ENVIRONMENT action week yesterday came to an end, with around 300 schoolchildren attending the presentation ceremony at Nicosia’s Melina Mercouri Cultural Centre.
An initiative of Nicosia Municipality and now in its fourth year, “the aim is to pass on the message to kindergarten and elementary pupils that the environment is one of the most important elements of our life,” according to Mayor Michalakis Zampelas.
“It must be protected at all costs and we must ensure that this message is passed on through families and schools,” he said.
A set of 12 guidelines on protecting the environment and keeping the city clean has been prepared by the Municipality and will be distributed through schools to everybody living within its borders.
Prizes worth £4,000 were yesterday awarded to children who had come up with the best environmental paintings and written messages. There was also a prize awarded to the best school.
“This year’s message is that, ’we can change our city for the good through a better environment’,” said the Mayor.
Katia Apayitou, who is a member of the Municipality’s environmental and health committees, described the week as “important, as children get to learn that they must also keep themselves and their schools clean and tidy. We also try to get them to be more sensitive on issues such as recycling and protecting green areas like parks. We want them to tell us what they want from their city.”
She went on to say that she has noticed that they wanted more playgrounds and “they often complain about cars parking on pavements, meaning they can’t walk around freely. They also want more bicycle lanes and dustbins outside schools.”
When asked what in particular she liked from the week, she said: “The pupils of the Ayios Andreas Elementary School produced a fantastic study on the Pediaios River, which came up with the idea of protecting the area’s flora and fauna. It’s obviously a great idea.”
Summing up, she said that, “after four years of this project, children participating in the program have made significant improvements to their schools, for example in the cleanliness of their toilets and yards. This must continue in the future.”
