AIT, UNEP and MNRE Celebrate World
Environment Day
AIT, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) of the Royal Thai Government on 4 June 2004 celebrated the World Environment Day through various environmental awareness activities at the AIT campus.
The event started at 8:00 a.m. with a Campus Environmental Walk were AIT faculty, staff, students and residents and UNEP staff and representatives participated. The participants wore white shirts printed with words: 'AIT Celebrates World Environment Day.' Participants in the walk were divided into three groups and the group started their walk from three different origins. The participants joyfully walked side by side carrying streamers containing environmental awareness campaign messages.
The walk was followed at 9:30 a.m. by a Tree Planting Ceremony in connection with the Arboretum Project,, a collaborative project between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Royal Thai Government and AIT on the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's Sixth Cycle Birth Anniversary. Located in the front (formerly golf course) area of AIT campus, the Arboretum when completed will feature Arboretum Garden and International Collection, Botanic Garden, Evergreen Forest and Mixed Deciduous Forest, Medicinal Garden, Thai Orchids Nursery, Royal Collection Trees and Tree Show, and Lotus Family.
Distinguished guests at the Tree Planting Ceremony, from left: Dr. Douglas Hykle , Coordinator, IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU Secretariat; Dr. Suvit Yodmani, Executive Director, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC); Dr. Monthip Sriratana Tabucanon, Inspector General of MNRE; and Mrs. Soontaree Vichaisarn, wife of the Governor of Pathumthani Province.
The Tree Planting Ceremony started with a welcome message by Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost. The opening remarks was delivered by Dr. Monthip Sriratana Tabucanon, Inspector General, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Following the inspiring remarks from Dr. Monthip, the children from the AIT Community School sang the song, 'The Garden', and performed 'Salute the Trees.' Prior to the tree planting proper, Dr. Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt, Faculty member, NRM Field of Study, SERD gave a brief description of the tree species which will be planted by distinguished guests that day.
Mr. Dominukus von Pescatore (left), Senior Bayer Representative for Country Group North ASEAN and Managing Director of Bayer Thai, and Dr. Douglas Hykle, Coordinator/Senior CMS Advisor and IOSEA Marine turtle MoU Secretariat, UNEP, planting a tree together.
The tree planting commenced when more than 260 seedlings representing 130 varieties of trees were planted at the Arboretum by AIT faculty, staff, and students together with the officials of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, UNEP, ADPC, WWF, AIT, Pathumthani Provincial Government, and universities and institutions situated in Pathumthani Province.
At 10:30 a.m., the celebration of World Environment Day moved on to the AIT Conference Center where an Exhibition under the theme of 'WANTED: Seas and Oceans, Dead or Alive' took place. Mr. Vichit Vichaisarn, Governor of Pathumthani and his wife, Mrs. Soontaree Vichaisarn took part in the viewing of the exhibition as well as the panel discussion. One exhibition poster showed healthy ocean with different ecosystems - mangrove, seagrass, coral reef, and other aquatic organism of plants and animals. Still an another interesting poster showed different activities and impacts affecting the seas and oceans. The poster executed ideas of pollution being done on land, coastal zone and off-shore wherein the cumulative effects destroy the marine environment. The third poster showed some tools and measures on how human can utilize and manage marine resources in a sustainable manner. The fourth poster showed monitoring environment using remote sensing and GIS as a tool and technology.
Entries of the Drawing and Painting Contest by the AIT Community School students were also exhibited, and prizes for the winners of the contest were presented by Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost, to five winners.
At the exhibition, Mr. Dominukus von Pescatore, Senior Bayer Representative for Country Group North ASEAN and Managing Director of Bayer Thai, and Dr. Douglas Hykle, UNEP Senior Advisor to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and co-ordinator of a regional agreement to conserve marine turtles, presented the winning prize of US$500 to Miss Lau Hei Tung, age 10, from Hong Kong who was the winner of the UNEP's Art and Writing competition sponsored by Bayer. She won over 1200 contestants from 14 countries in Asia.
The celebration ended with the Environmental Panel Debate by Dr. Douglas Hykle from UNEP, Dr. Maitree Duangsawasdi, Director General, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, MNRE; Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, Representative from AIT' Student Union and a SERD student from Integrated Tropical Coastal Zone Management (ITCZM Field); and Dr. Somsak Boromthanarat, Faculty and Coordinator, ITCZM, who also acted as the moderator
Cutting the ribbon to open the World Environment Day Exhibition are from left: Prof. Tabucanon, Provost; Mr. Vichit Vichaisarn, Governor of Pathumthani Province; and Dr. Maitree Duangsawasdi, Director General, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, MNRE.
AIT, UNEP, MNRE officials together with the Governor of Pathumthani Province and his wife seen in a group photo with the winners of the Drawing/Painting Contest and Miss Lau Hei Tung (in red dress) from Hong Kong, the first prize winner of the UNEP's Art and Writing competition sponsored by Bayer. Also in the photo is Mr. Dominukus von Pescatore (back row, center), Senior Bayer Representative for Country Group North ASEAN and Managing Director of Bayer Thailand. The panelists at the Environmental Debate are, from left: Dr. Doublas Hykle from UNEP; Dr. Somsak Boromthanarat, Faculty and Coordinator, ITCZM/SERD who was the Moderator; Dr. Maitree Duangsawasdi, Director General, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, MNRE; and Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, a student of ITCZM.