United Nations announce the ten best pictures of the UN Green campaign

2 June 2010 - What are you doing to preserve the environment? This is the question that the United Nations put to all Brazilians through the UN Green campaign, launched on the 64th anniversary of the Organization, celebrated worldwide on 24 October 2009. The campaign had the support of TIM mobile, which sent more than 10 million text messages inviting customers to participate.

Participants answered the campaign's question through photos and videos, including an description of up to 100 words. The material was published by the participants on the site www.onuverde.org.br. All participants received an online certificate with the phrase "I do my part".

The campaign ran until the 31 May 2010 and received 1190 photos sent by participants from all over Brazil. On 1 June, a selection committee - composed of five representatives of UN agencies and programs in Brazil - has selected the ten best pictures that reflected the theme of the campaign. The result will be announced on 5 June, World Environment Day.

"The selection was not easy, we received over a thousand pictures", said Giancarlo Summa, Director of Information Centre of the United Nations in Brazil. "The campaign was a success, demonstrating the growing interest and sensitivity of the Brazilians in relation to environmental protection".

The selected photos portrayed the participants' concern with the environmental issue on several ways. Either by saving and reusing water, recycling waste, planting trees or reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, Brazilians demonstrated their activities on behalf of nature preservation. Showing their individual daily actions, they prove that they do their part for the environment.

"Only one person is not enough, this is what I want to demonstrate. I saw the project and, with my father, bought a seedling and decided to plant it. I do this in my scout group. As we are always in favor of the environment, it encouraged me to fight for this cause so important", said Thalita Valadares de Mattos, one of the winners.

Participants also showed that it is possible to combine the fight for the environment with social inclusion, as shown in Manoel Rodrigues' photo. "We turn trash into music with social inclusion of children of scavengers using recyclable materials", he said.

The selected photographs will be widely disseminated by the communication network of the United Nations in Brazil and abroad. The UN reports that the videos did not meet the selection criteria of the campaign.

The UN System in Brazil is also doing its part. In the context of the Billion Tree Campaign, held by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations coordinated together with the Federal District Government the planting of two thousand native trees in the Botanical Garden of Brasilia.

Further information

Amanda Talamonti
UNEP Office in Brazil
Tel: +55 61 3038-9237
Fax: +55 61 30389239
Email: comunicacao@pnuma.org

Marcos Ricardo dos Santos
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Tel: +55 61 3204-7206
Cel: +55 61 9149-0973
Email: marcos.santos @ unodc.org

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