Diplomats from Canada, Germany, France, Japan, the Netherlands, UK, US and Azerbaijan raise environmental awareness in Islamabad
Islamabad’s diplomatic community came forward to support Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘Clean Green Pakistan’ by initiating cleanup drive on August 28.
Diplomats and embassy staff joined the two-hour cleanup and recycling drive under the “DiploGreen” to endorse the recent plastic bag ban in Islamabad and raise environmental awareness.
More than 100 volunteers began their day in the streets first collecting trash and then sorting the garbage into one of the five coloured bins — one each for paper, plastic, tetra pack, glass and metal. The bins were provided by Pappu Recycles, a recycling initiative by Saaf Suthra Sheher, that collects segregated waste and sell it to recycling plants for paper, plastic, and other materials.
The ‘DiploGreen’ community-wide initiative was initiated by Canadian High Commission in Pakistan and joined by embassies of Germany, France, Japan, Azerbaijan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States to raise environmental awareness.
Canadian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ms Wendy Gilmour, who spearheaded the green initiative, said: “We are all impacted by environmental issues. It is imperative that we continue to work together across geographic and political boundaries to protect our natural surroundings.” Gilmour added that “the diplomatic community came together to clean and recycle our way to a healthier environment for us all” and to raise awareness about the environment.
The drive was followed by a gathering at the Canadian High Commission to continue the conversation about environmental awareness. Malik Amin Aslam, Advisor to PM on Climate Change, Sheikh Ansar Aziz, Mayor of Islamabad, several ambassadors, attended the ceremony.
Malik Amin Aslam thanked the diplomatic community for their contribution towards cleanliness. Emphasizing the government’s key environmental achievements, Aslam said “Pakistan is fully committed to combat climate change by introducing several measures, including plantation of ten billion trees under 10 Billion Tree Tsunami, ban on single-use plastic bags.”
Ministry of Climate Change is also working to introduce environmental friendly policy on electric vehicles, green buildings and waste management.
The use of single-use carrier plastic bags have been completely banned in Islamabad since August 14 and violators may face a ban from Rs5,000 to Rs500,000.