When ecological conservationists and officials in Taiwan campaigned for the 31st anniversary of Earth Day yesterday, some environmentalists called on citizens to live simple and economical lives.
Activists from the Homemakers' Union and Foundation (主婦聯盟) yesterday sold cloth lunch bags in Taipei to promote reusing recyclable materials rather than plastic bags.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The lunch bags are made by housewives living in central Taiwan in areas heavily affected by the 921 earthquake.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Activists from the foundation said that selling the bags promotes a more environmentally and economically conscious lifestyle and helps victims of the earthquake.
Chan Man-li (陳曼麗), board chairwoman of the foundation, told the Taipei Times that Earth Day was not the only chance for people to treasure natural resources.
"If people's environmental awareness is raised, they can fulfill their ideas of environmental protection every day," Chan said.
In Taipei's Ta-an Forest Park (大安森林公園) yesterday, officials and conservationists held an activity called the "2001 Earth Day, Embracing the Earth" (二OO一世界地球日,擁抱地球), to encourage members of the public to experience nature.
At the opening ceremony environment, agriculture and education officials held a forum to where they called on people to treasure the planet.
Environmental Protection Administration head Hau Lung-bin (
Chang Hung-lin (張宏林), an activist with the Taiwan-based Society of Wilderness (荒野保護協會), said that the diverse activities designed for the Earth Day event were intended to help participants experience nature and learn to treasure it.
The society displayed rock samples collected by its members from remote mountain areas in Taiwan to offer children living in cities a chance to observe geologic textures.
With the assistance of record companies, they also played music accompanied by calls of diverse animals in Taiwan and the sound of waves and tides recorded on the eastern coast to illustrate the beauty of Taiwan.
The idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962 in the US. At that time, a group of concerned senators felt that the state of the environment was simply a non-issue in the country's politics.
On April 22, 1970, a nationwide grassroots demonstration was held on behalf of the environment. Demonstrators lobbied senators to draft laws pertaining to clean air, clean water and endangered animals.
Since then, concepts that emerged from the first Earth Day have influenced environmentalists, conservationists, politicians and businessmen all over the world, including Taiwan.
In the industrial sector, Applied Materials Taiwan yesterday took children to visit the Taipei Astronomy Museum.
Applied Material said that its environmentally friendly machines for producing semi-conductor materials efficiently reduce the emission of perfluorocarbons (PFCs), into the atmosphere. Semiconductor manufacturing is a large source of PFC emission.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia