Moray is launch pad for global ‘Green Dreams’ campaign
Forres based UN agency wants to hear from 10,000 Scots ahead of 20th anniversary of Rio Earth Summit
Issued: Tuesday 8 November 2011
A new campaign is being launched in Moray this week that could help shape the future of the planet.
The Green Dreams Around the World project is part of a global effort to highlight the impact of climate change by recording the thoughts of millions of men, women and children on the future of our fragile world.
The campaign is being launched in Scotland by CIFAL Findhorn – the Forres based UN affiliated environment agency - to mark the 20thanniversary of the landmark Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, a milestone event in terms of our understanding of climate change, which eventually gave rise to the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
World leaders will reconvene in the Brazilian city for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – also known as RIO+20 – in June 2012.
May East, executive director of CIFAL Findhorn, says she hopes the Green Dreams campaign will send a powerful message to world leaders that the public expect to see further progress on climate change at next year’s summit.
She said: “The Earth Summit was hugely influential in terms of increasing our understanding of the pressing sustainability agenda, but it also underlined the fact that the problem couldn’t be tackled by Governments alone and that we can all play our part in creating a sustainable future. There is a direct link between sustainable societies and responsive citizens. Green Dreams will capture the dreams of men, women and children from all across the globe. Our aim is to spark a debate about the kind of world we want to leave future generations by reaching out to all sections of society.”
The campaign will be launched at The Moray Council HQ in Elgin from 12.00 – 2.00pm on Friday 11 November, when council staff, officials and elected representatives will be invited to share their Green Dreams.
A series of events are planned throughout Moray this month.
From Friday, pupils from Milne’s High School in Fochabers will become the first school pupils in the UK to capture their green dreams, with the school’s Eco-Group recording staff and students’ hopes for the planet during their lunchtime breaks, and uploading them to YouTube. Meanwhile, The Garmouth Hotel will be hosting a green dreams catching session at 11.00pm to 12.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.00pm on Saturday 12 November. Buckie Councillor Gordon McDonald will also host a dream catching session at the Buckie Christmas Cracker event in Cluny Square on Saturday 26 November.
From next month, the campaign will be rolled out across Scotland, with a target of securing 10,000 supporters by January 2012. Politicians, sports stars, musicians and celebrities will be among those invited to record their thoughts on the environment, along with schools, youth groups, charities, pensioner groups and trade unions.
May East added: “Our aim will be to capture a wide cross section of Scottish society, with people of all ages and all walks of life invited to share their hopes for the future of the planet. We are delighted that Moray has been chosen as the launchpad for this exciting campaign and we hope that the people of Moray send a very powerful message to world leaders that they expect continued progress on this issue.”
A new website – www.green-dream.co.uk – is being launched to allow people to post their videos online, and a special YouTube channel has also been created at www.youtube.com/greendreamcifal
Notes for the Editor
CIFAL Findhorn is one of nine UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research) agencies across the globe, and the only centre based in Northern Europe.
Established in 2006, the agency has firmly taken the sustainability agenda to heart, putting together cutting-edge seminars, conferences and training sessions on the green growth agenda in Northern Europe, aimed at local authorities, national governments, and public and private sector organisations.
Executive director May East was recently named as one of the world's 100 Global Sustainability leaders and was recently praised by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament for her pioneering work on climate change.
CIFAL's operations in Scotland are set to expand with the creation of a new body, CIFAL Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The umbrella body will comprise a number of UN organisations including CIFAl, UNESCO and UNICEF. CIFAL will retain its centre in Forres.
-ENDS-
More information:
May East, CIFAL Findhorn, 01309 678130
Donald Morrison, New Horizon Media, 0141 848 6627