4 ENVIRONMENT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014
Phuket celebrates World Ocean Day
Hundreds turned out to plant Bougainvillea flower trees along Bang Yai canal in Phuket Town.
World Environment Day in Phuket highlights progress
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ometimes it may seem as if Phuket’s environmental record is heading only in one direction – downhill. But anyone who attended the World Environment Day exhibitions at Queens Park in Phuket Town on June 5, may have discovered a ray of hope. Indeed, progress ... in consumerism, recycling and innovation was the general feeling last Thursday. The event featured many interesting booths: Whether Phuket Municipality’s toxic household waste
and recycling information corner or their booth selling household composting units; SEEK’s exhibition about mangrove restoration and beach clean-ups; Vachira Phuket’s initiative to produce bio-diesel fuel for their ambulances, using used cooking oil from hotels; Royal Phuket City hotel’s production of all-natural cleaning chemicals; PSU’s environmental photo competition display and not to mention, Ecolotech Company’s display of atmospheric water generators – yes, you can extract pure drinking water from thin air!
Who knows what’s in store for next year? Perhaps by then Phuket will be ready for earthships and aquaponics? Meanwhile, from this year’s event, The Phuket News obtained a dozen worthy leads and will be sure to bring you more in-depth environment stories in the near future. Watch this space! Environment conservation activities were wrapped up on Saturday morning (June 7) with the planting of dozens of Bougainvillea flower trees all along Bang Yai canal. This flower, in Thai “Fueang Fa” is the provincial flower of Phuket.
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o mark World Oceans Day on the island, the coastal and marine resources department on June 8 organized a number of activities at the Phuket Aquarium which included the release of 30 Brownbanded bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum). Presiding over the event’s opening ceremony was Governor Maitri Inthusut with special guest Punika Kulsunthararat, “Miss Earth Thailand 2013” also taking part. The beauty queen was escorted by Prawit Janyasittikul, chief executive officer of Phuket Square Ltd, which manages Jungceylon, who sponsored the Miss Earth Thailand 2013 pageant. World Oceans Day was in close proximity to World Environment Day (June 5). Another campaign promoted during the event was “Zero Bag Zero Waste” which involved passing out environmentallyfriendly cloth bags to the governor and other attendees. Activities also included the replanting of new coral colonies, trash cleaning dives, an art contest and various booths set up by both public and private sectors.
Amari Phuket team plants more mangroves Amari Phuket led by
Tipaporn Koonphol, Deputy General Manager (seventh from left) and Rinrapat Puwanutchotchai, Director, Human Resources (second from left), together with other team member volunteers, recently started a mangrove planting campaign to support nature and wildlife in the area of Baan Ao Makham village, a recommended planting area by Phuket Mangrove Station 23. This area has been preserved as the Klong Koh Pee Mangrove Forest Project and aims to be one of the most abundant mangrove forests on Phuket Island. thephuketnews