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Green forum opens in Taipei
WALKING THE WALK: Organizers are setting an example by
providing bicycles for transportation, using recycled bags and serving seasonal
meals
By Shelley Shan
STAFF REPORTER, WITH CNA
Saturday, May 01, 2010, Page 2
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A group of egrets rest in a rice field in
Yilan County yesterday. Shared responsibility in protecting the environment and
natural resources is the focus of a three-day regional forum, the Second
Congress of the Asia Pacific Greens Network, which opened in Taipei yesterday.
PHOTO: YANG YI-MIN, TAIPEI TIMES
Nearly 200 leaders and environmental activists from Taiwan and abroad met in
Taipei yesterday at the start of a regional forum to highlight the importance of
shared responsibility in protecting natural resources.
ˇ§Our interdependence is integral to our survival. Our resources as well as our
responsibilities need to be equitably distributed in order to sustain the
quality of life for future generations,ˇ¨ said the Taiwanese organizers of the
Second Congress of the Asia Pacific Greens Network (APGN).
The first APGN congress was held in Kyoto in 2005, days before the Kyoto
Protocol, an international agreement designed to fight global warming, came into
force.
ˇ§We have convened the second congress five years later ˇX five years that have
seen unprecedented growth of chaos and denial,ˇ¨ said Robin Winkler, a
co-convener of the event and a local environmentalist, in his opening remarks.
There has been an ˇ§escalation of wars and military expansion, short-sighted
corporate control of more and more of the worldˇ¦s resources, media repression,
and all manner of social, economic and environmental abuse,ˇ¨ he said.
Australian Greens leader and senator Bob Brown said that ˇ§we have a big burden
on our shoulders, but a warmth in our hearts and a smile on our face. We must
replace the old politics of development, consumption and greed.ˇ¨
Brown showed a photograph of an Australian lake that he said had nearly
disappeared 40 years ago after the construction of a dam. He said he hoped that
people had learned the lesson.
High-profile participants at the conference include Tuvaluan Prime Minister
Apisai Ielemia and Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva. Both are scheduled to
deliver speeches related to climate change this morning.
The three-day congress will also see discussions on major challenges, policies
and strategies for dealing with climate change in the Asia Pacific region.
Organizers hope to set an eco-friendly example by using bamboo cups, cotton
handkerchiefs and recycled bags at the event. They have also provided bicycles
as transportation for participants. Meals are made with in-season produce and
delivered with minimal packaging.
A landscape garden consisting of edible plants and a rainwater recycling system
are also on display.
The forum will be streamed live on the Internet.
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