The Clean Region Awards, Supporting a Tidier Georgia

On January 27, the awards ceremony of the Clean Region 2019 contest took place on the premises of the Tbilisi City Assembly. Organized by the Greens Movement of Georgia/Friends of the Earth-Georgia, and supported by Tbilisi City Assembly, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, the competition was announced in 2018 under the scope of the project “Keep Georgia Tidy.” However, the idea of awarding Georgia’s cleanest regions goes back to 2015.

The idea of organizing such a contest came about in 2015 within the frames of the ‘Clean Up Georgia’ campaign, which on its end, aimed to encourage all regions of Georgia to reduce waste, the number of uncontrolled dumpsites, and to involve the citizens in planned and self-organized clean-up activities. The competition sparked interest and excitement, the increase in the number of nominations in subsequent years standing as proof of it.

The list of nominations for the 2019 contest and its winners are:

Nomination "Clean Region" - Kakheti Region

Nomination "Clean City" - City of Zugdidi

Nomination "Clean Municipality" - Zugdidi Municipality

Nomination "Clean Village/Community" - Orsantia village (Zugdidi Municipality)

Nomination Beautiful Balcony - Lili Kapanadze’s balcony (Mtskheta)

Nomination - "Clean Street" - S. Zakariadze Street, Tbilisi

Nomination “Beautiful Yard of Enterprise” - Wine Company ‘Shumi’ (Telavi)

Nomination "Beautiful Yard" - Iza Gabitashvili’s yard (Gurjaani)

Nino Chkhobadze, Chairperson of the Greens Movement of Georgia/Friends of the Earth-Georgia, summed up the recent competition and the accomplishments of the project.

“We have in many ways accomplished the initial goal that we had when founding the contest: the people of Georgia now feel they have a claim on living in a clean environment,” she told GEORGIA TODAY. “We have seen an annual increase in the number of those interested in the project. But we want to get more people involved. We have to remember that each of us has a responsibility for the environment, from the government to the citizens. We all have to take care of it”.

The contest, which was open to both individuals and institutions, was held for the fourth time in eight nominations. For those interested in the competition and who might be inspired to take part in it next year, we can walk you through. Contest participants must send photo/video materials for their chosen nomination to The Greens Movement of Georgia/Friends of the Earth-Georgia. The winners are revealed by a special commission established within the framework of the contest (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, representatives of CSOs) which analyzes the submitted materials.

The Clean Region contest was carried out under the scope of the “Keep Georgia Tidy” project, with the financial support of the Government of Sweden and implemented by NGO consortium "Keep Georgia Tidy” (KGT), The Greens Movement of Georgia/Friends of the Earth Georgia, Georgian Society of Nature Explorers ‘Orchis jointly with local and Swedish partner organizations and in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, LEPL “Environmental Information and Education Center,’ and the Solid Waste Management Company.

While summing up the contest, the Head of the Greens Movement also highlighted the Swedish side’s contribution. The Swedish Government’s support enables the Greens Movement of Georgia to actively address the problem of harmful waste, raise awareness of the importance of protecting the environment among Georgian society, and carry out such contests as Clean Region.

Exclusively for GEORGIA TODAY, the Swedish Ambassador to Georgia and Armenia, Ulrik Tideström, underlined the importance of such projects in Georgia and worldwide, calling the Clean Region contest a “good example” for making necessary changes.

“Pollution and littering is a global problem. It has to be stopped, and in this truly beautiful country, Georgia, where unique nature is one of the biggest assets. To succeed, good examples are necessary. This is what the Clean Region contest is all about: celebrating and promoting good examples of efforts for a clean and green environment, as an inspiration to others”.

Ambassador Tideström also then revealed a “key area for Swedish-Georgian cooperation.”

“I want to congratulate all the nominees and winners from the regions, municipalities, villages, communities, private companies and individual people countrywide. Reducing pollution and littering is, and must be, a joint undertaking of engaged citizens, civil society, the private sector, and the authorities. We are here to highlight the need for a clean and green environment. Something very close to my heart, and a key area for Swedish-Georgian cooperation. Environment, energy, and climate reforms are also an essential part of Georgia’s continued European integration. Sweden will continue to support Georgia!

ერთად დავიცვათ საქართველოს სისუფთავე! (Keep Georgia Tidy!),'' the Ambassador said.

By Nini Dakhundaridze

Image source: Greens Movement of Georgia