Launch of UNEP’s ‘GreenUp’ campaign
Vivienne Westwood, Achim Steiner and Isabelle Durant launched a citizens’ Green Economy Initiative in October 2011 ahead of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, aka Rio+20.
At the launch of ‘GreenUp’, conceived to bring the Green Economy closer to Europeans, Dame Vivienne unveiled a Tree-shirt to raise funds for reconnecting Europe’s forests.
Forests across the globe will be central to combating climate change and a key part of realizing a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy studies show.
The essential Vivienne Westwood design was printed on shirts donated by the Anvil Eco T-Shirt Collection™ and each shirt includes a Shirt Scan™ Code with additional information on the GreenUp programme.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, underlined at the launch: “GreenUp, with the help of Dame Vivienne, can assist to demystify the Green Economy and make it practical so that people can make a difference.”
Isabelle Durant, Vice President of the European Parliament, spoke about the power of citizens as governments prepared for Rio+20. “The Green Economy will never exist with only directives and international agreements … We have to mobilise the citizens through programmes like GreenUp. It’s absolutely necessary for citizens to have the capacity to exchange their ideas and experimentation. And to share their progress and successes.”
Photos of the press conference can be found here: GreenUp launch, Bozar Brussels