I’m hoping to resume focus on green transport and realize that a specialist website may serve this purpose somewhat better. Therefore please see here for a new site currently under construction devoted entirely to transport:
https://wordpress.com/view/transportability.wordpress.com
I no longer promote the use of ewheels given that manufacturers are now making them with top speeds of over 50mph which is obviously completely unsafe. So focus is likely to be on scooters and urban commuter systems.
This is an opinion piece providing ideas on how we can resolve the Ukraine conflict and build a lasting world peace for the future. Reading time just over 10 minutes. Section 1, including sub-sections, shares ideas for all of us. Section 2 is primarily for politicians and policy makers, but also contains ideas and philosophies which I regard as beneficial for all. For a quicker read you can simply read the parts most relevant to you or for ideas on systems to help ensure overall peace from now on, go straight to the ‘Maintaining a lasting world peace’ section.’
Disclaimer
The author is not an expert regarding the political issues discussed and has no political agenda or allegiances. The author does not wish to involve himself in controversial political situations from now on and wishes to resume focus on green transport and education. This text is not about saying who is right or wrong. These are just ideas shared in the sincere hope that others with more knowledge and experience can build upon them to help create, in any small way, a more peaceful existence for all of us.
This is written with goodwill and kindness as a starting point but apologies if anything is wrong or unhelpful, please just take what is useful.
Section 1: Ideas for all of us
See the bigger picture, read widely & be aware of echo chambers
The Russian media is often regarded as state controlled and highly biased but I believe we all need to rise beyond our little echo chambers and propaganda on both sides to free ourselves from dangerously partisan ways of thinking. The idea of ‘us and them’ is divisive and even more dangerous if it’s ‘we’re good’ and ‘they’re bad’. When large groups of people are fed vastly differing narratives thus colouring their perceptions it limits chances of overlap in views where common ground of agreement can be found. This is one of the dangers of propaganda. Any balanced views may then be regarded as dissent within that group so the extreme narrative becomes self-perpetuating given that people wish to conform within their group.
There is a saying in Chinese that listening to both sides leads to brightness (of understanding), but prejudice leads to darkness (兼听则明，偏信则暗). It’s especially important nowadays to read widely across different media sources from different countries and maybe even in different languages. I believe that raising awareness of echo-chambers, propaganda and the need to read widely needs to be part of our school education everywhere. Most teacher’s workloads needs to be made far more manageable, but this should still be included within measures to prevent radicalisation or in media studies and sociology.
Be aware of ‘controversy focus’ in the media
We should treasure and protect a free and open press this is vital in limiting the disparity in the narratives fed to different groups. But with freedom there comes responsibility and a need for reporters and news providers to be aware of cause and effect. Media coverage can cause more harm than good if there is excessive controversy focus – ‘stirring the spoon’ reporting negative things that one person or group has said about another. We seem to have become so obsessed with judgements that when a president shoots his mouth off and makes a critical comment this receives more coverage than the actual events they relate to. They know that controversy sells and so ‘sensationalist gossip’ has become so common we take it as the norm. This is especially the case in America where the political climate has become so divisive that it’s attracted so-called ‘tough-guy’ politicians who then give the media even more controversy to feed off. We need to de-escalate and tune down the rhetoric, less bar room banter from leaders. The more extreme the one side becomes the more extreme the other becomes, through our speech we can add to the snowball or through our patience, understanding and kindness we can melt it. Peace is the result of wisdom. Sensitive careful wording from a president or leader is even more important in times such as these and if they lack the wisdom to see this then at least the media need to focus less on the crass comments and focus more on the actual situation.
Sloppy wording in the press can also create false links in impressionable minds – for example to say that a given country or government ‘feels..’ is wrong, feelings belong to individuals. Be careful of the words you choose, each is a stone thrown into the lake of human consciousness and creates ripples. We also need more compassion shown for the other side – to describe this as a battle of ‘light against dark’ is unhelpful, that’s a false and dangerous analogy. The individuals in the Russian army are also valuable unique people with every right to happiness and wellbeing. Like many, I believe they should not be in Ukraine at all, but as individuals many of them are also victims of this situation. Also please do not describe Zelensky as ‘Ukraine’s Churchill’, this by extension refers to Nazi Germany, and is not at all conducive to the de-escalation we need to see.
Recognise the value of the UN & multi-lateral cooperation
As with the Iraq war, this was done without a UN (United Nations) Security Council resolution. This is our wake up call to show us that it’s unsafe to have too much power concentrated in the hands of one individual. It’s also shown us that despite the farcical antics of many elections and what we call democracy, it still has value. Most of all though, it shows the immense value and security afforded by peaceful multi-lateral organisations especially the UN and the EU (European Union). Even though the UN could not stop this conflict directly they are still the only nearly all-inclusive arena for dialogue with the collective power to offer help on a large scale. I vehemently disagree with any notion that their inability to stop this conflict indicates a lack of real value. The fact that UN security council members can veto proposals means that they can stop resolutions approving military action against themselves. This prevents UN approved military engagement between security council members which is of utmost importance and provides enormous incentive for continued membership. Also the UN is a unique platform for many (nearly all) voices to be heard to add new sounds into echo chambers and de-radicalise. The vote by the UN general assembly condemning the invasion sent a clear message that is far more powerful than any message from the leaders of any one member state. This cannot be dismissed as ‘bias’, as ‘rhetoric’ or ‘western propaganda’ – this was a united message with actual numbers to show the consensus.
Recognise the true heroes
Sometimes the worst can bring out the best in people, and we’re seeing that every day, in the bravery of Russian anti-war protesters, Greenpeace volunteers blocking passage of oil tankers knowing that our addiction to fossil fuels is fuelling this conflict. Also in the kindness of so many millions of people who are contributing their money, time, energy, homes and much more to help. This restores hope and it this kindness and love which helps us weather such storms and sometimes collectively come out the stronger for it.
Section 2: Ideas for policymakers
Focus on restoring peace through diplomacy & reason – not weapons (for politicians)
There’s no glory in war. This war needs to stop as soon as possible through diplomacy and negotiation. We need a peace agreement. Personally I agree with Germany’s former policy of not sending weapons to the side we hope will win, such actions keep arms dealers in business, add to tensions, cost money and set a precedent for others supporting the other side to do the same. Arming the underdog can also escalate and prolong a conflict causing more suffering and can cost many lives. Whether this situation constitutes an exception is open to debate but now that Ukraine has already been extensively armed through multiple donors, I believe governments need to shift the focus to diplomacy, negotiation, peacemaking efforts and economic tools. The immense benefit of economic integration and peaceful ways of expressing discontent through sanctions have been shown. Despite this Ukraine officials have been asking for weapons ceaselessly and often with little regard to the wider implications of this. This is not at all to blame them, they’re in an extremely difficult situation. This is just a reminder that great caution is required on the part of the countries who supply those weapons. At the very least provision of weapons to Ukraine must be done on strict condition that they are to be used for defence only and absolutely no long range weapons should be provided to Ukraine. NATO thankfully and very wisely said no to Ukraine’s repeated demands for a no fly zone, that would have been even more dangerous. We may be unable to stop the conflict right away but we can and must choose to not be militarily involved while making every other effort to help Ukraine. It’s not weakness, it’s wisdom and wisdom is knowing what to do and what not to do. Compassion must be combined with wisdom to form the pillars of world peace.
Whoever helps bring about peace through diplomacy and negotiation, wherever they are from, deserves the highest recognition possible. Likewise we need more recognition of the subtle actions and words of those who pave the way to de-escalation even if this means breaking from our obsession with the sensational. I believe we should venerate peacemakers more and glorify the fighters less.
Offer a path to de-escalation and cessation of conflict (for negotiators and policy makers)
To encourage Putin to withdraw the Russian troops a concession would be required – something that can be held up to the Russian public to try to justify the invasion and allay concerns. It may seem wrong to offer concessions to an aggressor, but this conflict needs to de-escalate and stop. Russia has already paid a huge price. Any notion that the Russian regime needs to be made to suffer for its wrongdoings at the expense of overall peace is misplaced and deeply unhelpful. We’re all interconnected and conflicts such as this have absolutely no place in our modern society. Justice must be served – war crimes must be investigated and those responsible held to account and sanctions can still be imposed, but our top priority must be the return to peace. Be very wary of anyone who claims fighting is the only way to achieve this.
As of late May the Russian plan seems to be to secure the Southern and Eastern parts of Ukraine and so immediate focus should be on cessation of hostilities and on preventing further advances beyond those areas already secured. The Ukrainian government could make proposals concerning Luhansk and Donetsk regions – for example, they could receive a special status as autonomous entities within Ukraine with right of self-governance within the sovereign jurisdiction of Ukraine and assurance of equal rights and safety for all those who live in these regions1. A compromise could see Russia maintain control for a given time in which it needs to rebuild and repair the places it occupies. However; at the time of writing the peace talks seem to have stalled and so the UN and NATO could offer a way out through some kind of concession or negotiation.
Some ideas from others include a formal declaration that Ukraine will not join NATO, a promise of no further eastern NATO expansion and an agreement that any military aid to Ukraine is to be restored to the same level as it was before the conflict began.
My own idea would be a vote by the general assembly as to whether the UN should have greater control over NATO. For example, an agreement and reaffirmation that all NATO military action must be in self-defence only, such as in response to an invasion of a NATO country. Any other military action of choice by NATO must be via UN security council approval. The UN general assembly could first vote on whether a situation constitutes self-defence or action of choice. This would be conducive to greater peace by dispelling NATOphobia. NATO claims to be a defensive organisation only so such policies would simply be a reaffirmation of that. A further step would be to bring NATO entirely under the control of the security council – however; it’s unrealistic to expect NATO leaders to agree to this at the present time but if and when relations improve in future this could be discussed. These are just general recommendations and the intricacies would need to be finalised, but the point is that an ‘olive branch’ or change in policy offered by the UN or NATO could provide a pathway to de-escalation.
Those involved in negotiations should read the ‘‘Possible Draft of a Framework Agreement on the Restoration of Peaceful Relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation’’1 by Marc Weller and see which ideas are acceptable to both sides to restart negotiations with some common ground.
Maintain a lasting world peace
We need to realise that nowadays to win a war is likely as disastrous as losing one and that war has absolutely no place in our interconnected society and modern way of life. It will be essential to raise multilateral cooperation and the UN especially will have a huge role to play in creating a truly lasting world peace. We should urgently look at and implement ideas put forward by the Dalai Lama and others about demilitarisation & World peace zones. My own view on how this could be done is shown below. This is a work in progress and an outline without details of implementation – please get in touch if you believe any parts of it require improvement or omission.
1. Set up a World Peace Zone formed from UN member states. There would be greater emphasis on preventing conflict between member states with each member demilitarising together step-by-step. There would be more inclusivity, shared accountability, responsibility and transparency with a true sense of global citizenship. No incursions into any other country or contested territory would be allowed without UN Security Council approval. Any such incursions would be punishable by the UN as a whole and not by any individual country. Disputes between countries or groups, such as territorial claims, would be discussed openly, fairly and peacefully resolved through democratic voting in the UN. For example, after hearing from both sides the UN could vote on the status of a contested territory or vote on the best way to resolve it – referendums in those places overseen by the UN may be one option.
As each member state demilitarises their military infrastructure would step-by-step come under the control of the UN. The (UN) Peacekeeping force could be quickly created through voluntary recruitment of former army personnel in member states – as is currently the case the sole purpose of the Peacekeeping force will be to prevent conflict. The peace and security created by the UN and the Peacekeeping force would eventually take away the need for NATO military alliances. For now rather than just working together with the UN, NATO should be governed by the more inclusive UN.
2. Disband all nuclear weapons
The current situation has made it even clearer that nuclear weapons are a tragic and dangerous idea. Allowing countries to have nuclear weapons to prevent conflict is like letting school kids carry guns to prevent fist fights. The nuclear deterrent is not supposed to mean that a nuclear power can unjustly walk all over another country while the world prays for the sanity of the leaders. Nuclear weapons need to be urgently and systematically reduced in number, with only the UN collectively having control of the few remaining ones. They must then be phased out altogether. All nations need to agree to and abide by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Incentives for compliance could include more voting power in the UN, membership rights and the lifting or imposing of sanctions or travel restrictions on citizens from those countries. The UN needs to ensure NATO nations work together with China and Russia to reduce the nuclear arsenal systematically and openly to foster better relations. It may not be easy, but this is absolutely vital, nuclear weapons are quite simply the greatest threat we face. We people are good at doing the right thing once we’ve exhausted the other options, the UN for example was formed in 1945. But with nuclear weapons we simply cannot let things deteriorate, learn from our mistakes and then make better policies later on. In order to even have a ‘later on’ we must act now with the absolute highest level of urgency and determination to completely eradicate this threat and support the work of ‘Global Zero’ and other organisations trying to achieve this.
Visual Summary
Final thoughts
As the Dalai Lama has said, this needs to be the century of dialogue and world peace. Bringing about greater trust between East and West blocs will be key, this can be achieved through the UN, more constructive compassionate dialogue, through greater cooperation, through fairer more responsible media reporting in multiple languages and a greater sense of oneness and global citizenship. Language learning is a key aspect of this – especially Arabic, English, Mandarin, and Russian and especially for diplomats, negotiators and leaders.
Many nations have recently recorded their highest ever covid rates, let’s make sure our battle is against a virus and against climate change not ourselves and in so doing come together with greater trust and oneness.
Useful Links
If these ideas seem of value then please do read about and share how the UN are helping to create ‘Peace, dignity & equality on a healthy planet’.
https://www.un.org/en/about-us
The UN also has a news service viewable in many of the World’s languages https://news.un.org/
You can offer support via the UN Refugee Agency https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/ukraine-emergency#_ga=2.2591859.213436793.1648822811-964581140.1648822811
Read the various articles written by the Dalai Lama about the subject of World peace, the ideas are expressed with far more wisdom and eloquence than in the text above and are free from unnecessary intellectualisation. If you agree that these ideas and philosophies are now of paramount importance then please do share https://www.dalailama.com/messages/world-peace
References
1 Possible Draft of a Framework Agreement on the Restoration of Peaceful Relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, Marc Weller,
See also here
PDF of this text is shown below
Reading time about 5 minutes
Our current situation
Starting around March, 2020 the pollution levels in Sutton Coldfield, UK, went down considerably during the first lockdown and many of us started to appreciate cleaner air and birdsong as the noise levels went down. But with the dangers of public transport well documented many have resorted to their cars pushing pollution levels back up to where they were before and possibly beyond. Many drive alone which is hopelessly inefficient and wasteful. Some drive together with others in the vehicle which as of January 2021 is still often unsafe health wise (even though masks and open windows can help mitigate the risk).
The pollution problem in and around Birmingham has become steadily worse over many years with increased traffic anyway so we really do have a traffic and pollution crisis.
The solutions
In the long term we need more electric and hybrid vehicles as well as improved public transport such as trams or light railways. For now though, we also need awareness campaigns to remind people to turn off their engines when parked and waiting and we need the legalization of electric scooters including personally owned ones. But perhaps most importantly we need better cycling infrastructure.
A cycle superhighway along Monmouth drive
I have written about transport for a number of years and have never seen a more ideal location for a cycle superhighway (henceforth CSH). The wide grassy verge on the park side is almost entirely unused. The potential usefulness is shown by the sheer amount of traffic along this road.
The traffic is unsurprising given that it connects Sutton with the highly populated areas of Kingstanding and reaches out towards Walsall and Wolverhampton.
At least some of these drivers would sometimes cycle if this CSH were created therefore reducing pollution and noise for residents. The main benefit though would be vastly improved safety for cyclists compared to going on the road.
The one obvious question is ”Why bother? People can cycle in the park.” Taking a bike through the park to get to Sutton would be a detour for anyone going from some areas around Kingstanding and West of Wylde Green. Obviously those coming from Streetly and surroundings will likely still cycle through the park, but congestion in the park would be reduced enhancing safety and healthy distancing. Importantly it would also provide a safe night-time cycling alternative to going through the park.
Map above showing the proposed route in blue
(All map images from Map data ©2020 Google Earth – used in accordance with Google’s attribution guidelines)
This simple proposal would also create almost zero interference to drivers. Between Banners gate and Somerville Rd there are literally only two places where cars would have to pull out – the entrance to the Sailing club and golf club and then Stonehouse Rd. Drivers would in fact likely be happier given that many cyclists would be off the road altogether.
This is in contrast to the hastily removed Brassington avenue cycle lane which stopped drivers from taking a left turn along park road.
Lessons from Brassington Avenue
I personally was very much in favour of the pop-up cycle lane along Brassington avenue and used it frequently for the few weeks it was there. Going off a main road onto a well-designed separated cycleway greatly enhances the riders’ peace of mind. – this is something more of us need to experience to realise the true value of such bike schemes. The Brassington avenue scheme didn’t even last to the end of its trial period so very few people got a chance to experience this ‘bike-lane peacefulness’. We need to give some such schemes more time to gain traction and enter into people’s consciousness as alternatives. People need time to get used to them and to even be converted to liking them.
Designing for the future – extensions
In the case of Brassington avenue scheme one complaint was that it was isolated and not part of a network.
The truth is that it takes time for a network to emerge and it has to start somewhere. A CSH going along Birmingham Rd to Wylde Green and Chester Rd has been mentioned by others and this would still be both feasible and highly valuable.
In this case let’s be clear from the outset as to how this Monmouth Drive CSH could be extended in future.
Note how Monmouth drive is already a highlighted road within the Starley network plan and how it connects with the TfWM (Transport for West Midlands) route going down to Perry Barr from where the cycle superhighway leads to the city centre.
Shown below is a picture of the various possible future extensions.
Luckily Rough Rd (light blue-left) is more than wide enough to accommodate a full CSH. On the Sutton side (right) one option would be for one small section of Somerville Road and then Wilkinson close (green – right) to be restricted to residents’ cars and cyclists only to form a safer route to Wylde Green train station. This may not be popular among some drivers but the busiest section of Somerville Road beside the park would still be accessible. Alternatively or additionally (and far more ambitiously) Digby Rd (pink – right) would be made one way only for vehicles and incorporate an extension of the CSH connecting to an elevated CSH alongside the railway line leading to Sutton train station and possibly even Wylde Green train station (light blue vertical line – right). This is just an option for many years into the future but would certainly put Sutton ‘on the map’.
Alternatively, a conventional CSH could be built going through the park towards Sutton station.
The future extensions would be optional steps pending the popularity of the initial Monmouth drive scheme and consultations with the public.
Designing for the future – Accommodating transport gadgets
We’re currently witnessing unprecedented innovation in the field of lightweight transport devices with ever more transport tools, ever more features and constantly increasing range and speed. It’s obvious that lightweight portable transport tools – such as escooters – will play a role in our future so we need to allow for this. Legalisation of scooters in Sutton would warrant a name change, I would suggest ‘cycle scooterhighway’ (still abbreviated to CSH so no need to amend any maps).
It’s also absolutely essential that wheelchairs are also allowed on the CSH to create equality of access and equality of joyful peacefulness!
I strongly believe that any well designed CSH nowadays should be wide enough to have at least two people side-by-side going in either direction. I would recommend two lanes – fast and slow, in both directions making a total of four lanes with a total width of at least 4 to 5 metres.
Separation between the two directions of travel is vital to enhance safety and distancing and I would recommend using an uneven or gritty surface for the central reservation making it unpleasant to ride over at any speed but still usable in emergencies.
Some thoughts
There are times when we need to be conservative, hunker down and resist new ideas. There are also times when we need to be liberal and progressive and embrace change. Now, in the middle of a pollution crisis caused by increasing traffic in the middle of a pandemic which threatens to make it even worse is absolutely the time to be progressive and think outside of our metal boxes known as cars. Obviously cars are going to be around given their convenience, but we mustn’t let ‘car fundamentalism’ stop the adoption of other safer, cleaner and more healthy solutions as well. Opportunity presents itself to those with an open mind.
If you think this idea is worthwhile please do share this article and also go to: https://covidmeasuresbirmingham.commonplace.is/overview
Then click ‘Suggest a change to improve walking or cycling’ and navigate to Monmouth drive in Sutton using the map tool and click ‘agree’ with this proposal or any others you would like to see happen.
You can also go to the following URL and ‘upvote’ this proposal.
https://www.widenmypath.com/birmingham/?category=closure#10/52.4066/-1.5391
Thank you for reading. If you can come up with another possibly better idea then please leave a comment. Wishing everyone all the best.
To download a PDF of this proposal click HERE
The other day on my solitary run in the park I saw people holding hands, people sharing a spliff, some young guys sitting in a car (with the engine running) while drinking from a bottle. On my way to a lesson recently I had to get on a busy bus and there was a lady eating her supper. Snowdonia national park recently recorded its busiest day on record as people flocked there in their cars. And all of this as the UK started going into lockdown against a threat the likes of which we’ve never seen before.
We know the main solution – minimise contact with others as much as possible and stay home. But what has not come through clearly enough is that if possible you should still stay two metres apart from those in your home where possible – especially in the first weeks of the family isolation and especially if they have not been abiding by the guidelines themselves. There is a dangerous myth that if you’re all in a house together then you either all have it or not. This is wrong, it’s perfectly possible to share a house with someone who has the virus and not get it if you take the right steps (normally away from other people) and maintain your immune system. Your immune system can often deal with one-off attacks but do not overload it. This means avoid enclosed spaces with others – even family for now. Sorry, as of 30 March, unnecessary car journeys with others are really NOT a good idea. Wait a while. If it’s unavoidable then take the sensible cleaning precautions, wear a mask, and open a window (see HERE for more info). This is now a great time to walk or ride a bike to get to the park – we have cleaner air and less traffic than we’ve had in years.
Please, if enough of us do take these steps then we’ll get through this much more quickly and be stronger, wiser and more grateful for it.
So obviously the problem and the solution is our behaviour – this is what we can control in the present moment. So I believe that for any outsiders to blame the Chinese government for what it did or didn’t do in the past is deeply unhelpful – there are plenty of people in China doing that already (see HERE). China’s response, although perhaps initially flawed, has effectively mitigated the spread of the virus. The lockdown strategy was initially questioned – but thanks to China we can see that is the gold standard approach we need. In terms of searching for a cure or vaccine Chinese researchers have helped hugely. To start with Chinese researchers constructed the whole genomic sequence of the new virus and promptly shared it (See HERE). Also some of the most promising ongoing research into treatments is coming from China – such as using convalescent plasma of recovered patients for example. China also sent the first aid to Italy with a plane packed full of medical equipment along with nine experienced doctors to help (See HERE)
It seems clear that this virus was just a quirk of nature, a new virus that arose randomly, probably in bats or snakes, as part of life’s great quest to exist by replicating and changing. But it would currently be hard to disprove anyone if they said an alien species shot a beam from outer space onto that Wuhan market and created the virus, or who said that it was the work of some mad scientist. Or maybe it’s Mother Nature’s grand call for us all to reconnect with the World, be wiser, more compassionate and perhaps more respectful. This may be a form of philosophical Darwinist evolution whereby compassionate and less selfish societies are less affected. In Japan and Taiwan the response has been relatively successful and in both places mask wearing is common practice. The reason is often not to protect the wearer but those around them. So maybe the real virus is selfishness and ignorance and it’s that which we need to overcome now.
Luckily most people are behaving admirably and there all sorts of true heroes around us – well over half a million people in the UK signed up to volunteer to help the national Health service. And luckily the vast majority of people out here in the West, or in the UK at least, do not openly condemn the Chinese government, far less the Chinese people. In such a situation it’s also often the case that members of an ethnic group (in this case Chinese) become hyper-conscious or hyper-sensitive which may lead to some false accusations of prejudice or stereotyping alongside the legitimate claims. But the golden rule is that we are all valuable. Any mindless stereotyping or disparaging and unfair behaviour towards an ethnic group is deeply wrong. All is one is all – in essence we are the same. And everyone is many (we each have various aspects to our character). So if you know any one trying to point the finger, tell them to point it at those not following the guidelines – not at China.
We cannot change the past we can only work with the present. A good sailor is known in bad weather and this is a storm we need to ride out spiritually together while staying apart physically. Let’s do this now and start creating a world with more love, awareness, respect, compassion and wisdom. This may be what Mother Nature is asking us to do.
把下面的圖(五個不要怠速的理由)影出來
燃候選另外一張圖影出來
Print out the following PDF
Plus one of the three posters below
‘Let’s Clear the Air’ Poster Competition for Schools
We are hosting a ‘Let’s Clear the Air’ Poster Competition’. The two themes are: ‘Stop Engine Idling’ and/or ‘Use green/public transport.’ Pictures must relate to one or both of these themes. The language can be either English or Chinese, both colour and black and white posters are OK, and all sizes are acceptable. There is no limit to how many posters one school or student can submit.
The competition has three age groups:
1:Elementary school
2:Junior High School
3:Senior High school
The artists of the top three posters in each age category will be awarded certificates, and their posters will be displayed on the internet. The top poster in each age category will be reproduced in the form of stickers or cards. These stickers or cards will be given to people in challenging financial situations (such as homeless people) for them to sell. So if your class or school participates you will help the world, children’s health, your school’s reputation, as well as those in need of an income.
How to apply
1: Scan in the pictures or photograph (Photos must be very clear)
2: Send the digital file by email to: Luc@peacemakerfoundation.com.
The file must be received before April 22, 2015 (Earth Day).
Note:
•Remember to include the school’s name.
•Each digital file should include only one picture. (There’s no limit to how many digital files or emails you can send)
(Extra note: 25 MB max per email. If the digital files are over 25 MB then you need to send more than one email or use online storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox and send a link. We will reply to your emails to confirm they were received.)
•Please provide each student’s name, and age category (elementary, junior or senior) within each file name.
Winners will be announced on May 1, 2015 (Labour Day), on the website:
Peacemakerfoundation.com (see ‘World Health’ + ‘Poster Competition’). After the results have been announced the certificates will be sent to schools (can be sent digitally via email or by post).
For some example posters and information about engine idling please see HERE. Please forward this text to other teachers, especially those who teach art, English, or subjects relating to health and the environment.
Thank you and best wishes!
The Peacemaker Foundation
Campaigns & Projects to Promote Health & Wellbeing
Peacemakerfoundation.com
Click here to download above text as PDF: ‘Let’s Clear the Air’ Poster Competition for Schools 2015
Click here for ideas & advice on making the posters in class
Click here to see children’s stop idling posters + video
環保海報設計大賽
本基金會將舉辦環保海報設計大賽。 海報主題為「停車熄火」或／與「環
保交通工具」。活動語言可以中文或英文進行、色彩不拘(黑白或彩色皆
可)。投稿海報的數量與大小不限。
本次競賽分成三大類：
1、高中組
2、國中組
3、國小組
每一類中擇前三名頒發獎狀，並將海報在網路上展出。第一名的海報製作成
貼紙，並發給一些需要收入的人(如：街友)來進行販賣。 所以參與可以同時
維持地球、孩子的健康、貴校的名聲，以及幫助街友生存並找到價值。
參與的方式：
1、把圖片掃描或拍照(請拍攝清晰照片) 。
2、把圖片檔案寄到：Luc@peacemakerfoundation.com.
截止日期：2015年4月22日(世界地球日）
備註：
•請務必提供學校名稱。
•一個圖片等於一個檔案。(檔案的數量沒有限制)
(Email 附件的檔案不能超過 25 MB. 檔案的大小超過的話請寄另外一個 email 或用雲存儲, 像Google Drive 或 Dropbox. 我們會回复來確認收到了您的 email.)
•圖片檔案請在檔案名稱註明學生姓名與年級（高中，國中，國小）。
成績公布日期：2015年5月1日(勞動節）。成績會在
Peacemakerfoundation.com（’World Health’＋’Poster Competition’）。
公佈成績後會把獎狀寄到學校，再由學校統一交予學生(可用電郵或郵寄)。
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給校長和老師們，特別是教藝術、英文、健康與環境等相關科目教師。
謝謝! 祝 健康、平安! Thank you and best wishes!
地球和事佬
促進健康與福祉的專案活動
Peacemakerfoundation.com
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停車清熄匙 (香港)
(for Hong Kong)
停车清熄火 (简体字)
(Simplified Chinese Text)
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The Peacemaker Foundation 