It is known that Costa Rica is a country that has striven to promote ecological activities and development around the world. Some months ago, the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers have awarded two local embassies. The prize has to do with a great deal of effort of those embassies to encourage recycling and other ecological actions such as solid waste management and fossil fuel consumption.
One of the important assigned tasks to these embassies is the promotion of sustainable energy in countries like The Netherlands, France, and Korea. Due to a good job in 2106, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made public the recognition of these counselor offices by granting them the 2016 Ecological Blue Flag Award.
A total of five foreign embassies based in Costa Rica were awarded the blue flag. Those offices corresponded to the governments of the Netherlands, France, Panama and Korea. The prize was only for the government offices which adjusted properly to ecological practices.
Challenge accepted
The Blue Flag Program was created by the Blue Flag Commission with the purpose of rewarding the efforts of organizations, companies, embassies, and governments in the continuous struggle against polluting practices. The commission challenged local and international embassies to adopt ecological practices. Altogether, 50 embassies were contacted and encouraged to take up this challenge last year.
Who participated?
50 Costa Rican embassies based in other countries and 38 foreign consulates. The offices that totalized more stars during the year, won the Blue Flag award in response to their willingness to keep ecological practices.
What did the Embassies have to do to get the Ecological Blue Flag?
All the embassies and consulates had to:
- Reduce water consumption.
- Cut down on fossil energy.
- Minimize electrical energy.
- Make good use of solid wastes.
- Promote environmental education.
- Invite other governments to join the eco-friendly idea.
Needless to say, it was not easy to rise to this challenge. The real objective was to spread the Costa Rican ecological philosophy in many countries in the world, especially Europe and Asia, considering that Europe has the tendency to back up eco-friendly programs.
The Blue Flag Commission alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other companies contemplate repeating this challenge as it is a form of raising awareness of global warming and greenhouse gasses emissions in other countries.