26 April 2004 Young Environmental Leaders Propose Agenda for Action

New Zealand's young environmental leaders have called for cancellation of third world interest bills, a consumer boycott on wasteful products, and more action on recycling by local councils, in a wide-ranging package of resolutions.

The ideas for local and global action have been developed by over 80 young delegates (16-18 years old) at this year's biennial Youth EnviroSchool (YES 2004), held just after Easter at Lincoln University.

Co-convenor Professor Ian Spellerberg says the students had clearly put a lot of work into their presentations, during a week of workshops, field trips and discussions. The students were keen to put forward a set of resolutions for New Zealand's leaders in the community, business and government.

They've identified a need for progress at a number of levels, and are aware that sustainability is concerned with the social environment as well as the physical environment. The resolutions include the financing of AIDs medications for third world countries and a call for developed world to stop using all of the world's resources as if they were communal.

YES 2004 was a packed programme of topics ranging from the role of the media in environmental education to ecological footprints. Workshops ranged from water quality monitoring to modelling the climate. Topics such as biotechnology, the protection of marine mammals, and the impacts of trade conventions prompted vigorous discussion.

YES 2004 marks the 14^th anniversary and eighth (biennial) Lincoln University EnviroSchool.  This year the patrons were Dr Vandana Shiva (India) and the New Zealand Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Morgan Williams.  The event had its own environmental policy, including the minimal use of paper, conference bags which double as shopping bags, environmentally friendly pens, and locally sourced food.

The major sponsor this year was Solid Energy, also with long term sponsors Rotary International. Other sponsors included Lincoln University Foundation, The Canterbury Foundation, MAF Sustainable Farming Fund, City of Capetown, South Africa, and regional councils throughout New Zealand.

Awarded the Ministry for the Environment 'Green Ribbon Award' in 1996, YES 2004 carried on the strong tradition of promoting environmental sustainability. The key elements have always been good science, strong ethics and positive action. This concept of EnviroSchool has been presented by Lincoln Staff at international conferences and has been published in international journals.  

The full list of recommendations and resolutions from YES 2004 is as follows:

A. Education.

1. Those who attended YES 2004 will offer to speak on this event at our schools and write an article for the school newspaper.
2. Those who attended YES 2004 resolve to encourage more environmental education in schools.

B. World.

3. YES 2004 recommends that AIDS drugs be made free or at least be subsidised to people in third world countries.
4. YES 2004 recommends that there should no longer be interest charged for loans to third world countries.
5. In the interests of sustainability, the practice of the first world nations utilizing the world’s resources as if those resources were communal should be abandoned

C. Responsible use of resources.

6. YES 2004 participants resolve that recycling centres should be provided by local councils in all shopping centres in all urban areas and that there should be much more education about the relevance of recycling for sustainability.
7. As a global community we resolve to consider the impacts of what we are purchasing and thus encourage a reduction in the demand for expendable, wasteful goods – especially those goods from companies with poor environmental track records.

D. Business and retail.

8. YES 2004 recommends that there should be an increase in awareness and responsibility for our environment in business and in society.
9. YES 2004 recommends that there should be greater awareness of environmental issues in the retail sector including the reduced use of plastic bags, greater use of paper bags and greater use of returnable glass bottles.
10. We recommend that farmers should try biological controls before resorting to chemicals.

E. The news media.

11.  YES 2004 recommends that the media (T.V. radio and newspapers) extend their portfolio of main topics to include regular and informed articles on the environment and sustainable use of nature.

Ian Spellerberg, On behalf of the YES 2004 Organising Committee, Lincoln University