Good afternoon dear leader of the Big Cleanup Day, Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development, representatives of AS “Latvijas valsts meži”, coordinators and friends of the Big Cleanup movement,
I
‘Individually united’. This year’s theme of the Big Cleanup Day carries a particular significance and relevance. It describes perfectly the circumstances we are in, and also clearly shows that because of the pandemic we cannot afford to delay sustainability agenda. We need to focus on both. Pandemic has rather highlighted our weaknesses as a society. One of such weaknesses is that our sustainability policy and public thinking are not developed enough in terms of where they should be to support the positive development of Latvia.
We marked the last year’s World Cleanup Day together by tidying up different parts of Latvia. I went to Valdemārpils and helped create the first Trees Of Happiness park in the world. And today I would like to congratulate everyone on the good news we received earlier in the year: the Big Cleanup has recorded the highest percentage of volunteers per capita at World Cleanup Day 2020! Congratulations everyone!
These times have shown that health is a vital part of a wholesome life of every individual and humanity as a whole. Our planet is inhabited by 8 billion people and pandemic has had some sort of impact on almost everyone’s life. These times have also made us appreciate the real value of direct human contact. As excellent as electronic communication tools may be, it is not the same as the real communication. I suppose everyone is eagerly waiting for communication to go back to normal face-to-face mode.
II
Let us look at the elements that unite the society. Our society is centred around our nation, the Latvian nation, which created and keeps developing this country. Nation is a community of people created for the purpose of self-determination and building of own state. That is how modern nations work. We are one of such nations. We have our own state, which our nation keeps building further. Nation needs the sense of unity. Without unity there will be no nation. And sense of unity comes from nation’s history – common, collective experiences, traditions, culture and language.
Our today’s actions, current agenda and future plans are part of our national identity. Everything we do as a nation to make our state better and create a better society contributes to our sense of unity as the nation. That is how we make our nation and our state stronger.
The way we nurture our traditions, our culture and our language, our environment, is also very important, for it helps us to maintain and strengthen the sense of unity our nation has. It brings us right to the Satversme, our constitution, and the state, because our state is rooted in our nation. The stronger our nation, the better, the more wholesome and efficient is our state. This grassroot movement, the Big Cleanup Day, is essential and crucial element in promoting the sense of unity in our nation. Thank you for playing this important role!
III
There are other examples, too. The theme of the 2023 Song and Dance Festival Gala Concert – perpetuum mobile – is full of symbolism. In 2023, song festival as a movement will celebrate its 150th anniversary, and it can, indeed, be rightly considered the endless energy, which drives our nation.
IV
Big Cleanup as a movement carries the same power as this significant cultural movement. You take care of the environment that surrounds us, the environment we literally live in. Of course, we tend to think about everything from a broader perspective – from the point of view of Latvia, Europe, the world, but physically we are tied to a particular location. And it is our duty to take care of that place. Make it nice, beautiful, clean and pleasant for everyone. That is exactly what the Big Cleanup strives to achieve. The Big Cleanup is a movement that began many years ago. A whole generation of young people has grown up with it. People for whom taking care of the environment is a natural habit they develop when they are young into their adolescence. They have learned to see imperfections in this world that need to be corrected. They have learnt it from taking part in the Big Cleanup activities. As we can all see, Latvia compared to many other countries is very tidy and clean. Many members of your movement have been abroad and we, the Latvians, will always notice various imperfections we see around us.
Coordinators all over Latvia often play the supporting role. But we all know that you have to carry an enormous weight on your shoulders. So, thank you very much for what you are doing to keep the grassroots movement going! Without you it would not be possible.
V
Regional reform is probably another concern that adds stress in your work. If you have any specific questions about it, today is a good opportunity to ask them directly to the minister who is also here. I just want to remind you that I have consistently urged to give smaller communities (towns and rural settlements) elected representation after the reform. That will bring democracy closer to people. Local communities are closely connected to their physical environment. They have the natural urge to take care of it and take responsibility for it. That is why such representation is essential – these representatives would act on behalf of the local community, together with it. In local communities everyone knows each other, and thus it is the best way to get people on board and taking care of their surroundings.
I hope parliament will support my proposal and will give legitimacy to democratically elected representatives of local communities who will work together with new regional administrations.
VI
Dear colleagues,
The Big Cleanup is a movement that takes care of the natural elements of our life. Essential everyday needs that we often take for granted because we never experience their deficit. I am talking about the clean air, water, clean and healthy forests. We have plenty of these resources to not give particular attention to them, but we should never forget how essential they are. Thanks to the Big Cleanup we are constantly reminded of the importance of having these natural elements. Our life will never move online. That would be unhealthy. As human beings we crave interaction with our peers, the environment that surrounds us.
I believe the Big Cleanup, and the whole civic movement concerned with the environment, is not only making sure there is no anthropogenic stress on the environment, including all kinds of pollution, but it is also encouraging prevention mindset. The way we live should be compatible with environment and nature. This requires much deeper and broader change of human patterns, because our everyday habits and actions are not perfectly aligned with ecosystem needs.
I have discussed the advantages and sustainability of biological farming also with our agricultural producers. The good example set by the existing biological farming businesses has convinced other farmers to gradually transition to this kind of agricultural management.
On being green: the European Union (EU) has adopted a European Green Deal, and Latvia was the first country to endorse it, because we have this environmental and green bug, if you will. We support the EU and national dimension of this roadmap. However, supporting is often only the start. You then have to try to understand what that will involve in particular circumstances. And you, dear coordinators of the Big Cleanup Day, are very much a part of this big debate on what being green means to Latvia. What it means in case of each specific rural settlement and town. And this green, sustainability factor is growing increasingly important with every day.
Thank you very much! Good luck!