BAYNEWS: Ambassadors in the service of the environment visit Bayer

Special Interest

Culture

Monday - October 17, 2011

Environmental protection at first-hand:

Ambassadors in the service of the environment visit Bayer

Around 50 young people from Africa, Asia and Latin America participate in a week-long study trip on the environment / The program is part of the partnership between Bayer and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The Young Environmental Envoys with Fulai Sheng, Head of UNEP's Research & Partnership Unit, and Patrick Thomas, CEO Bayer MaterialScience, at the Bayer Communications Center "BayKomm" in Leverkusen, Germany.

Leverkusen, October 17, 2011 – Environmental protection and sustainable development take center stage during the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Field Trip to Germany whose opening ceremony took place today. Between today and October 21, around 50 young environmentalists from 18 countries on three continents gain first-hand experience of the principles and applications of modern environmental protection. The young people taking part in the field trip were selected from around 800 participants on the basis of environmental projects they presented in special competitions organized by Bayer in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in their home countries. Since 1998 some 12,000 young people have applied for a place on the program and around 550 have been invited to visit Germany.

“With its Environmental Envoy Program, Bayer has created a unique network for promoting an international exchange of ideas and views”, said Bayer MaterialScience CEO Patrick Thomas at the opening ceremony. “The creative approaches proposed by the young generation to counter the climate and resource crisis and global poverty truly inspire and set an example.”

"The Green Economy is about making efficient use of the planet's finite resources and promoting a transition to a low carbon and socially inclusive global economy", said Fulai Sheng, Head of UNEP’s Research and Partnership Unit. “The projects being implemented by these envoys show that small-scale, community-based Green Economy solutions are already taking root and have the potential to bring significant economic and environmental benefits. Scaling up these kinds of green innovations through targeted public and private investments is essential to achieving a sustainable and equitable Green Economy for all", he added.

The Field Trip:
During the Field Trip, the young people will visit various facilities in the surrounding area of Leverkusen such as the industrial waste incinerator at the “B�rrig Waste Management Center” and “AVEA”, a waste processing and disposal facility of the city of Leverkusen. At all excursion sites, they have the unique opportunity to talk to experts in the field of sustainable development. The program also includes cooperations with state agencies of the German State “North Rhine-Westphalia” (NRW) to give the youth a fuller understanding of how industry, authorities and private households interact in the field of environmental protection. This year’s cooperations with the “NRW State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection” and the “NRW State Forestry and Timber Agency” include various lectures, workshops and excursions on nature conservation and air quality. On the occasion of the “International Year of Forests” by the United Nations, the focus will also be on soil protection and sustainable forest management in Germany and includes a guided tour through the local forest.

When the Envoys return home, they are able to raise awareness on environmental protection in their own societies by passing on the impressions, experience and insights they have gained during the study trip. Many former participants now have jobs where they play a key role in environmental protection in their home countries. Through an alumni network on Facebook, the “BYEE Networking Group”, they are able to stay connected to each other and exchange their ideas and experiences on environmental protection with other environmentalists around the world.

The Bayer UNEP Partnership
The Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program, launched in Asia in 1998, is one of the key elements in an alliance between Bayer and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) centering on youth and the environment. The program focuses primarily on the world’s fast-growing emerging economies. Originally introduced in Thailand, the concept was subsequently extended to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Bayer is the first company in the world to enter a long-term partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the area of youth and the environment. This cooperation focuses on children and youth from all over the world who are interested in environmental issues and committed to protecting the world around them. The partners’ joint aim is to support young people in their commitment to the environment, to expand their knowledge of the environment and to foster the global exchange of experience by building up networks. For this purpose, Bayer and UNEP organize a dozen environmental projects for children and youth around the world every year, which benefit millions of young people. In 2010 the partnership was renewed for another 3-year period until the end of 2013. Bayer also provides financial support to the tune of EUR 1.2 million every year and additional non-cash benefits.

Note to editors:
Up-to-date photographic material can be found on the "Baynews International" server at www.press.bayer.com

For more information on the Environmental Envoy Program go to http://www.bayeryoungenvoy.com

Further information on the Bayer-UNEP partnership is available at www.unep.bayer.com

For social media users:
Visit us on Facebook and become a member of the BYEE Networking Group.

Find more information at www.bayer.com.

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