Annual Report of Fellowship Activities 2008-09
At the end of this Rotary year 2008-2009, the EFR looks back at 12 months full of quality fellowship while promoting the vision and action towards a better environment through Preserve Planet Earth for a sustainable global development. We enjoyed many thousand opportunities for fellowship globally, regionally, or locally, optimally using the best of the new communications technologies, visiting each-other's Rotary Clubs, or meeting at Rotary Conferences, again at the 100th Rotary Convention in Birmingham/UK, and at the Rotary Day at the United Nations in New York City.
In true Rotarian fellowship, all volunteering as best we can, we have again been able to function another year without asking dues, and thus not having to present any financial report.
Yes, as usual since several years, we participated at the Rotary International Convention, had our Annual Meeting there, and enjoyed to welcome also a larger number of Rotarians from Europe and especially also from Africa who visited our stand, where we did concentrate on presenting exemplary environmental projects.
We hosted a conference by Italian Rotarian Matteo Perchiazzi on "Rotary E-Mentoring for Rotarians and Rotaractors worldwide contributes to a better global Environment": a subject in which there was much interest among the Convention participants who are now following up through the website www.rotaryementoring.org.
Again we have contributed proactively facilitating a still larger number of environmental projects through many Rotary Clubs worldwide. These projects included also the creation of urban gardens, parks, woodlands or greenbelts; or the organization of clean-up days along river-, lake-, or ocean shores; assist poor communities to obtain clean drinking water; recycling of waste; reforestation; as well as environmental educational programs, etc.
We communicate especially also through email and via our website, as well as through Facebook and soon Twitter etc. Our Website is already in several languages, and we expect it to eventually grow to include all RI languages, so to make it always more universally accessible. Moreover, we have now a Bulletin Board which we encourage all to sign up in and start using.
Very aware of the close link between the environment and disasters, as well as convinced that a healthy environment does prevent disasters or at least reduce substantially the impact of the destruction caused, we developed a good relation with the Disaster Relief - Rotarian Action Group (DRRAG) which a growing number of Rotarians supporting 'Preserve Planet Earth', the Environment, and Sustainable Development, have already joined so to contribute for the DRRAG to be always ready for immediate best action possible everywhere on our planet.
Our fellowship had contributed to the formation of the Water and Sanitation RAG, and, in contact with interested Rotarians, we continue to facilitate also so many water projects globally.
All along, the EFR has been facilitating the formation of environmental Rotarian Action Groups (RAG), and we have been happy to announce the 'Rotarian Action Group on Waste and Recycling', a new RAG being formed at present.