Three day event on the occasion of marking the World Environment Day in organisation of the United Nations Environment Program, BiH Government and numerous local partners and sponsors was solemnly opened tonight in Meeting Point Cinema in Sarajevo.
BiH capital got the honour to host the event of marking the World Environment Day for the region of Europe and the program of the event will be last from 3 to 5 June. The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is the reduction of food waste and its motto is ‘Think.Eat.Save’.
‘It is a great honour that the attention of the UN and global environment protection organisations will be directed towards Sarajevo and BiH from 3 to 5 June. We will try to include the public in tackling the issue of environment protection, not just general environment, but also saving food, energy and resources’, said to journalists representative of the UNEP to BiH Amina Omićević.
Concerning the environment protection in BiH, she noted that the situation in numerous fields should be improved, especially in the field of bio-diversity.
‘BiH is the third richest country in biological diversity, but we only have two percent of protected territory. That percentage must be significantly increased, having in mind that the EU average is around 15 to 20%, noted Omićević.
She also said that new laws which will protect BiH resources should be enacted.
‘However, no legal protection is enough, if our citizens are not aware of their treatment of environment. It is necessary to make further effort in educating public concerning the issues of environment protection’, said Omićević.
At tonight’s solemn opening ceremony, the best recipe of the competition ‘Think.Eat.Save’ ,which was organised by web site namirnice.ba in cooperation with UNEP, was properly awarded.
The aim of the competition was raising the awareness of the importance of rational food consumption, because we all must THINK about the way we consume our food; to EAT in accordance with our needs and to SAVE food! Not wasting it is to be aware of our environment, of our daily living costs and of other people who do not have enough food.
The author of the ‘Yesterday’s beans burger’ Ela Brkić is the winner of the first prize and she said that during her everyday cooking she tries her best to use all food leftovers.
‘It is a known fact that many people in the world are hungry, and it is absurd to throw food away. We must plan meals for our family, to cook the exact amount that is needed, and to use leftovers in the best possible way’ concluded Ela Brkić.
The documentary film of Valentinz Thurn ‘Taste The Waste’ gave the special flair to tonight’s ceremony. The film tackles the issue of food wasting. Among other things, it was noted that European households throw away 100 billion EUR worth of food, and that food would be enough to feed the hungry twice.
Every year, on 5 June, people across the Globe mark the World Environment Day. Hundreds of thousands of activities are being organised in order to improve the status of environment protection and to ensure better future for the Earth.
The main message of the Sarajevo formal event is ‘Because We Care: Let Us Share’ and it includes three aspects of sharing, around which all activities are concentrated – share food, share information, share knowledge.
The message reflects the concept of sharing as a universal answer to global challenges and it also reflects the tradition of BiH and Sarajevo which is to help their neighbours, families, but also to help foreigners, with the greatest attention, by sharing their meals with those who need them.
More information on World Environment Day in Sarajevo can be found at: http://www.dosarajevo.com and http://www.facebook.com/dosarajevo.
