A two-day free public seminar titled “Earth Day Taipei” began in Taipei yesterday, with a marketplace, lectures, music performances and film viewing sessions — all related to environmental protection and sustainable agriculture.
The event is organized by the Taiwan Environmental Info Association (TEIA) and National Taiwan Museum, and is being held at two sites in Taipei — in front of the museum near Xiangyang Road, and the museum’s South Gate Exhibition Hall on Nanchang Road.
With a theme of “One Earth, One Chance,” the organizers said that by showing the public ways to create a more “green” city and future living they hope to encourage them to make a promise to the Earth that they will protect it.
Museum director Chen Chi-ming (陳濟民) said the museum is holding exhibitions and educational events related to environmental protection because it hopes to encourage the public to realize the ideal of loving the Earth though daily practices, such as reducing energy consumption by taking public transportation.
The free shuttle bus that takes visitors from one exhibition site to the other also runs on biodiesel, the organizers said.
TEIA chairman Chen Chien-chih (陳建志) said one of this year’s topics is “green cities,” and the organizers hope to encourage people to engage in at least one “green” practice every day, such as using reusable utensils or walking home from work, to help maintain a sustainable environment.
The marketplace hosts stalls that sell handmade products made using environmentally friendly methods, such as hand-printed T-shirts, organic cotton reusable menstrual pads and agricultural products that are sold by directly by farmers.
Farming activist Yang Ru-men (楊儒門) — also known as the Rice Bomber for planting rice-filled explosive devices in 2003 and 2004 to protest against what he considered the government’s neglect of farmers — also appeared at the event.
Yang, who was pardoned in 2007 after spending 16 months in jail, spoke to visitors about the relationship between agriculture and food safety, and said that a sense of trust can be built by having farmers directly communicate with consumers, and helping consumers feel more connected to the environment.
The second day of the event today will begin at 10am and ends at 6pm.
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