In an effort to raise awareness on environmental issues, the Department of Environment will launch its third ‘bus design’ in Labasa on Friday.
The focus is to increase visibility and advocacy of environment awareness in the Northern Division.
The Environment Awareness Bus Design is part of an integrated communication strategy by the department to strengthen advocacy in maintaining a sustainable and pristine environment for Fiji.
The design on the bus centers around promoting proper waste management through good practice such as (3R) - the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle of waste and deterrence from the use of plastic bags while shopping.
The design also portrays unsustainable environment practices that contradict efforts in conserving our environment.
These are open burning of rubbish, cane burning, the use of explosives and metal rod for fishing and unsustainable logging practices.
These unsustainable practices are most commonly practised in the North and through advertisement on the bus we hope to advise the general public that these are wrong and illegal practices.
The Department of Environment said the Bus campaign launch acknowledged an inclusive approach to the eradication of unsustainable approaches to our environment.
Students from schools within the Labasa CBD including Gospel Kindergarten children will be part of the launch programme.
This is indicative of the desire to inculcate in the youngest of our community, awareness for positive nation building through environmental justice.
Youth, school children and preschoolers are catalysts for positive change and their involvement is our “responsible investment in our environment”.
Billboards will also be erected in Labasa and Savusavu to increase visibility and widen the geographic spread of the environment awareness campaign.
The first Bus was launched in Suva on the October 18, 2010 while the second bus for the Western Division was launched at the Churchill Carnival Ground on February 2, 2011.
The environment department reports that the overall plan is to escalate the environment awareness campaign during the 2010 to 2014 period.
The bus awareness campaign is funded by three UNDP sponsored programmes on biodiversity, ozone depleting substances and the National Capacity Self Assessment project.
The department also wishes to acknowledge the hard working committee, that organised this project: Commissioners office Northern Division, HOPE (Help Our Polluted Environment); Pacific Center for Peace Building, Labasa Town & Savusavu Town Council, Peace Corps Fiji, St. Thomas Anglican Church Youth Group, Community Policing Market Police Post and the Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing & Environment.
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