GFDD/Funglode Celebrates International Recycling Day with a ReCrearte Exposition and a Discussion About Waste Management in the Dominican Republic

Decorative objects, garments and educational murals make up part of the exposition that includes student creations from Recrearte program workshops throughout the country.

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode), through their ReCrearte program, celebrated International Recycling Day with a recycled art exposition and a discussion about waste management in the Dominican
Republic.

Educational murals–to teach to count, and identify the senses, colors and geometric shapes-, decorative flowers and pieces formed part of the exposition that took place in Funglode’s art gallery, with creations by students from schools in Santo Domingo, Barahona and San Pedro de Macorís.

The Fundación Propagás and the Dominican Republic Institute for Environmental Law (IDARD, for its acronym in Spanish) supported the project, which included the
culmination of a series of workshops led by Lucia Marte, specialist in creative recycling and coordinator of ReCrearte.

The Center for Agricultural and Forest Development (CEDAF, for its acronym in Spanish) also joined the celebration with a presentation by Yoel Gómez, coordinator of that program’s Vecino Verde (Green Neighbor) project. The young environmentalist drew attention to the recycling situation in the Dominican Republic and the scope of the initiative
that he leads.

Omar Shamir, marine biologist and noted environmental activist, who is the GFDD environmental programs coordinator in the Dominican Republic, began the meeting by expressing how pleased the workshop organizers are with the results obtained by the young people. “This is a generation that is learning about the environment and sustainable development,” he stressed.

Marte also celebrated the way in which workshop
participants became involved and acquired awareness about how they can take advantage of waste to create new objects and contribute to improving their environments.

Janeira Durán, representative from Eco Escuelas, urged schools to educate about the environment and to support projects that seek to change attitudes about these topics.

Green Neighbor Project
Gómez made reference to the Green Neighbor Project to emphasize the
conscious efforts that industries, educational centers, homes and public and private institutions are developing. He also explained the environmental impact of the Dominican Republic’s 30 landfills.  He mentioned the contamination of water, land and air; the spread of illness; death of species and waste of resources, among  other effects of the landfills.

How to spread the culture of the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) was another of his focuses.
“39 percent of waste can be recycled and 51 percent can be used for compost or rasing animals,” he argued.

He also mentioned different ways to contribute to recycling: separating one’s recyclable waste at home, delivering waste to collectors or recycling companies, encouraging your neighbors and co-workers to get involved, motivating schools to a quire this culture and to support the promotion of the topic through the best platforms they
might possess.

More information:
www.recrearte.org
www.funglode.org