Protests, prayers welcome Earth Day commemorations
Protests, prayers welcome Earth Day commemorations
Rajan Moses, Reuters, Singapore
Students blocked vehicles in Indonesia on Monday and Buddhist monks prayed for the planet in Thailand as Asia kicked off Earth Day commemorations.
U.S. President George W. Bush will visit picturesque Saranac Lake in the heart of New York's Adirondack mountains, considered one of the birthplaces of American wilderness preservation, to promote environmental awareness.
Students at the University of Lampung in Indonesia's Sumatra island, blocked all vehicles from entering the campus in a 10- hour campaign that snarled traffic, the Antara news agency reported.
Environmentalists elsewhere in Indonesia, home to the world's second largest expanse of rainforests after Brazil, held tree- planting programs, clean-ups and seminars.
In Thailand, some 15,000 Buddhist monks and devotees gathered at a temple on the outskirts of Bangkok to mark the day with prayers for the earth and world peace.
Saffron-robed monks gathered from various parts of the mainly Buddhist country for a special day of chanting and alms-giving.
In Singapore, a campaign to get people to use public transportation fell flat, prompting "Car Free Day" organizers to complain it would take years for the city-state to go green.
Penelope Phoon, executive director of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), estimated around 5,000 car owners gave up using their cars to mark Earth Day -- a little over one percent of the 403,000 private and rental cars.
Earth Day was first marked in 1970 by American organizers Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes.
Thirty decades on, the pioneers head an Earth Day Network based in Seattle, which coordinates global Earth Day activities, and acts as a prominent vehicle to stimulate environmental responsibility.
Their website (http://www.earthday.net) says the worldwide network has grown to include 5,000 organizations in 184 countries.
A spokesman for the United Nations regional office in Bangkok said the U.N. supported Earth Day, but noted his organization observed its own "World Environment Day" on June 5.
"These days, however, serve to remind us all to renew our commitment to the environment," he told Reuters.
In the Philippines on Sunday, thousands of cyclists took to the streets of the capital Manila to press for more bicycle- friendly streets and to protest against the city's horrendous air pollution.
The ride, covering 50 km (31 miles) through seven cities in the greater metropolitan Manila region was also held to highlight the plight of fireflies.
The Firefly Brigade, a volunteer citizens action group that organized the cycle ride, claims the city's fireflies have all fled Manila because of the high level of toxins in the air.
Bush's visit to the vast state forest preserve in the Adirondacks, covering almost 10,0000 square miles (26,000 square kms), follows last week's defeat of the President's plan to allow oil drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In a blow to Bush's energy plan, pro-environment forces blocked the effort in the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate.
Democrats view protection of the environment as a key issue in this year's pivotal congressional elections in which control of both houses will be at stake.