Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng attended today's "Taoyuan City Environmental Volunteers Gathering" environmental knowledge competition (July 20th). This event, held at the Taoyuan City Stadium, brought together 56 environmental volunteer teams to test their environmental expertise, on-the-spot reaction skills, and teamwork abilities. The teams that excelled in the competition will represent Taoyuan City at the Ministry of the Environment's "National Environmental Volunteer Summit," striving for national recognition.
Mayor Chang noted that Taoyuan City’s environmental volunteer groups are very diverse and highlighted the impressive achievements made in just the first half of the year. Environmental cleaning volunteers have been maintaining city streets every second Saturday of the month, collecting a total of 230,000 kg of garbage. River patrol volunteers have been assisting in inspecting and maintaining major rivers and waterways, with over 800 water quality monitoring tasks and more than 5,000 patrols conducted. Coastal patrol volunteers have been organizing bi-monthly beach clean-up activities, removing over 30,000 kg of waste. Environmental education volunteers have also conducted nearly 260 educational sessions, benefiting over 80,000 participants. Citizen service volunteers have been assisting nearly 1,000 residents each month with various issues. The myriad of volunteer services can be said to cover almost all aspects, including educational outreach. In every corner of Taoyuan City, these volunteers tirelessly dedicate themselves to creating a clean, comfortable, and safe living environment for the citizens. The selfless spirit of these environmental volunteer partners who step forward to contribute is truly admirable.
Chen Shih-wei, Director-General of the Taoyuan City Government's Department of Environmental Protection (TYDEP), emphasized that everyone has a part to play in the environment. Environmental volunteers are not limited to retirees, nor are they restricted by gender, age, or affiliation. Anyone with passion is welcome to join and become a member of environmental volunteer teams. Today's competition is not only intended to select representative teams for the Ministry of the Environments nationwide competition but also included events closely related to environmental protection. Each team had to apply their environmental knowledge during the competition, providing an opportunity for the volunteers to showcase their skills. Besides competing, the volunteers also exchanged experiences, fostering a sense of community solidarity.
To reduce carbon emissions and single-use waste, the TYDEP purposefully selected the Taoyuan Stadium to hold the event, considering its attractiveness as an indoor venue with abundant natural lighting. This choice avoided disruptions from rain and reduced the need for artificial lighting, thus lowering carbon emissions. Multiple potable water dispensers were set up at the venue, encouraging participants to bring reusable cups and reduce the use of plastic bottles. Non-single-use containers were provided for lunch, significantly reducing single-use waste. Additionally, a large screen displayed event information to minimize the need for printed banners.
After an entire day of exciting competitions, four outstanding teams emerged victorious in each category. The Ruitai Borough Environmental Volunteer Squad from Bade District was awarded the title "Environmental Brainiac," while the Daqian Borough Volunteer Squad from Bade District was crowned "Recycling Sorting King." The Xingren Borough Volunteer Squad from Bade District was named "Recycling Slam Dunk Pro," and the Ruifa Borough Environmental Volunteer Squad from Bade District was honored with "Cleaning Relay Champion." These winning teams will advance to compete at the "2024 National Environmental Volunteer Summit" organized by the Ministry of the Environment, held at the Hualien County Stadium on October 26, where they will face elite teams from across the nation.
Todays event was graced by the presence of Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng, Legislator Wan Mei-ling, City Councilors Huang Wan-ju, Sun Yun-hsuan, Liu Ying-long, Taoyuan Department of Environmental Protection Director-General Chen Shih-wei, Taoyuan Office of Coast and Resource Circulation Construction Director Lu Ming-chi, Taoyuan Office of Environmental Management Director Chang Shu-hao, Taoyuan District Chief Hsu Min-song, and Guishan District Chief Chang Chia-ping, among others.