Art for the Environment and Effective Resource Management

The new “Art for Environment” initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme is most encouraging. An online exhibition of photographs and paintings on the theme of earth’s environment done by world artists are beautiful, not only to the eyes, but to the souls and human spirits. The special exhibition/photo gallery of pictures taken by Luo Hong on the Swans at the Natural World Museum are thought provoking. For me, it is emotionally touching to see groups of swans flying above the melting snow and ice in the North. This is a very effective way in generating individual and community interests, and in moving them to take action on global warming problems and environmental degradation issues. Arts can create common value of safeguarding our Planet. Paintings and photographs of our natural world can create a common language of loving and caring for all living things on earth. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, should be congratulated for this. He should also be thanked for setting up a new global think tank on resource efficiency, the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. The task of this think thank is to tackle pressing issues of biofuel production, metal recycling, security, and environmental impact of selected products and services worldwide. He has invited members of the civil societies to get involvedwith these two initiatives at local, regional, and global levels in the effort to promote a deeper understanding of the interconnection of human behaviors and the future of our natural world and global environment.

Filed under Art, Environment |