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EFR – The Environment Fellowship of Rotarians
Introduction
When you go to the Rotary International
website www.rotary.org and then search for Preserve Planet Earth , you
will find the reasons for our existence. That page explains that improving
the environment has been central to Rotary service from the early days
of our organisation: with Paul Harris planting trees in many places that
he visited. Since then Rotarians have become involved in many types of
environmental projects, clearing streams and rivers, recycling waste products,
creating parks and woodlands in so very many parts of the world. In 1990
Rotary adopted officially Preserve Planet Earth as an avenue of service
to promote awareness among Rotarians and increase the number of environmental
service projects undertaken by Rotary Clubs.
The purpose of the Environment
Fellowship of Rotarians
The Environment Fellowship of
Rotarians invites and unites all Rotarians, their spouses, and Rotaractors,
who are very interested and/or have a vocation in our Environment. Their
interest can be general or specialized. They so contribute towards building
an environment of Peace and Sustainable Development.
We will not say to a Rotary Club what it should or should not be doing,
but rather, if we are asked, we share and provide valuable information
which will be helpful to the club when deciding and carrying out their
environmental projects.
We are not here to alone tackle the massive environmental issues such
as global warming, loss of the ozone layer or air pollution, and many
others, but all Rotary projects certainly always greatly contribute towards
definitely improving the situation and truly solving the problem long-term
!
What we do is to encourage every Rotary club worldwide to develop at least
one environmental project every year.
Besides international projects, we also engage in regional Rotary projects,
because we always think globally and act locally also with such projects
as :
Assist poor communities to obtain safe water and sanitation systems
Support the creation of urban gardens, parks, woodlands and greenbelts
Arrange a cleanup day along a river, lake or ocean shore in your community
Organise a community program to collect and sort glass, paper products
and other recyclable items
Support innovative educational programs that emphasise the importance
and interdependence of the ecosystem
Giving awards to local businesses or industries for ecologically sound
extraction, production, design, packaging and waste disposal practices
While these may seem small projects which will not change the world right
away, they will contribute Preserving Planet Earth, especially also because,
if the wider community and children in particular are involved, we change
minds.
We also act as a forum where Rotary Clubs can find out what other clubs
are doing. Rotarians can so learn from others' experience, will be able
to ask for help and support if they feel that the project is relevant
to them or to more than their own club or district, and we'll be happy
to be able to offer advise. We may not know all the answers, but we usually
know who can help and will be able to put you in contact.
Among Examples of Current Projects are several that may be relevant for
your club.
A club in the North of England distributed acorns, plant pots and potting
compost to 100 school children. One year later 100 small oak trees were
planted out in a donated area of wasteland. This has not only created
a small oak woodland for the future, but, just as important, it involved
100 children in a Rotary project to improve our environment.
A club in Argentina is successful with the two first stages of ' Rotary
Agua Plus ' and about to start the 3rd stage of this project that installs
water filters to make available drinking water in hospitals, schools and
neighborhoods where the need is greatest. In our world 1.200 million people
have no drinking water available, and this project has the potential to
reduce this number. It is a combined effort between the local Rotary and
Rotaract Clubs with a Matching Grant from TRF, UNICEF, other NGOs, and
the Government.
Annual Report
Before October we post here our Annual Report of the Environment Fellowship
of Rotarians , and note that d uring the past Rotary years our Fellowship
has continued its healthy growth of members among Rotarians, spouses of
Rotarians and Rotaractors. They enjoy the opportunity of true rotarian
fellowship which allows them, by sharing their experience and expertise,
to encourage each-other and also help facilitate good environmental projects
by and between very many Rotary, Rotaract and even Interact Clubs. Since
we are all volunteers and in our EFR we have no dues to pay, nor do we
have income nor revenues, we do not we have a financial statement to submit
to (RI).
Rotary International Convention
Like in previous years, we continue to regularly preparing and staffing
our information booth at the Rotary International Conventions. Each year
our presence at the Rotary International Conventions does really attract
much interest among thousands of members of the family of Rotary, and
allows us all to meet face to face.
Since the field of the environment is so large and so very interdependent,
we remain a Rotary Fellowship, but we are proactively promoting the formation
of Rotary Action Groups (RAGs) in different fields of the environment.
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Jul 20, 2007
Dear Rotarians for the Environment : May this be a really great new Rotary
Year for you and family !
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
it was so great to meet at our Rotary Convention
at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
Yes, heartfelt greetings, wishes and gratitude also to all those of you
whom we met in SaltLakeCity where we were present with our ' Environment
Fellowship of Rotarians ' information booth and every day we received
the visits and answered the many questions from a constant flow of quite
interested visitors. Like at each Rotary International Convention, it
was an especially great opportunity for so much fellowship, as well as
sharing with Rotarians involved in exciting environmental projects with
Rotary Clubs worldwide. And if you did not make it this year, we'll be
able to perhaps meet next year at our Convention to be held in Los Angeles,
as well as remain in contact by email.
Congratulations to each of you for your many good actions and projects
in Rotary, and especially for those focusing on the Environment and Sustainable
Development !
Through the ' Environment Fellowship of Rotarians ' we have also the opportunity
to share the best of these our projects with other Rotary Clubs for them
to consider.
With this message today, I hereby share with you the response we received
from our Board of Directors of RI. Their guidance to us agrees with our
original plan.
Yes, we were right ! Just like last year at the RI Convention in Copenhagen
when we invited from Rotarians expressions of interest in facilitating
environmental Rotarian Action Groups (RAGs) in each of the main areas
of the environment and sustainable development, we found that this is
now confirmed as the direction to go: the wish of our RI Board of Directors.
Although two years ago RI had suggested that we form just one RAG Environment
and consequently last year we did submit to RI the application for it,
after having considered it again at their June meeting, our RI Directors
now indicate to us that, instead of having just one RAG Environment, they
would prefer to welcome many RAGs, one in each field/area of the environment,
just like they welcomed already one on 'Water and Sanitation'. Although
forming these RAGs will take much more time, we follow their guidance
and you as Rotarian are now welcome to take this initiative in the field
you are most enthused and expert about.
Yes, while we are thus all welcome to remain united within our one global
' Environment Fellowship of Rotarians ' , if interested, each of us is
thus now invited to take the initiative and unite with other like-minded
Rotarians, their spouses, as well as Rotaractors, in order to form a RAG
in each of their specific fields of interest.
If and when you'll wish to consider forming an environmental RAG, feel
thus free to ask your specific questions, and we'll be happy to facilitate
by sharing with you our relevant experience and information.
You will note that I'm now member of a Rotary e-Club, which, like the
RAGs, is another wise and timely step forward called for by RI. Please
email me also if you have any questions regarding the Rotary e-Clubs.
They are for Rotarians who for any good reason are no longer able to participate
sufficiently in local clubs. It allows them to remain and serve as Rotarians.
E-Clubs also attract those potential Rotarians who otherwise could not
accept an invitation to Rotary. If you're interested to know more, you're
invited to visit www.recl.org , where you can also make up missed Rotary
meetings.
Yes, at the beginning of Rotary's 2nd century, and as we have started
our new Rotary year, united within our 'Environment Fellowship of Rotarians'
, we'll all continue to fulfill its purpose by enjoying good rotarian
fellowship !
Yes, united in our ' Environmet Fellowship of Rotarians ' , we'll continue
to promote ' Preserve Planet Earth ' , which had been started thanks to
the proactive dedication and great vision of our PRIP Paulo Costa.
We're all united by our shared interest in Rotary and in our environment
and sustainable development, and yours are the very best wishes for the
always better fellowship and sharing which we have so well experienced
at the recent Rotary International Convention.
Yours sincerely, Marco
Marco Kappenberger
Rotary E-Club of Latinoamérica, District 4200
President, Environment Fellowship of Rotarians
kappenberger@gmail.com
247, Apia, Samoa
+685 42014 & +685 7510777 (NewZealand time)
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