MI CIUDAD VERDE: Nature takes on the streets to ask for our help

Lima. Sometimes, the severity of environmental problems in areas as rich and biodiverse as the Amazon seems to make us forget about the serious problems we face in this regard in our own cities, and that in many cases these are the source of the greatest impacts on our seas, rivers and forests.

For this reason, a movement called Mi Ciudad Verde (My green City) was launched by WWF on the first day of spring to draw attention to the need for citizens in major urban centers of Peru to take concrete actions TODAY, as to help nature from our homes, work and even the street.

“Today, embodied in plant sculptures, nature has come to the streets to ask for help from passers, distributing seeds and inviting them to spread a culture of environmental responsibility with the city”, said Kjeld Nielsen, WWF’s Director of Communications and Marketing.

This citizen movement seeks to create awareness about the need to reduce our own carbon footprint and promote simple and everyday commitments to help the environment, by building an “eco-responsible” urban community as a first step to promote greater commitments from companies, municipalities and other authorities on issues such as responsible consumption and carbon footprint.

The launch date chosen was the beginning of spring (September 23rd), and in its first intervention it involved hundreds of people in some of our city's iconic sites, with the support of the Municipality of Miraflores. This campaign will spread out to other cities, and will be based on social networks; through which will collect tips from “ordinary” people to ask for a greener citizenship and promote responsibility towards nature.

In this regard, on the following days, and in response to the nature’s request for help, we will invite the followers of this movement to share their advice and “tips” for good environmental practices in the city, through Mi Ciudad Verde’s online platform. At the end of spring, we will select the best urban environmental tips (with the corresponding author) to create the “Carta a Mi Ciudad Verde”, as a request and commitment from and for citizens, for a greener and environmentally responsible city.

Joining the movement is simple. You just have to join the facebook platform (http://www.facebook.co/miciudadverde).