Nation Observes 15th Anniversary of Environment Day

The official anniversary ceremony coincides with launch of the planned Seoul Metropolitan Eco-Clean Center

The landfill site run by Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corp. was the venue of an official ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of Environment Day on June 4. The anniversary and other diverse events took place in celebration of World Environment Day 2010. More than 20,000 people assembled for the official ceremony at the landfill site in Baekseok-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, on the northwestern outskirts of Seoul. Among those on hand were Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, Minister of Environment Lee Maanee, foreign ambassadors to Korea and representatives of environmental organizations and other NGOs.
The government’s theme for the Environment Ministry anniversary is “Green Growth! Green Powerhouse! A Big ROK!” The year 2010 also marks the third anniversary of the current government’s declaration of the national low carbon, green growth paradigm and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Environment Ministry. Prime Minister Chung said, “Green growth, attracting the eyes of the world, is a new trend, becoming both a means and a purpose for unifying the economy and the environment. Korea will be in a position to stand at the center of the trend.” Thirty-nine people, including Lee Yong-un, president of the Environment Management Research Center, were awarded with orders, medals and other diverse prizes in recognition of their contribution to preserving the environment. Lee was honored with the Order of National Civil Merit, Camellia, for taking the initiative in promoting the rights of environmental technicians and engineers while heading for six years the Korea Environmental Engineers Federation, which he founded.

The anniversary ceremony coincided with a ceremony to launch the planned Seoul Metropolitan Eco-Clean Center to suggest the direction of green growth through a virtuous cycle of resources. The Eco-Clean Center will be built on a landfill area of approximately 4.6 million square meters with the purpose of changing waste into energy through an investment of 1.5 trillion won by 2017. The project calls for building four theme towns ― waste-to-resources town, natural power town, environment town and cultural town ― with the capacity to produce energy equivalent to the demand of about 890,000 households.
The Environment Ministry plans to create a world-class green tourism complex on top of the Eco-Clean Center so that the landfill site will change into a global environmental attraction.
The diplomatic missions participating in the anniversary ceremony were given an opportunity to tour major facilities of the Sudokwon Landfill and the nearby National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR). The tour was designed to introduce Korea’s achievements on green growth and facilitate international exchanges in the environment industry.
A wildflower festival at the landfill site, a cultural performance on biodiversity and a children’s drawing contest also took place in celebration of Environment Day and were participated in by neighborhood residents. Shuttle buses ran between the landfill site and the NIBR to give residents an opportunity to see the importance of biodiversity in celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity.
Local governments, environmental organizations and other groups organized about 280 events marking the Environment Day anniversary across the nation to show the direction and vision of the national green growth paradigm. About 5,000 people representing government, civic and military units conducted water clean-up campaigns along the nation’s four major rivers to preserve tap water resources.
Korea has been marking Environment Day annually since 1996 when June 6 was designated as Environment Day. World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution adopted by the General Assembly on the same day led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The theme of World Environment Day 2010 was “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” The theme calls for transforming a nation of scarcity of natural resources into a powerhouse of green resources through a waste-to-resources mindset shift. nw

Prime Minister Chung Un-chan gives a commemorative speech at the Environment Day anniversary event at the Sudokwon Landfill Site.

Dignitaries attend a ceremony to launch the planned Seoul Metropolitan Eco-Clean Center to suggest the direction of green growth through a virtuous cycle of resources.

Among those on hand at a ceremony to open the wild flow festival are (from left, front row) Environment Minister Lee Maanee, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik and Sudokwon Landfill Management Corp. CEO Cho Chun-koo.

The wild flower festival takes place at the Sudokwon Landfill Site.

Kim Sang-gyun, vice president of Korea Rail Network Authority, is awarded with the presidential award at the Environment Day anniversary event for his part in contributing to the construction of environmentally-friendly railways and ensuring low-carbon, green growth by reducing GHG emissions.