The Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection revealed 5 practical and awareness-raising recommendations that it concluded with in a lecture (How to start a volunteer initiative to preserve the environment from your office?), which was presented by the Secretary-General of the Society, Jenan Behzad, in cooperation between the Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Environmental Training and the Ibn Al-Haytham Center at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, as part of its cultural and awareness season for the current year 2018.
Initiative and Concepts
Janan Behzad, Secretary-General of the Association, said that in her lecture to the audience, which included a group of state ministries and agencies, she presented a simplified introduction to who is the initiator, what an initiative is, and the concepts of (knowledge, skills, desire, and change), along with an applied and interactive projection onto the programs of the Environment Association. She added that she presented, along with the concepts included in the lecture, illustrative models of questions that were raised in the lecture, including (What do we do and why do we do it? / The concept of knowledge, and before the initiative: What are the motives that drive us?).
Skills Hubs
The Secretary-General of the Environment Association presented the skills axes (available means, legal channels) and how my office can be the starting point? Janan Behzad moved on to the axis of Environmental Protection Law No. 42 of 2014 and presented how to apply it, the number of its articles and chapters and its general provisions, pointing to its various topics such as «protecting the terrestrial environment from pollution, protecting the outside air from pollution, protecting the marine and coastal environment from pollution, biodiversity, environmental management, penalties, civil liability and compensation for environmental damages, and how the provisions of the law can be applied in the various state bodies according to the jurisdiction and the body, and how to understand the law and know its application in the best way to benefit from its advantages and characteristics.
Conclusion and Recommendations
At the end of the lecture, Janan Behzad discussed with the attendees the most prominent recommendations of the lecture, which are as follows: «The need to spread awareness of the law at different levels to achieve the highest dissemination, and to raise awareness among decision-makers in institutions about applying the law by finding the appropriate link and activating oversight and awareness, and workshops to develop environmental performance in institutions and apply the law according to their specialization, and to evaluate the laws and the seriousness of their application at clear time stages to develop them and correct the flaw, and to raise awareness among citizens and society about taking environmentally friendly alternatives.”.
The host added: «While the attendees participated in setting their recommendations that they wish to implement, which is to establish the child through a special educational approach in the environment (a practical and field approach), family and school education is the basis of the change on which the lecture was based, and to apply the principle that every citizen is a guardian with full knowledge of the rights and duties of the law, and to encourage the various entities to adopt green offices through an integrated strategic plan to apply the law in well-studied stages so that the citizen can absorb the change and understand its dimensions, to empower residential areas through cooperation with cooperative societies to embrace environmentally friendly alternatives of products and services, and to establish a special environmental office in the governorates to which citizens can resort in the event of any environmental problems in their surroundings.».
Environmental Protection Law
Janan Behzad discussed the advantages of Environmental Protection Law No. 42 of 2014, and how the law encourages civil society. She added that "Article (119) is a very important article that obligates state institutions to establish environmental departments within their structures to ensure the monitoring and implementation of environmental laws within their scope of work." She emphasized the necessity of stopping smoking, as stipulated in the law: "Smoking is prohibited in public places and public transportation, and violators are subject to a fine of up to 100 Kuwaiti dinars. All entities are obligated to take the necessary measures to prevent smoking in enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces, and violators will be subject to a fine of up to 5,000 Kuwaiti dinars. The law also prohibits the dissemination or spreading of false information about the environmental situation in the country, and violators are subject to a fine of up to 50,000 Kuwaiti dinars."
Present your vision
Regarding the "Present Your Vision" theme, Behzad said: "You can express your initiative by studying work problems (in your department or your organization) or those faced by clients. But don't just mention the problems; look for logical solutions to them. It doesn't matter if these solutions are perfect. All you have to do is present your ideas based on your capabilities." She pointed to the concept of desire: What do we want? What is the ideal image? She noted the importance of following up on results, adding: "If you seek to complete your initiative and embody the true spirit of initiative, don't stop at presenting ideas and leaving the responsibility of handling them to your managers. You must follow up on their implementation with your managers and share with them in facing the obstacles that hinder the solutions. This will ensure that you defend your idea until the end and will prove the benefit of your initiative to the organization or company you work for, thus making you an important figure in it.".
