Countries with colors have projects associated with them. Click the country you are interested in, and then the “info” icon to see the projects for that country.
As an international tourist destination, Phuket currently attracts around two million visitors each year who contribute nearly 120 tons of solid waste each day. The Thai government, in violation of several environmental laws, operates a massive waste incinerator to treat this waste. No alternative or recycling system has ever been discussed.
Eco-Ethics International worked on community capacity building (centered in Mombasa) that served to bring awareness and promote policy action concerning the dangerous levels of lead contamination (primarily through lead extraction from car batteries) that have been documented in the environment and in area residents.
DISHA conducted an overall awareness and education campaign to educate local hospital employees and high school science students about the proper handling of mercury. With direct collaboration from local government environmental agencies, a series of trainings and workshops educated individuals about the dangers of mercury, the proper way to handle mercury in case of a spill, and how to reduce mercury use by using alternative equipment. Educational print media was developed and tailored for each of the target audiences.
Continuing their work on mercury-related harms, Eco-Sense turned their attention to Veles, a city awash in mercury contamination (and other heavy metals) stemming from a now-defunct zinc smelter. Noting that the Veles smelter is often nicknamed the “Macedonian Chernobyl”, Eco-sense is committed to raising greater awareness in this heavily polluted area.
As a second phase of their e-waste project, CES in Belarus initiated a pilot program on e-waste management in which battery collection containers were provided throughout Minsk. In conjunction, a media awareness campaign about the environmental effects of improper battery disposal and e-waste featured posters, leaflets, brochures, and a mobile exhibition. Additionally, news media and other NGOs were provided with information to help educate the public, including a series of interviews and information e-newsletters.
CES conducted an assessment of the situation on e-waste and battery management in Belarus, and completed a report. The report, geared towards govrnment officials, contains relevant information about import and production, major ways of consumption, life time, the present situation with end-of-life products and options for utilization, relevant applicable legislation, and recommendations for further actions (including extended producer responsibility) in this area. After the report was prepared, a press-conference was organized.
Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) organized a national workshop to promote and create a dialogue among relevant stakeholders (the public, government officials, media, civil society groups, academics, and other NGO groups) to generate awareness about and promoting the provisions of SAICM in Sri Lanka. A multi-stakeholder meeting on SAICM had not been organized before and this meeting generated a platform for policy makers, researchers and civil society to discuss the present condition of the chemicals circulating in the country.
Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) conducted a multi level campaign to assess sources and exposure to mercury in Sri Lanka, specifically by CFL light bulbs and mercury-based hospital equipment. Importation data on mercury was collected from Sri Lankan Customs and an additional market survey was conducted among the main mercury sellers and buyers in Colombo. Community organizers also tested water in several potentially contaminated sites and tested specific cosmetics for mercury.
The NGO Association du Reseau Mediterraneen Pour le Developpement Durable (AREMEDD) organized a series of SAICM-related awareness generating activities throughout Tunisia from February to October 2010. These activities, which included the active participation of local NGOs, involved educating students about the dangers of lead in paint and mercury in used batteries, farmers about the adapting alternatives to pesticides, and representatives from the iron and steel industries about the impact of heavy metals on biodiversity.
The NGO Association de la Protection de l'Environnement et de Développement de Bizerte (APEDUBB) organized a number of mercury-awareness raising activities with youth, the medical industry, government officials, and the wider public. The largest of these, a workshop attended by over 160 participants, featured three focused presentations that centered on identifying sources of mercury, hazards to human and environmental health, and the role of civic participation on reducing mercury usage.
In order to promote the FAO Code of Conduct and elimination of hazardous pesticide use in favor of more sustainable agricultural practices, AWHHE surveyed farmers and citizens in 4 villages to determine their awareness levels about and use of pesticides. Thereafter they organized a series of discussion groups with residents, farmers, youth groups, and local government officials to discuss the results, as well as distribute Armenian-language educational materials they hd drafted.
Through research, AGENDA learned about existing regulations (voluntary and compulsory) concerning lead in paints in Tanzania and collaborated with regulators to produce materials based on this information. Additionally, AGENDA used brochures, news articles, and a previous project report to inform paint producers, distributors, and consumers about the human and environmental hazards from leaded paint and leaded paint products.
A situational analysis of POPs in the Morogoro Hotspot Area was conducted by Tanzania Association of Public Occupational and Environmental Health Experts (TAPOHE) in 2011. Participatory survey methods including desk review, in-depth interviews with key informants, focused group discussions and participants’ observations were used to collect data. Additionally, soil and biota samples (plants) were collected for pesticide chemical analysis. Findings from the situational analysis confirmed that Morogoro is one of the most DDT (and other obsolete pesticides)- contaminated sites in the country.
A 3-day workshop was organized by Cameroon Pesticide Action Network to raise awareness about the FAO Code of conduct on the production, distribution and use of pesticides. Topics included a general background on pesticides, dangers of pesticide use on humans and the environment, pesticides registration in Cameroon, alternatives, the IPM concept and its implementation in Cameroon, etc. Civil society, Farmers' Associations, pesticides importers and distributors and government representatives attended.
JVE Cote Divoire conducted an awareness-raising campaign to educate workers, governent officials, and the general public about the risks of mercury exposure from human activity in the country. These activities include mining, burning of e-waste and medical wastes, and the use of cosmetics containing mercury. This was done in four phases: First, workers most at risk to mercury exposure were convened and educated about objectives of the project and the means used for its realization.
In this project Groupe d’Action pour la Promotion et la Protection de la Flore et la Faune (GAPROFFA) surveyed medical clinics, health centers and hospitals in three cities in Benin to understand what kind of devices containing mercury were in use, what the safety measures surrounding mercury were, and caregivers' general knowledge about mercury’s effect on health and the environment.
For this project, Association pour la Recherche et la Formation en Agro-écologie (ARFA) conducted field demonstrations for farmers in Burkina Faso on the effectiveness of the fungus Trichoderma as a way to move away from the use of highly hazardous pesticides. Additionally, they shared information on the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO's) International Code of Conduct concerning the Distribution and Use of Pesticides, and distributed various information materials about non-hazardous pest control.
