FLAG OFF: Participants set-off on their journey. – BAHYIAH BAKIR
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The first Ozone Run held to mark the 25th anniversary of World Ozone Day 2012 turned out to be an absolute success, seeing royalty, hundreds of locals and foreigners throwing their support behind the good cause, Borneo Bulletin reported.
Organised by the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) of the Ministry of Development, the run included the participation of Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah and YAM Pengiran Anak Abdul Mu’min.
Also in attendance was Minister of Development Pehin Orang Maya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Suyoi bin Hj Osman, who in a brief interview with the Bulletin said the run was part of the ministry’s role in raising environmental awareness.
High levels of car emission affect the ozone, making it unsafe for us, thus it is crucial to raise public awareness in a bid to protect the ozone layer from further thinning.
“The run is to enlighten people about the importance of the ozone, how it blocks out the sun rays, the UV and so on … and that’s why we hope the message we are sending out today will be received by the people.
“We are a party to the Montreal Protocol (MP) and we are active in whatever way we can be. We also want to see the good ozone not be depleted by gas emissions, particularly from the industries,” said the minister in response to Brunei’s participation at the international level.
Meanwhile, Hj Lukman and Wan Firdaus of JASTRe disclosed that although the Ozone Run was initially capped at 2,000 participants, within three weeks of registration, the number had reached close to 3,000.
The response to the event following its announcement, as well as feedback and reviews were all positive. The response from the private sector (related to gas and refrigerant) also yielded positive results with representatives from 10 companies signing up for the run.
In marking the 25th anniversary, every MP member ensured their celebration was held on a grand scale. When the secretariat learnt that Brunei was to hold the Ozone Day Run, it welcomed the news, and was pleased with the idea that Brunei was to organise a run that aimed to raise public awareness on the matter.
The run was fully captured in a video which will be delivered to the United Nations (UN) Secretariat.
Seeing the positive response from participants, it is hoped the run met the objectives of enlightening the public on the importance of protecting our ozone layer.