The Syrian Environment Society: together, for a Clean Environment

The Syrian Environment society is a nongovernmental organization, established in 2001 with a mission to call for the creation of a clean and healthy environment through volunteer social works and through exerting efforts to raise the level of environment awareness, which depends on work  ethics , responsible citizenship and respect for the self and others.

The main activities of the society are concentrating on raising awareness in schools by using modern methods to capture students interest, encourage discussions, provide teaching aids and activate environmental topics within the school health curricula and  holding cleaning campaigns in public parks like Tishreen park in Damascus. The activities are carried out by volunteers with the aim of preserving the cleanliness of parks and improving  garbage  collecting methods,  taking part in exhibitions including the book exhibition, and the flower shows, by organizing art activities for children, getting  the schools in Damascus involved in  a world contest for waste recycling, working in cooperation with Damascus  city council and municipality , in order  to establish an environmental friendly garden , adjoining  the castle of Damascus , and to convert the neglected and margined lands into a Damascene garden.

Among the  society’s remarkable activities was the campaign which aimed at  reviving the Barada river. The event was carried out  in cooperation with the  Japanese embassy in Damascus. The society  ran a campaign aimed at raising the  awareness  of citizens  and urging them to keep Barada clean by not disposing waste and  polluted water into it and by using its water wisely. The activity included , visiting the sensitive sites in villages situated on the banks of the river, investigating the river situation there and holding public awareness raising awareness. Several  cleanup campaigns  were also held for the river, involving the participation of locals and volunteers  with the aim of raising awareness and advocating  proper behavior to save the Barada river with the help of municipalities concerned.

Of no less important objective of the society is to maintain networking  with local, regional and  international counterpart societies, that are concerned with environmental issues, sustainable development and the production of a national heritage and establishing a data bank research on the environment and sustainable development and disseminating the findings to the public.

T. Fateh