5 June 2008. Kyiv, Ukraine. Today, on the World Environment Day, the opening of the exhibition and awarding ceremony of the national photography contest “Addressing Climate Change – Caring About Our Planet” take place in Kyiv.
Over 980 Ukrainians submitted their photos taken in 45 countries all over the world to the photocontest that is conducted for the first time in Ukraine by the United Nations office in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and with support of the Olympus company.
Opening the awarding ceremony, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Francis O’DONNELL said that according to the experts our dependence on carbon-based energy has caused a significant build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. “Whether you are an individual or an organization, there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint”, said O’DONNELL. “We are all part of the solution to the global warming challenge”, he continued.
On behalf of the the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine Volodymyr GAPTAR congratulated the winners emphasizing that this photography contest is aimed at raising awareness on the importance of addressing climate change challenges. "We believe that the photography is an effective instrument in promoting responsible attitude towards environment among decision-makers and general public", he added.
Addressing the participants, Marketing Coordinator of the Olympus representative office in Ukraine Anna AKSYONOVA said “The business activities of the Olympus have impacts on the global environment in a variety of ways. We try to understand those impacts quantitatively, conduct efficient reduction of waste and minimize our environmental load”.
Among 1200 entries submitted for the contest, the jury selected 50 photos-finalists to be displayed at the photoexhibition in Kyiv .
According to the jury panel decision, the winners of the photocontest “Addressing Climate Change – Caring About Your Planet” are:
I prize - Yevgen KOMPANIYCHENKO (Zaporizhzhya) is awarded with the Olympus photo camera E-510 DZK;
II prize – Vitaliy GRABAR (Lviv) is awarded with the Olympus photo camera E-410 Kit;
III prize – Dmytro TYAZHLOV (Dniprodzerzhynsk) is awarded with the Olympus photo camera SP-570 UZ.
Also, the jury distinguished the photos of Glib TAVROV (Kyiv) and Borys DVORNIY (Zaporizhzhya) with laureates diplomas and prizes.
The People’s Choice Award prize the Olympus photo camera µ 850 SW was given to Eduard EFIMOV (Kyiv), whose photo taken in the lake of Kivu in Africa won on the results of the web-based public voting.
Over 150 officials, diplomats, photographers, celebrities and journalists took part in the ceremony. Also, the leader of the Ukrainian band “Kryhitka Tsahes” Kasha SALTSOVA participated in the photoexhibition opening. During the ceremony she told about her environmental project “Torba-Pryrodi” and thanked those who have already supported this initiative and started to use nonexpendable bags in stead of plastic bags from supermarkets.
Following the awarding of the finalists and winners, the ceremony was closed by the acoustic performance of the famous Ukrainian band “Kryhitka Tsahes”.
The photo exhibition is taking place in Kyiv till 15 June 2008 (20 Vorovskogo Str., Kyiv). Later this year, the exhibition will be organized in several regional cities of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Gallery of all entries to the photocontest and the photocontest’s conditions are available here.
More information:
UN Department of Public Information, Veronika Vashchenko 044. 254.00.35,
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.
Olympus: Natalia Goncharuck, 044.235.15.17,
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, http://www.olympus.ua.
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NOTE TO EDITOR:
Global climate change is one of the most topical issues for humanity today. The most visible consequences of climate change can be such "extreme situations" as draughts, floods, storms, hurricanes, extremely hot day that will happen more often and also the danger of ecosystems disappearance.
World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political action. In Ukraine, this year the photography contest “Addressing Climate Change – Caring About Our Planet” is organized for the first time by the UN in Ukraine and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and with support of Olympus company.
The exhibition and the photography contest “Addressing Climate – Caring About Our Planet” is conducted in the frameworks of the national campaign “Go Green!” initiated by the UN office in Ukraine under the auspices of Global Compact.
The Campaign is aiming to encourage behavioral changes vis-a-vis environment in Ukrainian society. More information: http://www.unglobalcompact.org.ua/
United Nations office in Ukraine was opened in 1992. The UN system in Ukraine consists of 13 resident agencies, organisations and associated institutions including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as the World Bank (WB), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Representative office of Olympus in Ukraine: Back in 1992, Olympus adopted the declaration on environment protection. Olympus, respecting nature and the safety and health of mankind, resolves through its technological development and through adopting ecologically compatible business practices to contribute to the reestablishment of a healthy environment and a society in which sustainable development is possible.
Environmental guidelines. In observing the declaration, Olympus developed the following guidelines:
- Products, materials and business procedures should be environmentally friendly
- Waste management follows the hierarchy of avoidance before recycling before disposal
- Natural resources, such as energy and water, should be used sparingly
Environmental measures
- We avoid the use of PVC or Styrofoam in our packaging or shipping.
- Our production factories ODI and OWI implemented an environmental management system.
- Olympus participates in collective recycling schemes for packaging and batteries
The media partners of the photography contest are: magazine “Photographer”, newspaper “Segodnya”, magazine “What’s On”. The venue is provided by the Institute of Contemporary Art.
05.06.08
