PROPOSAL FOR THE GREEN PERSPECTIVE FOUNDATION
Spreading deep ecology ideas among local people in rural mountainous areas
NGO’s name: Green Perspective Foundation
Address: 082 13 Tulcik 27, Slovakia
Tel/fax: +421-91-7789 488
Email: main@gpf.sk (currently alfa@wolf.sk)
Web Site:
Bank details
Bank name: Ceskoslovenska obchodna banka, a.s., pobocka
Presov
Bank address: Hlavna 96, 080 01 Presov, Slovakia
Tel.: +421-91-7721 233
Fax.: +421-91-7721 241
Account No.: 30711010
Account holder: Nadacia Zelena nadej
Swift Code: CEKO SK BX KOS
Information on the Green Perspective Foundation
The Green Perspective Foundation was established in 1991 and is based in Tulcik in eastern Slovakia. It is aimed on environmental protection and primarily focused on conservation and regeneration of natural forests with a philosophy of deep ecology. It is focused on supporting citizens‘ activities and civic initiatives working in the forest protection. The foundation also runs its own programs aimed on education and training through advisory, publishing, educational, cultural and concrete manual activities. Its long-term goal is to secure the foundation’s capital.
After its establishment the foundation started to implement projects focused on: - protection of forests (field work, international conference, lectures for the public); protection of birds of prey (mainly eagles and owls);
paper recycling project; building Green Center, i.e. educational environmental center for the public including a library; project on promoting a bicycle transportation in Prešov; and publishing project.In 1997 the foundation was successfully reregistered according to a new Foundation Act and all further activity was conducted on a volunteer basis.
Current main programs: - running a project "Alive Forest"; donating ecological books to rural libraries; consultations and financial help to students whose career goals are in accordance with the aim of the foundation; running the Green Center which includes a library (borrowing books and video cassettes) and sale of publications; and giving small grants for forest protection activities if funds are available. The foundation has one employee and several volunteers. The GPF’s three-member Board makes decisions on the foundation’s course and activities. The foundation cooperates closely with the WOLF Forest Protection Movement.
Some of the achievements so far are: - successful organization of the international conference on sustainable forestry with a presence of an American expert, a biologist Chris Maser; running a successful project on saving Cergov Mountains which was awarded three international prices, i.e. Partnership for Central and Eastern Europe Award (1992), Ford European Environmental Awards (1993) and Sasakawa Peace Foundation Award (1994); organization of an exhibition "Dying Forests – A Crisis in Consciousness" which contained paintings by a biologist from Switzerland, Jochen Bockemuhl; publication of two books; creation and running a very successful bicycle project which lead to establishment of a separate NGO called "Kostitras" (Shakebones) based in Prešov.
Problem description
Despite significant destruction of Slovak forests in the former socialist Czechoslovakia forests in border mountains have remained relatively untouched. Due to protection of state borders from "class enemies" motions of people in these areas were limited and economic, social and sporting activities were excluded.
After breaking the communist regime in 1989, these areas have become an object of interest of various legal and illegal forest activities, centers of a construction of new sport facilities and building new saw mills. The fact that woodcutting represents almost the only possible way of earning people’s living in these areas is a big problem. Thus natural forests at Slovakian’s borders suffer from an extreme pressure of logging and also stealing by local people. The fact is even more notorious because these forests represents practically last remnants of beach-fir natural European forests, which could be considered rain forests of Europe.
Floods in last few years with occurrence in areas, which have been forecast by forest activists, were consequences of the destruction of these forests.
The WOLF Forest Protection Movement has been leading a long-term campaign for saving natural forests by various means and with some significant achievements. Unfortunately, there is a big communication gap between local people in sub-mountainous areas and WOLF’s members. A different level of their education and understanding of moral principles cause it. This problem can be solved by the help of the Green Perspective Foundation, which is specialized on spreading deep ecology ideas.
Solution and activity plan
The Green Perspective Foundation as an organization which the main mission is spreading deep ecology ideas, has decided to support activities of the WOLF by an extensive campaign. The campaign is a contradiction but at the same time a complement to direct actions of WOLF in natural forest areas near Slovakian borders. The GPF has chosen villages in border regions with Poland and the Czech Republic as the most important for the project implementation considering the following criteria: - villages, which have suffered by floods in the past or are currently under a big threat of flooding and are spread below mountainous areas covered by natural forests (mostly beach-fir forests); in areas with occurrence of active stealing of wood; and near villages where WOLF‘s executes its forest protection activities.
A core of the campaign will be cooperation with people, who have an impact on the creation of the public opinion in small villages, mainly with mayors and rural libraries‘ representatives. It will be supported by lectures for local indigenous people, national award for "The most outstanding forest protection act of the year," field work in forests for local people in cooperation with WOLF and by a horse-drawn promotion of deep ecology ideas called "Horse Deep Ecology Show."
In the beginning of the project we will contact 200 villages in the borderland to offer cooperation and support of their rural libraries. In order to achieve the goals of the project we will implement the following activities.
Lectures
In the course of the project we will organize lectures and slide shows for villages where people show interest. Main themes will be "Forest and Floods", "Forest and its Utilization Alternatives", "Evolution Forests: The Necessity of Sustainable Utilization of Forests". We plan to organize 100 lectures in the whole course of eighteen-month project. Lectures will be given by experts from NGOs and scientific communities, and will be followed by discussions about deep ecology. In these, together with the participants, we will search for solutions to their local ecological problems. We will focus on stressing the responsibility of individuals for the common well being.
We will also prepare and publish a leaflet about the foundation, ideas of deep ecology and the necessity of the forest protection. The leaflet will be distributed at lectures as well as during the summer horse-drawn tour described below.
Award
At the start of 2000 and 2001 we will announce "The most outstanding forest protection act of the year" award, and publicize it through the media. We will appeal to people to search for citizens whose extraordinary devoted act helped save natural forests. An expert board will evaluate protection activities to determine which resulted in the best tangible saving of our national natural heritage of forests anywhere in Slovakia. It could include, for instance a direct intervention in the field, the influencing of forest management plans, or stopping destructive forestry activities by any other means. Results will be announced in April 2000 and 2001 which is the month dedicated to forests. Three main awards, along with small financial prizes in the amount of 160, 100 and 60 USD, will be given.
Field Work
In cooperation with WOLF and local governments we will organize the field work in local forests. This work will include planting wind-spread seedlings and putting wooden mass in streams as to increase the water retention ability of the forest landscape. The fieldwork has two aims. The first aim is a direct help to natural forests. The second aim is to present the forest as a complex organism with different goals and development algorithm than is perceived by humans in general.
Support of rural libraries
Based on a research on functioning perspective rural libraries, we will create their database and offer books to about 200 libraries. We will mostly focus on remote foothill villages where natural forests protection is the most critical, and where a rural library and a mayor will show an interest in further cooperation, which would include organization of lectures and public forums. As the rural libraries have no finances for purchasing new publications, donations of books as part of lecture tour will be very welcome. It will sustain of publications mainly about deep ecology and problems of forests, which will cover a wide range of interest groups (foresters, hunters, scientists, philosophers, students and general public). The books, whose value is USD 13, will be charged a symbolic fee of about USD 1.5. This will disqualify those not seriously concerned. Based on our experience, we are aware people do not truly value things given for free, yet they take them anyway because of the no charge.
Horse-drawn tour of a GPF book sale
In summer we will organize a horse-drawn four-week tour of a GPF traveling book sale as a graduation of the whole campaign. The horse-drawn carriage with deep ecology publications will pass cooperated villages. The book sale tour will be connected with discussion forums for the public. At the same time it will serve for generating media interest in the project and through media spreading deep ecology ideas in the society. Prior the horse-drawn tour a promotion poster will be published and disseminated in villages as well as to media.
Estimated budget
|
Item |
Requested from Grassroots F. in USD |
|
1. traveling expenses |
250 |
|
2. books for rural libraries |
1300 |
|
3. leaflet |
250 |
|
4. poster |
200 |
|
Total: |
2000 |
The finances are requested for the beginning part of the project.
We are just submitting a grant proposal for the amount of USD 2000 to the Regional Environmental Center in Bratislava to cover mainly communication and postage costs, additional books and horse-drawn carriage. We will also apply for additional sources for managing the project to the Open Society Fund in Bratislava.