Friday, March 15, 2019

In the Forest

Pencil on Paper by Winry Marini 2012

"There is no WiFi in the forest but you will find a better connection"
ForestEthics

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."
John Muir

Forest is so inspiring. Many kind of animals live there. Birds and monkeys on the trees and the fierce tigers on the ground. I love forest especially the tropical rain-forest.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Little Devil and Angel - The Flower - Children's Book Illustration

Little Devil and Angel - The Globe - Children's Book Illustration

Tree of Charity

Illustration by Winry Marini, 2016
Planting a tree is an act of charity
"If anyone who submits to the will of God (مسلم) plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift for that person." ~ Prophet Muhammad (Imam Bukhari)

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Tiger SOS: three steps to saving the Sumatran tiger

Sarah Christie, Conservation Programme Manager, Zoological Society of London explains why every child should grow up remembering the day that they looked a tiger in the eye. 

The SOS call aims to increase the public's awareness of the plight of the tiger, 
specifically that of the critically-endangered Sumatran tiger Photo: PA
Tigers are now close to extinction. If we want this magnificent beast to still roam the jungles in 2050, we have to act fast. And it is important that we do, because saving the tiger is much more than just saving a species.

Tigers are a “flagship”, a hugely powerful icon of the wild; nobody is immune, whether your primary reaction is awe and wonder or outright fear.

And tigers are also an “umbrella” – in protecting a viable population of tigers, you effectively also protect not only thousands of other species living in the same forest, but also the “ecosystem services” – carbon storage, watersheds, stopping soil erosion – that not just wildlife but also humans desperately need for our long-term survival. Suddenly, we’re talking about more than just tigers; we’re talking Save the Tiger, and Save the Planet too.

Tigers are a “flagship”, a hugely powerful icon of the wild; nobody is immune, whether your primary reaction is awe and wonder or outright fear.

Sarah Christie, ZSL Conservation 
Programme Manager
And tigers are also an “umbrella” – in protecting a viable population of tigers, you effectively also protect not only thousands of other species living in the same forest, but also the “ecosystem services” – carbon storage, watersheds, stopping soil erosion – that not just wildlife but also humans desperately need for our long-term survival. Suddenly, we’re talking about more than just tigers; we’re talking Save the Tiger, and Save the Planet too.

The Zoological Society of London's unique approach to saving the Sumatran tiger, the subject of our Tiger SOS campaign, can be outlined in three steps. First, stop the killing. Second, save the habitat.

And third, make it sustainable. Our “Wildlife Crime Units” in Indonesia are on the front line, tackling the poaching on the ground.

Our “Tiger Corridors Team” are working with government and industry to plan development, enabling Indonesia’s people to progress to modern lifestyles without destroying their forests; and our “Tiger Friendly Carbon Trading” project will make the whole thing sustainable.

By stopping carbon emissions from illegal logging and burning, carbon credits can be sold on the international market, providing funds for park protection, community benefits, and government income. Everybody wins!


First, stop the killing.
Second, save the habitat.
And third, make it sustainable.


And all of this will be directly linked to our new Tiger Conservation HQ in central London.
The exhibit will not only be a state-of-the-art Ambassadorial residence for Sumatran tigers and part of the global conservation breeding programme coordinated by ZSL, it will also help to provide the sustainability part of the solution, by generating funds and by continuing to inspire future generations.

It is too easy in the modern world to lose all sense of connection with nature, but come face to face with a Sumatran tiger in our Indonesian tropical forest and you will suddenly remember that you are a mere human and that other creatures have a right to live on earth too.

Our tigers will connect with every visiting child – they may not grow up to be conservationists, but instead be politicians, movie stars or even (perish the thought) bankers; but they will grow up remembering the day that they looked a tiger in the eye, and just maybe that will change their adult lives.
(www.telegraph.co.uk)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Inspiring Pictures by Children from All over the World

The winning picture of the International Children’s Painting Competition.
Global Youth Environment Summit in Bandung

Bandung. A small girl opens a drab curtain showing felled trees and dead animals against a polluted landscape. She opens the curtain – and her gaze falls on a colorful forest with a variety of plants and animals. This is the image with which 13-year-old Trisha Co Reyes from the Philippines won the International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment 2011.

She was now honored, together with the runner-up and the winners from the various regions, by Bayer and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) during the Tunza International Children and Youth Conference on the Environment taking place in Bandung, Indonesia.
With the United Nations declaring 2011 the International Year of Forests, the theme chosen for the 2011 competition was "Life in the Forests". "I wanted to show both sides of the forest: that which is threatened by environmental destruction and its beauty at the same time," said Trisha, who had been inspired to paint her picture by taking walks through the forest in her home country, adding: "Forests are essential for life, but today their destruction has become a global problem. We need to value the biggest biological treasure our Earth possesses so that we will still have forests in the future." The girl from the Philippines won the International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment by beating 4 million rivals from 99 countries, an absolute record in the history of the competition. When Bayer was first involved in 2004, there were only around 10,000 entries. Founded in 1991 by the Japanese Foundation for Global Peace and Environment, the competition has been continually expanded as a permanent fixture in the global partnership between Bayer and UNEP and is also supported by Nikon. In the 20th year of its existence, 600,000 children from all around the world took part. In addition, another 3.4 million girls and boys from China aged between six and 14 entered a special competition organized with the help of a local partner.

Children formulate the claim of future generations

"Since the beginning of the 1990s the world has changed substantially, and the challenges are steadily increasing – for example with regard to creating jobs for young people and countering environmental destruction," said Achim Steiner, Vice-General Secretary of the United Nations and UNEP Executive Director. "What has remained the same is the talent and inspiring pictures of children from all over the world that have caused millions of people over the years who have seen them in exhibitions and calendars and on postcards and the Internet to stop and wonder, think again and act."


Addressing the 1,400 or so conference participants from around 100 countries, host Steiner added: "Responsible young people are the United Nations' most valuable asset."


"We take the fears and hopes expressed by the children in their paintings seriously. The commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development, which are both of major importance for future generations, is an integral part of our corporate philosophy," said Dirk Frenzel, Head of Public Policy and the Environment in Bayer's Communications Department at the awards ceremony. "The new record number of entries in the painting competition, and the Tunza conference and the great response to it, are further milestones in our global partnership with UNEP."
The environment conference was opened by two honored guests: the Indonesian Vice-President Professor Boediono and the Indonesian Environment Minister Professor Gusti Muhammed Hatta.

UNEP boss Achim Steiner (right) and Dirk Frenzel, Bayer Communications, presented the prize certificate to International Childrens’ Painting Competition on the Environment 2011 winner Trisha Co Reyes (13) from the Philippines at the environmental youth summit in Bandung, Indonesia.

Environmental Envoy Mohammad Bijaksana Junerosano (left) shows Dr. Thomas-Peter Hausner, Senior Bayer Representative (second from right), eco-friendly bags.


Regional winners
This year, 13-year-old Marylène Schröder from Leer in Lower Saxony won in the Europe region. "The great diversity of plants and animals is essential for the balance of our global ecosystem", said Marylène. Like global winner Trisha, the runner-up – 14-year-old Erina Hashimoto from Japan, who also won the regional competition in Asia-Pacific – and the winners in the other regions of the world, the German school student received a certificate, cash and non-cash prizes and had her expenses for attending the environment conference paid. The winners in the other regions were 13-year-old Prerika Chawla from the United States (North America region), Lara García, aged 9, from Argentina (Latin America and Caribbean region) ,14-year-old Monica Adhiambo Arego from Kenya (Africa region) and 14-year-old Alya Al Kaabi from the United Arab Emirates (West Asia region).


2012 competition
The subject of the new painting competition is "Green Communities." Children from all over the world are invited to commit to paper their ideas on environmental protection in important living areas such as towns and cities, forests, oceans or the atmosphere. The paintings should offer answers to the question: "What don't you like or what makes you unhappy about the way Nature is treated in these living areas?" And especially to the question: "What wishes and hopes do you have for environmental protection?"

The competition is open to all children who will be between the ages of six and 14 on June 5, 2012 (World Environment Day). Closing date for entries is February 15, 2012. The paintings must be on DIN A4 or A3 paper. The first and last names, age, address, telephone number and email address of the entrant or his/her parent/legal guardian must be written on the back. Any type of painting materials may be used. The pictures must have been exclusively painted for this competition.

Entries must be sent by post to the UNEP Regional Office for Europe at the following address: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Regional Office for Europe, International Environment House, 11 - 13 Chemin des Anémones, 6th Floor A & B Blocks, 1219 Châtelaine - Geneva, Switzerland.

"Bandung Declaration"
More than 1,000 children and young people voiced their unqualified support for environmental protection at the environmental summit in Indonesia. With their sights set on the UN Sustainability Conference "Rio +20" in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, they adopted the "Bandung Declaration," in which they called on the global community to step up its efforts in the search for solutions in the interest of sustainable development. "We […] are united in calling upon world leaders to move to a sustainable development pathway that safeguards the Earth and its people for our generation and generations to come," was the first sentence of the manifesto.

"Reshaping Our Future Through Green Economy and Sustainable Lifestyles" was the motto under which the young environmentalists attending the conference on Java discussed fundamental approaches for tackling environmental problems such as climate change, extinction of species and the shortage of water and, at the same time, for opening up new perspectives for economic growth – for example through renewable energies, resource-saving production methods and sustainable lifestyles.

"With their enthusiasm, young people can play a key pioneering role in the matter of environmental protection. All the participants of the environment summit have shown this – they are involved in specific projects and, as such, are setting an example. They convince others and help to make environmental protection becoming cool in their countries too," added UNEP boss Steiner. 

UNEP-Bayer partnership
The painting competition and the environment summit are two out of a dozen projects that Bayer organizes jointly with UNEP and supports every year with a total of EUR 1.2 million. The current agreement on the partnership established in 2004 runs until the end of 2013. Other joint activities in the areas of youth, children and the environment include regional environmental summits, the "Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program", a photography competition in Central and Eastern Europe and the "Tunza" youth magazine. (www.bnc.bayer.com)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Water Changes Everything

Almost a billion people live without clean drinking water. We call this the water crisis. It's a crisis because it only starts with water -- but water affects everything in life.

Health. Education. Food security. And the lives of women and children, especially.

A clean water project nearby means more than safe drinking water to women and children in developing nations; it means time, freedom and incentive to change their communities.

We can end the water crisis in our lifetime. But first we have to let everyone know it's happening. Learn how water changes everything -- and share this with everyone you know.

Written by charity: water + Jonathan Jarvis
Animation by Jonathan Jarvis
Voiceover by Kristen Bell
Score and sound effects by Douglas Kaufman

http://www.youtube.com/user/charitywater