environmental Research and Action
Group, Citizen, Consumer and Civic
Action Group, Consumer Research
and Education Centre, Exnora International,
Help Organization for People,
Environment and Society, Sristhi
and the Tamil Nadu Environment
Council are taking part in
the GDA 2003.
|
| |
|
|
Indonesia.
JALAN Sampah-Garbage Network
or GarbaNet, a network of
30 NGOs and CBOs from 25 cities,
will release the GAIA Report in
Bahasa Indonesia and issue a statement
containing their comments and
recommendations on the National
Solid Waste Management bill that
is being drafted by the Ministry
of Environment. GarbaNet, among
other issues, will oppose the
inclusion of incineration in the
bill. Bali Fokus, a GAIA member,
is coordinating the Network.
Apart from
GarbaNet, Gita Pertiwi,
an NGO promoting the concept of
"Green City" through
recycling, composting and sustainable
agriculture, will also participate
in the GDA.
Iran.
The Green Front of Iran
is publishing a special issue
of Solhe Sabz Magazine on waste
incineration. The environmental
NGO is also planning a stakeholders'
roundtable on waste management
in Tehran City and an activity
on recycling with women of Niloofar
Square, also in the capital city.
The
Sustainable Agriculture and
Environment for Iran is likewise
supporting the GDA 2003 and its
purpose. |
| |
Israel.
Greenpeace
Israel will launch the GAIA Report
"Waste Incineration: A Dying
Technology" via a press conference.
The local Greenpeace has prepared
the Hebrew translation of the
report summary.
Japan.
Non-Incineration Citizens
led by Setsuko Yamamoto is organizing
a lobby action in Tokyo. A protest
letter against Japan's incineration
policy, which includes export
of this technology to neighboring
countries, will be submitted to
Environment Minister Suzuki.
The
Environmental Research
Institute Tokyo and Greenpeace
Japan will hold a Zero
Waste Seminar on 12 July 2003
in Ikebukuro, Tokyo with Paul
Connett as keynote speaker. The
seminar will explore the possiblity
of a Zero Waste Policy in Japan
by presenting leading examples
from Canada, Australia and New
Zealand. Also the seminar will
present the findings of a research
showing the degree of the dioxin
contamination caused by waste
incinerators around Tokyo.
The
Surfriders Foundation
Japan (SFJ) will hold
a meeting on water pollution monitoring
investigation using Blue Mussels
on 12 and 13 July 2003. This is
the first nationwide citizen participatory
water quality monitoring investigation
of the major coasts of Japan using
Mussels, to be carried out in
collaboration with NGOs like SFJ,
a local university and a private
research institute for sampling
and analysis. The groundbreaking
initiative will probe on the impacts
of waste incineration and disposal
to the contamination of the sea.
It will also determine how chemical
detergents used at homes and oil
discharge from ships and industries
along the coastal affect the sea
water and marine life. On the
13th, participants will report
back and discuss the possibility
of developing citizen activity
based on the results of the investigation,
to stop garbage incineration and
promote true resource recycling
and protect the ocean environment.
Greenpeace
Japan will have a tour
of leading recycling communities,
six of them, in Japan with Paul
Connett for a week. The tour will
start the Day of Global Action
by visiting a mayor of Hino City,
one of the leading communities
doing recycling. The tour will
identify communities that are
willing to declare incineration-free
community and go for Zero Waste.
Stop
Dioxin Pollution-Kanto Network
will visit one of the newest gasification
plants in Kawaguchi city with
Paul Connett on the Day of Global
Action. |
| |
Lebanon.
Greenpeace
Mediterranean is translating
into Arabic the summary of the
GAIA Report "Waste Incineration:
A Dying Technology." |
| |
|
|
Malaysia.
The Consumers' Association
of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam
Malaysia (CAP) will join
the global release of the GAIA
Report on waste incineration,
which it has translated into Bahasa
Malaysia. Press release and letter
to the editor will also be made.
CNEC,
Anwar Fazal and Thaya Kulenthran
also support the GDA 2003.
|
| |
|
Nepal.
The
Forum for the Protection
of Public Interest (Pro Public)
will discuss over the radio the
problems with medical waste management
in Nepal and the corresponding solutions.
Pro Public is likewise organizing
a day-long national workshop on
medical waste management - the first
time in Nepal - with government
officials, policy makers, doctors
and other health workers, journalists,
researchers and waste handlers as
participants. The seminar is expected
to adopt a "Kathmandu Declaration
on Safer Medical
Waste Management." At this
seminar, the winning entries for
an essay compeition on medical waste
issues, conducted among medical
students, will be announced and
awards given. Pro Public is also
arranging a visit to a proposed
incinerator site in Kathmandu Valley. |
| |
|
| New
Zealand.
Members of Nelson Greens
support the Global Day of Action
on waste and incineration. |
| |
|
Pakistan.
The World Wide Fund for
Nature in Pakistan will
organize a stakeholders' capacity
building on integrated solid waste
management in Lahore City where
a manual in Urdu will be launched.
The group will also release a
video documenting indigenous waste
recycling system in Lahore with
a special focus on the role of
"raddiwala" (the waste
collector). WWF is also planning
to series of workshops in major
cities on hospital waste management
(HWM) for hospital administrative
staff from different facilities.
The
Sustainable Development Policy
Institute will take part
in the global release of the GAIA
Report "Waste Incineration:
A Dying Technology."
The Society
for Conservation and Protection
of the Environment is also participating
in the GDA 2003.
|
| |
|
Philippines.
Members of the EcoWaste
Coalition are organizing
a protest action at the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources
to denounce the inclusion of pyrolysis
as a non-burn technology for treating
health care waste. At the planned
dialogue with the Environment
Secretary, the Coalition will
submit a position paper insisting
that pyrolysis is incineration
by another name and will ask the
Department to revoke the Environmental
Compliance Certificates issued
to two pyrolysis project applications.
A press briefing will be held
on 11 July 2003 on the GAIA Report
"Waste Incineration: A Dying
Technology." Participating
groups include Bangon
Kalikasan, Buklod Tao Kalikasan,
Caritas Manila, Cavite Green Coalition,
GAIA, Greenpeace Southeast Asia,
Health Care Without Harm, Miriam
PEACE, Mother Earth Unlimited,
National Secretariat for Social
Action, Justice and Peace, Pesticide
Action Network, Tanggol Kalikasan
and other groups.
Mother
Earth Unlimited will
launch a Zero/Ecological Waste
Management Program in the municipality
of San Isidro, province of Nueva
Ecija on 15 July 2003. The launch
is part of the month-long series
of activities in the Philippines
dedicated to protecting the incineration
ban and promoting Zero Waste and
other sustainable alternatives.
|
 |
|
The
Philippine Network for
Environmental Concern Foundation
is convening a multisectoral waste
conference and technology fair
on 16-18 July 2003 in Cagayan
de Oro City in the southern island
of Mindanao. The conference will
bring together about 150 people
for a discussion on the effective
implementation of Republic Act
9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste
Managemand Act. Program includes
presentations from GAIA and Mother
Earth Unlimited and the launch
of the waste incineration report.
South
Korea.
The Korea Waste Movement Network
(KWMN), which bring together over
270 groups, is coordinating the
Global Day of Action in Korea
(GDA Korea). The KWMN is joining
the global launch of the GAIA
Report on waste incineration,
the summary of which has been
translated into Korean, posted
to the website and distributed
to 32 citizens' organizations
working on landfill and incinerator
issues. On 14 July 2003, the KWMN
will submit a memorandum asking
the government to ratify the Stockholm
Convention of POPs, issue a statement,
together with other environmental
NGOs and work with the media to
publicize the GDA Korea. Together
with the citizens' organization
monitoring the Mapo Gu, Gang-nam
Gu incinerator, the KWMN will
have a campaign and cultural performance
in Seoul. On 11 July 2003, the
Busan chapter of the Korean Federation
of Environmental Movement and
the association of citizens residing
near the incineration facility
will hold a program and on the
12th concerned citizens will hold
a protest action near the incinerator
of the Jung-sun council in Gang-won-do.
Other activities are being planned
in Daejeon Metropolitan City and
in Chung-nam Province.
Sri
Lanka. The
Environment Foundation
Ltd. (EFL) has prepared
articles in Sinhala and English
for publication in the local newspapers.
The EFL is joining the global
launch of the GAIA Report "Waste
Incineration: A Dying Technology."
The National
Development Foundation
is supporting the GDA 2003.
Taiwan.
The Taiwan Watch Institute
is participating in the global
release of the GAIA Report, having
translated the Summary into Mandarin.
Taiwan.
Member communities and organizations
of the Taiwan Anti-Incinerator
Alliance (TAIA) will
take part in the GAIA Global Day
of Action. A series of press events
will be held, focusing on different
issues related to landfills and
incinerators. The Green Citizens'
Action Alliance is actively involved
in organizing the GDA activities
in Taiwan, together with the Taiwan
Watch Insitute.
Thailand.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia
will conduct a press briefing
on the GAIA Report 'Waste Incineration:
A Dying Technology" on 16
July. The Campaign on Alternative
Industry Network, Chumchom Thai
Foundation, Greenpeace and the
Health System Research Institute
will jointly convene a seminar
on "Discarded Materials Management:
Solidarity in Thai Society"
on 17 July 2003. The seminar aims
to mobilize public opinion in
support of the new paradigm on
waste management. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
