Environmental Awareness Week
Background
The World Environmental Awareness Week is supported by the United Nations’ Clean Up the World -environmental campaign which is a community based environmental campaign that inspires and empowers communities from every corner of the globe to clean up, fix up and conserve their local environment.
The campaign welcomes involvement from all nations and participating organisations ranging from individual groups working independently in their local community to national initiatives where the work of many groups is coordinated across an entire nation. Clean Up the World -campaign reflects on the yearly Environmental Week -campaigns across the world.
Implemented Measures
- Environmental Awareness Week reports
- Exchange visits
Environmental Awareness Week brings stakeholders together and highlights important environmental themes
The Environmental Awareness Week in BPDM was initiated in 2003 as part of the activities within the cooperation. The event was adopted from the City of Lahti where the first environmental awareness week was organised in 1997. The same principles of bringing environmental awareness to the communities and residents through different environmentally related themes are applied. The aim of the Environmental Awareness Week is also to bring together all the relevant stakeholders, Local Municipalities, government departments and surrounding industries to jointly address environmental matters and concerns in the area of Bojanala Platinum and Lahti. The officials from both municipalities have learned from each other by participating into each others environmental awareness week activities and celebrations.
Environmental Awareness Week in BPDM
See video diary of the Environmental Awareness Week 2008 in Bojanala Platinum District Municipality
The Environmental Awareness Week in BPDM is now a yearly event implemented and funded by the BPDM and local sponsorship. The event is aligned to the yearly World Environment Day (05.06) theme which forms a part of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and which the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism also adheres to.
During the event, environmental issues and messages are conveyed to the public through a week long exhibition, school competitions and an environmental road show. The purpose of the Road Show is to reach rural communities of the District and to share information regarding to the theme of the year as well as to provide an opportunity for the communities to voice their environmental concerns. The Road Show is conducted in a form of an Environmental Buss that travels to the communities and participates in the Environmental Week Celebrations organized by each municipality.
The first Environmental Week of BPDM was held in 2003 with the theme “No Water No Life” focusing on water and water pollution. In 2004, the focus was on air pollution with a slogan of “Clean Air Better Life” which was run together with the local mines. The 2005 theme was “Waste Not” and the theme of both 2006 and 2007 was “Kick it to the Bin” that focused on the environmental management of the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.
Environmental Awareness Week 2008
In 2008, the theme was “Think Twice, Be Energy Wise” which highlighted the fact that the global climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era. During the event, messages of initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption were delivered to the 3000 strong audience. The events of the week included a road show, a competition for Primary, Middle and High schools to demonstrate an eco-friendly economy, lifestyle and home and an exhibition set up at the Waterfall Mall in Rustenburg. The exhibition displayed an eco-friendly and energy efficient kitchen.