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Activists deride `wasteful' EPA celebration

Green groups have criticized events organized for today to mark World Environment Day, saying the activities are a waste of time and money. The groups claim the activities will not educate people on sustainable development but will instead sap the Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) budget.

Co-organized with other Cabinet-level agencies, the all-day series of activities, titled "Love of the millennium, beautiful environment" (千禧有愛，美麗環境), will be held at Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

One of the key attractions at the event, EPA officials said, would be a quiz regarding concepts of sustainable development.

Environmental education experts, however, said the effect of such activities would be limited.

"Children who can answer questions don't really internalize such knowledge and turn it into actions," said Li Ken-cheng (李根政), a primary school teacher and director of the ecological education center set up by the Kaohsiung Teachers' Association.

"Why don't they [EPA officials] use educational channels to promote concepts of sustainability? I don't see the EPA's dedication to this, because not a word on the subject has ever been included in existing environmental education materials," said Lee, adding that education in sustainable development would be far more beneficial than such carnival activities.

The EPA has said it has promoted its activities by publishing 5,000 pamphlets, advertising in electronic and print media, and producing an educational videotape for broadcast on TV.

Environmentalists also criticized what they called the EPA's excessive expenditure on the activities.

"Officials should know they have other priorities, such as dealing with hazardous industrial waste," said Joyce Fu (伏嘉捷), secretary-general of Green Formosa Front (台灣綠色陣線).

"Don't forget the EPA has only dealt with four out of the 160 illegal waste dumps since the administration discovered them a year-and-a-half ago," said Fu, criticizing the EPA's slow progress in handling the sites.

"The EPA should target industries instead of people. Blaming ignorant people for using disposable chopsticks or treasuring natural resources is going too far," said Fu, adding that an apt example of the EPA's improper efforts was the administration's own citing recently of a survey by the Worldwide Foundation (WWF) of Nature.

Last Saturday, EPA officials urged people to limit their use of natural resources and preserve the island's environment by citing the WWF's 1998 Living Planet Report, which indicated that Taiwan consumes 3.4 times more natural resources per capita than the world average, second only behind Norway among 151 countries surveyed.

EPA officials said participants could improve their knowledge of sustainable development at today's activities by stopping at more than 80 stalls sponsored by the Ministries of Education, Transportation and Communications, Economic Affairs, the Council of Agriculture and the Department of Health.

Participants who answer questions correctly at the quiz booth will receive dining utensils, including stainless steel chopsticks and spoons.

EPA officials said that this was to encourage people to use fewer disposable chopsticks, which last week were identified by health authorities to contain trace elements of sulfur dioxide.

World Environment Day is observed on June 5 to commemorate the opening day of the UN Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972, which led to the establishment of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Taiwan's EPA, however, did not incorporate the environmental protection principles decided upon in Stockholm until 1998, with the drafting of the Basic Environmental Law. Article 33 of the law designates June 5 as Environment Day in Taiwan.

Although the law has not been passed by the Legislative Yuan, the EPA organized Environment Day activities this year as it has in the past.
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