Earth Day: Red Apple in a Green Plate

The open session of the Tehran City Council yesterday was attended by many municipality officials as well as journalists and ordinary people. I had asked the procurement officer of the City Council to buy red apples enough for those present in the session. Mehdi Chamran, the Head of the Council was reluctant to accept my plan to distribute the apples, however I insisted and explained that on the occasion of Earth Day I intended to make a simple demonstration of how fragile the earth is. After some resistance he finally accepted , the apples were distributed with a green plate and plastic knife. I  reminded everyone that they should not eat the apples and wait for my explanations. There was a sense of suspense and anticipation, the Government supporters in the Council were very worried that I may use this opportunity to speak out as I had done before. Chamran finally gave me the floor to talk. I compared the apple to our planet earth and I asked everyone to cut the apple into 4 equal pieces. 3 pieces are water, the oceans lakes and wetlands where life has begun and is sustained. 1/4 of the apple is land. I asked them to half that one piece and told them that half of that land including mountain cliffs and  deserts is not habitable for humans. " Take one piece and cut it into four pieces"  that would be the equivalent of arable land where where humans can cultivate to reap the fruits and products,  I told them.  I then asked them to peel the skin off that very small piece , "this is the top soil in which we can hope to produce food for about 7 billion inhabitants of this planet. That is the lesson of the apple. Now we can eat it together."
Some members were eating the apple before I began and some were joking about the cooking lessons I was giving.
Yet the message came across, particularly when the combination of green plate and red apples came out in the media.

A Source of Hope

As the first City Council visit this year, along with members from the Environment Committee, I visited the Recycling Mega-Plant in the South of Tehran. Kahrizak which is the District now mostly known for the notorious   detainment facility where several young protesters were beaten to death last year, also harbors the largest recycling facility in the Middle East. The Environment Committee during my tenure has visited the Plant for four times and we witnessed dramatic changes this time. More than 7000 tons of waste are produced in Tehran everyday, up to several years ago all of this was dumped in a landfill which has grown considerably in size.Two years ago we adopted  a bill on the Comprehensive Plan for Tehran Waste Management and the Law has been implemented for the past years. Throughout the city more than one hundred recycling centers where dry  waste is collected has been set up, coupons are given to people who deliver the paper, glass or plastic and recently a green credit card system is being implemented.
As we witnessed yesterday , now more than 4000 tons of waste are composted to produce grade A fertilizer and projects to compost the rest of the 3000 tons are underway. A wastewater treatment plant is underway and a well engineered landfill with geo-membrane lining has been constructed which will harbor the remaining 10 percent of waste which cannot be composted.
There are many remaining projects and alot of work remains to be done in this area. What we saw and recorded was significant strides in implementing the Comprehensive Plan by the Tehran Municipality. This is in contrast to what we see in the government sector and  very promising at a time when the they are weak and incapable in implementing large projects successfully . It is a source of hope for a city of  9 million residents.

A Fairly Objective Assessment

When I was young I used to see everything either black or white, I was an idealist like many young people of my age. Iran was on the brink of an Islamic Revolution and young people like me were deeply committed to a justice seeking democratic movement based on Islamic values. Thirty one years later, I see things in a different light , as do many of my generation. We still cherish those authentic values, yet we have realized how difficult and complex it is to implement them. We also understand that today, alongside multiple internal factors, the looming external threats to the existence of the Islamic Republic,  exemplified by the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan , are major factors preventing the full democratization of Iran. In a sense, foreign threats and intimidation have created a pretext for implementing harsh security measures and suppression of any opposition or criticism in the internal scene.   Now, once again  as the Western rhetoric against Iran gained momentum, pressures escalated against the Green Movement and it was labeled as a foreign plot to destabilize the country. I just read an article by George Haeseler whom I do not know, but I think his assessment of the situation is fairly objective. I will    link the article for your information. http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100322/VIEWPOINTS02/3220302/1120/We-are-Iran-s-enemy

Greetings for Nowruz

NOWRUZ MOBARAK

GREETINGS FOR THE IRANIAN NEWYEAR

HOPES FOR A BETTER YEAR FOR IRAN AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

HOPES FOR A YEAR OF PEACE , LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG PEOPLES AND WITH NATURE
HOPES THAT THE GREENING OF NATURE WILL COINCIDE WITH THE GREENING OF OUR THOUGHTS

International Day of Nowruz

Nowruz has been finally designated as an International Day by the United Nations General Assembly and this event has been registered in the name of Iran. Nowruz is a celebration for all since it is based on the change in earth's axis which defines the end of winter and the begining of spring. It is the revival of life, the renewal of hope and light.
Nowruz is celebrated by many countries in the region and some of the rituals are very similar . Most Central Asian Republics have joyful ceremonies and rituals.  The rituals are very meaningful and inspiring . Taking the energy and warmth from the fire on Charshanbe Suri to spreading a tablecloth for seven blessings from God, green sprouts, apples, cooked wheat sprouts,..... Nowruz is a source of hope for Iranians after a very difficult year. It is an indication that life will proceed and the truth will prevail, we only need to persevere.

 

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

MESSAGE ON THE DAY OF NOWRUZ

21 March 2010


The General Assembly’s decision this year to recognize the International Day of Nowruz is evidence of a growing global awareness of the holiday’s significance not only in the regions where it is celebrated but around the world.

For millennia, when the sun crosses the equator and the northern hemisphere enters Spring, peoples in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions have carried out their own special traditions in celebration of Nowruz. These rituals, from repainting homes to visiting friends to preparing symbolic meals, are infused with a spirit of renewal and can inspire not only those conducting them but all people.

As we commemorate this first International Day of Nowruz, I hope countries and people around the world will draw on this festival’s history and customs to promote harmony with the natural world and foster global peace and goodwill .

Palestine and Reformists

I was invited to deliver a speech for the Secretariat of the Conference for Support for Palestine last week. The Secretariat has a Student Committee that holds meetings every month. This Secretariat is supported by the Iranian Majlis and is headed by Mr. Mohatashemipour, the former Minister of Interior and Ambassador to Syria who was injured two decades ago in a letter bomb blast believed to be planted by Israeli agents in Damascus. Mohtashamipour headed the the sensitive committee of " protecting votes" in the election campaign of Mir Hossein Mousavi in the recent Presidential elections. His committee brought up serious questions concerning the election and vote counting processes last year.
Now,  he only heads the Secretariat  and pro-government supporters in the Parliament have threatened to remove him from this office.
I spoke last week about the historical support that Iranian people have provided for Palestine even before the Revolution. I also recalled how the Muslim Students Following the Line of Imam had  convened the first International Conference of Freedom Seeking Movements in the World in 1979.Different Palestianian groups had attended our conference then. I noted that support for the oppressed, for freedom seeking peoples and for Muslims throughout the world has been part of the integral objectives of the Islamic Revolution. Now, different political groups and tendencies in Iran all support the Palestinian cause and the Intifadha and this is a point of unity for them. I then pointed to certain challenges, that Reformists see in this regard. The national government run Radio and Television has taken a very one-sided and biased approach on this matter and this has adversely influenced public opinion. I also pointed that silence or lack of official support for other Muslim minorities in countries like Chechenya , China and Kashmir has created an atmosphere of mistrust. As an Islamic country, we need to keep a rational and just position on this matter and certain radical positions taken by high level officials, such as the denial of the holocaust has not been helpful in this regard. I criticized the policies of the current government noting that in many economic , diplomatic and social areas they have not met expectations thus weakening our national and international roles.

Environmental Awards

The Center for Peace and Environment had it's annual awards ceremony in the name of the late Dr.Taghi Ebtekar, my father who passed away 9 years ago. The Center for Peace and Environment  (www.pengo.ir) has now convened this Award for five rounds, acknowledging each time, the efforts and achievements of scientists and scholars in the field of environmental research. At least six months ahead, the Center announces its conditions and invites qualified scholars to take part through ads in major newspapers. Once candidates send their credentials and the deadline is over, the Board of Referees begins the nomination process. In addition to the main prize, journalists in the field of the environment are also acknowledged for the difficult work they perform. This year two scientists,one specializing in biodiversity and the other in air pollution were selected. Three journalists and a newspaper Etellat were chosen for their role in reporting on environmental challenges and issues that the country faces.
Seyyed Mohammad Khatami , the former President of the Islamic Republic of Iran was our guest of honor. After presenting the prizes, he spoke on the importance of peace as the prerequisite for development and human advancement. "If we perceive human nature as inherently aggressive and in pursuit of war then peace becomes an entity that must be enforced and will face instability. On the other hand if we view human nature inherently peace seeking, then peace becomes a natural entity that can be safeguarded to promote stability ."  Khatami continued "We need to realize that Peace is the essential requirement of humanity both at national and international levels. At national levels intolerance and violence are on the rise and at the international levels war, occupation and aggression at the hands of powerful governments are widespread." We need to condemn the violent attitudes that intend to promote tensions and conflicts,  particularly when this attitude is presented under the guise of religion and sacred objectives, Khatami stressed.  Finally, he stressed, peace with nature and the environment is an integral aspect of peace and the global conditions we face in today's world are the result of an ongoing war against the ecosystem.
After the speech most of the guests wanted to take photographs with Khatami. It seems that after all the pressures, smearing campaigns and threats against him , his popularity has mysteriously risen!