2005
13 • 11 • 2005
"LATVIJAS VALSTS MEŽI" (“LATVIA’S STATE FORESTS”) LAUNCHES SOCIAL CAMPAIGN "DO NOT SOIL THE FORESTS!"
In order to solve the increasing garbage problem in forests, AS "Latvijas valsts meži" (LVM) nominates August to be the Clean Forest Month and launches a social campaign “Do Not Soil the Forests!”
As SKDS inquiries show, at least 82% of the Latvian population takes rest in forests each year, and the number of holidaymakers is increasing. But at the same time the problem of soiled forests have intensified - for recreation in nature people more and more use disposable dishes, wipes, packages, grills and then leave them there in the forest. The biggest worries for the environmental experts are caused by the increasing amount of plastic garbage, which unlike paper does not decompose. Due to the increasing number of private houses and construction activities there are many more industrial waste and household waste dumps in forests.
To collect this waste this year LVM had to use three times the financing (Ls 80,000) than last year.
“The problem of soiled forests, in my opinion, is not related to waste itself but to human attitude towards the environment,“ says Roberts Strīpnieks, Chairman of the board of LVM - “while a person does not understand that he/she was not sent to the Earth from the Universe to conquer it but he/she was born here and is a part of this planet, meanwhile it is hopeless to believe that after a picnic he/she would collect the garbage. After that we can hold eternal joint work in forests, but still the most important and hardest task is to change the attitude of people. And that is the target of this social campaign “Do Not Soil the Forests!””.
Within the framework of this campaign a specially created personage – Cūkmens (Pigman) will be engaged. Cūkmens personifies the waste problem and forest pollutants. He will tour around Latviaand later in schools where he will meet children, participate in different events and give interviews to the mass media. Cūkmens will also announce the Cūkmens’ award. People can send photos in of the most messy and piggish places that can be seen in the forest and near forests – illegal waste dumps, waste in recreation places that are left after picnics and open-air events. The prize at the end of the event will be conferred by Cūkmens himself – it will be a special sign of gratitude made by Cūkmens especially for this event. The winner will also get a picnic set for the family from LVM.
Please send your photos for the competition to the e-mail:
Every place submitted within the framework of the campaign, by Latvian people, will be cleaned up by the “L&T Hoetika fast response unit”. The campaign is organized by AS "Latvijas valsts meži", partner of the campaign: L&T Hoetika.
