Dobong-gu Presents Case of 'World Green Consumer Day 2020' at Asia-Pacific Webinar

Published 05 Oct.2020 07:00(KST)

UN University and Asia-Pacific RCE (Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development) Cities Share Practices and Actions for Right Choices and Green Consumption

Dobong-gu discussed green consumption with RCE cities in the Asia-Pacific region on the 29th of last month.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dobong-gu, an RCE city (Mayor Dongjin Lee), attended a webinar hosted by UN University, RCE East Kalimantan, and Universitas Jember (Indonesia) from September 28 to 29 in celebration of 'Green Consumer Day' to discuss the importance of green consumption and SDG12 (Sustainable Production and Consumption) and present related cases.

The first webinar (September 28) began with a keynote speech by Dean Ir. Iwan Taruna (Universitas Jember), followed by various opinions on sustainable consumption from Park Eun-kyung, Chairperson of Tongyeong RCE, and Professor Mario Tabucanon of the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS).

The second webinar (September 29), under the theme "Making right choices, becoming a responsible consumer," featured presentations from six countries and eight RCE cities showcasing exemplary cases of sustainable consumer behavior that protect the environment for future generations and promote compatibility.

Dobong-gu presented cases including the 'Environmental Cafe Green Buddy' by Dobong Self-Support Center (Youth Independence Challenge Project Team Leader Yang Yoon-sik) and 'Making Eco-friendly Masks' by Dobong Village Education Social Cooperative Hamdarag (Chairperson Kim Mi-young).

The first case, 'Environmental Cafe Green Buddy,' is located at the Peace Culture Base, a cultural creative space newly developed through a space regeneration project on a military anti-tank defense facility. It aims for ▲zero general waste output ▲providing edible rice and biodegradable corn starch straws ▲offering rental tumblers ▲and beverage discounts for customers who bring personal tumblers.

It was announced that plans include operating a zero-waste mini shop within Green Buddy, funded by startup capital for vulnerable groups and youth independence achievement funds from self-support projects.

The second case, Dobong Village Education Social Cooperative 'Hamdarag' ('Together, all joyfully (樂)'), conducted eco-friendly mask-making activities called 'Survival Masks' with local residents during the early spread of COVID-19.

Hamdarag, promoting a resident-led village education community through members' talent donations, presented cases including ▲making eco-friendly masks using discarded fabrics ▲producing mask-making kits ▲sharing mask-making methods through village education courses ▲creating and distributing leaflets on mask-making methods ▲and conducting environmental education using eco-friendly masks.

Mayor Dongjin Lee of Dobong-gu stated, "Dobong RCE is implementing the '2050 Dobong-gu Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy' to promote the Green New Deal and achieve zero carbon emissions. Through this 'Green Consumer Day 2020' presentation, we will disseminate our district’s excellent cases and incorporate various cases from other RCE cities to realize the SDG12 goal of sustainable eco-friendly consumption and production."