World Water Forum measures its greenness
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Aslı Sağlam
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 19, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - For the first time an initiative, the Green Forum Initiative, or GFI, led by Thad Mermer and Janine Tabasaran, has a stand at the World Water Forum. It aims to raise awareness of the environmental impacts of the event
The Green Forum Initiative, or GFI, has opened stands at the 5th World Water Forum to raise awareness of the environmental impacts of the event and to show people how to be greener. It is the first time that such an initiative has been established at the forum.
Thad Mermer and Janine Tabasaran, who lead the GFI, have spent a lot if time in the run up to the forum making sure that everything was in place, such as the waste management system and the recycling system. All around the forum venue participants are able to throw their garbage into different bins for them to be recycled or decomposed. There are color-coordinated bins for metal, plastic, paper, glass and compost waste.
The GFI is also working with Öktaş catering company and Istanbul Education Tourism and Health Investments Company, or BELTUR, for managing the Sütlüce and Feshane venues and the Intertex exhibition and fair organization company for the expo to make sure they are also informed and willing to help the GFI with the waste management recycling system.
Bins and posters installed
Before the venues opened their doors to participants, 96 bins were installed and posters were designed to raise awareness. The posters are placed above the bins to show which materials should go into which bin and where they go after they are collected.
"Most of the waste is going a relatively short distance are being treated and recycled. We also added a new waste management partnership with a group called 'Çöp Madam.' We are going to be collecting plastic packages for them to be designed and used as bags," Mermer said.
According to Mermer they have spent a lot of time working on their communications. "Of course what we want to do primarily at the forum is to raise awareness," he said.
They have three stands at the forum venues. One of them is in the expo fair area. They call it the GFI Partnership Village. Inside the expo they are working with their partners on green hotel projects, the waste management system and one partner, the World Wildlife Fund Turkey, is working with them on carbon emissions compensation.
The second stand is the one at the Sütlüce Center, next to the World Water Forum Secretariat stand. There are posters that raise awareness on how to save and use water both in English and in Turkish and posters about water in food. The posters inform people on facts such as how much water is spent for a hamburger and producing a sheet of paper.
On the stand they have cardboard tubes that are horizontal to the ground sticking out which with their length describe the carbon emissions in kilograms from different cities such as New Delhi, New York, Tokyo and Amsterdam. The information they use comes from two Web sites: waterfoodprint.org and carbonfootprint.org.
"We seem to be succeeding in raising awareness," Tabasaran said. The cooperation they have with WWF is not a reduction strategy but a compensation strategy instead. Because the emissions are already gone into the air while the forum participants were flying to Istanbul. But the GFI advices them to make donations to WWF for their awareness raising activities on climate change in Turkey. "Our aim is to keep the money in Turkey so that it can benefit from all the donations that come from abroad," said Mermer.
They also have a global project called the 'Earth Hour.' The project requests people to turn off their lights at 8 p.m. although there are different time zones.
They are also in charge of the logistics and how to provide a greener transformation for the forum. "For the reduction strategy we were working with a logistics company to make sure that we have enough vehicles to carry participants to the venue using the least amount of carbon dioxide. One of the biggest success on that side is the Galata Bridge," said Memer.
The old Galata Bridge, which is relocated for the forum allows people to walk between the Sütlüce and Feshane venues instead of using other transportation.
Thad Mermer and Janine Tabasaran, who lead the GFI, have spent a lot if time in the run up to the forum making sure that everything was in place, such as the waste management system and the recycling system. All around the forum venue participants are able to throw their garbage into different bins for them to be recycled or decomposed. There are color-coordinated bins for metal, plastic, paper, glass and compost waste.
The GFI is also working with Öktaş catering company and Istanbul Education Tourism and Health Investments Company, or BELTUR, for managing the Sütlüce and Feshane venues and the Intertex exhibition and fair organization company for the expo to make sure they are also informed and willing to help the GFI with the waste management recycling system.
Bins and posters installed
Before the venues opened their doors to participants, 96 bins were installed and posters were designed to raise awareness. The posters are placed above the bins to show which materials should go into which bin and where they go after they are collected.
"Most of the waste is going a relatively short distance are being treated and recycled. We also added a new waste management partnership with a group called 'Çöp Madam.' We are going to be collecting plastic packages for them to be designed and used as bags," Mermer said.
According to Mermer they have spent a lot of time working on their communications. "Of course what we want to do primarily at the forum is to raise awareness," he said.
They have three stands at the forum venues. One of them is in the expo fair area. They call it the GFI Partnership Village. Inside the expo they are working with their partners on green hotel projects, the waste management system and one partner, the World Wildlife Fund Turkey, is working with them on carbon emissions compensation.
The second stand is the one at the Sütlüce Center, next to the World Water Forum Secretariat stand. There are posters that raise awareness on how to save and use water both in English and in Turkish and posters about water in food. The posters inform people on facts such as how much water is spent for a hamburger and producing a sheet of paper.
On the stand they have cardboard tubes that are horizontal to the ground sticking out which with their length describe the carbon emissions in kilograms from different cities such as New Delhi, New York, Tokyo and Amsterdam. The information they use comes from two Web sites: waterfoodprint.org and carbonfootprint.org.
"We seem to be succeeding in raising awareness," Tabasaran said. The cooperation they have with WWF is not a reduction strategy but a compensation strategy instead. Because the emissions are already gone into the air while the forum participants were flying to Istanbul. But the GFI advices them to make donations to WWF for their awareness raising activities on climate change in Turkey. "Our aim is to keep the money in Turkey so that it can benefit from all the donations that come from abroad," said Mermer.
They also have a global project called the 'Earth Hour.' The project requests people to turn off their lights at 8 p.m. although there are different time zones.
They are also in charge of the logistics and how to provide a greener transformation for the forum. "For the reduction strategy we were working with a logistics company to make sure that we have enough vehicles to carry participants to the venue using the least amount of carbon dioxide. One of the biggest success on that side is the Galata Bridge," said Memer.
The old Galata Bridge, which is relocated for the forum allows people to walk between the Sütlüce and Feshane venues instead of using other transportation.