The Nobel Peace Committee in Oslo, Norway awards the Nobel Peace Prize. The rest of the awards are conferred by the Swedish Academy of Science in Stockholm.
Recently, a Bulgarian foundation, European Ecology Festival, has come up with the idea to set up a Nobel Prize for Ecology. Two world organizations, Global Planet and WWF, have already backed up the motion. Talks are underway with the Nobel Committee to this effect.
According to lawyer Tzvetan Tzvetanov, President of the Council of the Foundation, “there is not time left to lose, if we wish to preserve life on Earth and the living environment and nature, and adds:
“The foundation is unique in its nature. It started as a single media event, a festival of documentary films and TV shows dedicated to environmental protection and eco tourism. The festival already enjoys participation of films from more than 24 European countries and the world, with nearly 100 entries.
On the sidelines we hold discussions with representatives of scientific and state bodies, such as the Bulgarian Academy of Science, the institutes for space exploration, meteorology, and the Environment and Agriculture Ministries. The films lay an emphasis on global warming, air pollution, contamination of soil and waters, the use of genetically modified foods.”
How did they foundation come up with the idea to propose an Ecology Nobel?
“We witness various globalist and anti-globalist movements in the world. We put the idea forward to the Alfred Nobel foundation and they replied they were very interested in the idea. However, it will take a lot of serious interference on the part of vast ecological movements and circles across the world, so that this idea can gain in popularity. We shall persevere with this idea, which is 100% Bulgaria-born and we shall promote it across the world.”
The same foundation is behind the recent proposal to launch a campaign of planting Olympic Groves in the host cities of the future Olympic Games. The idea is that every one of the winter or summer Olympics’ athletes plant their own tree in an attempt to increase the water resources on the planet and the processing of harmful gas emissions resulting from human activity.
The European Ecology Festival foundation has turned its gaze to the children, as well. Says Mr. Tzvetanov:
“We stage photo exhibitions on ecological topics with international participation and contribution of children’s photographs. We create the prerequisites for a new attitude to nature in children. The artistic potential of the young has to be directed to nature and the environment, and the issues that the human eye catches and that sometimes demonstrate how alarming the world can be. We have already received the first applications for participation in the first eco expo by manufacturers of commodities from eco waste. But we have to keep in mind that the problems related to the environment are expanding at an alarming rate.”
Written by Dessislava Krusteva
English version by Radostin Zhelev