Suwon Mayor Yim Tae-young: "Let's live a day without plastic for the environment"

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon Mayor Yim Tae-young said on the 23rd at the opening ceremony of the Waste Center held at Chungun Welfare Center in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, "The small practice of using a tumbler instead of disposable plastic cups is the first step to saving polar bears whose populations are declining due to climate change."

Mayor Yim Tae-young, who participated as a panel member in the 'Global Environment Talk Show' at the event, stated, "Reducing disposable products use becomes a major force in responding to climate change and can prevent national crises like the 'recycling waste crisis' that occurred in 2018," and proposed "Let's all live a day without plastic."

The Waste Center, established by the civic organization 'Citizens' Life Policy Research Institute,' plans to create laws and ordinances related to household waste together with the National Assembly, local governments, and councils, and conduct projects to reduce waste with local residents. The director is Lee Dong-hak, the author of "The Garbage Book," selected by the Ministry of Environment as an excellent environmental book in 2020.

At the talk show themed 'From Village Garbage to Earth's Climate Change,' Mayor Yim Tae-young participated as the representative chairman of the Association of Mayors, Governors, and District Heads nationwide. The talk show was hosted by Director Lee Dong-hak, and Seoul Eunpyeong District Chief Kim Mi-kyung participated as a panel member alongside Mayor Yim Tae-young.

Mayor Yim Tae-young said, "If citizens empathize with the climate crisis and have the will to practice movements such as 'reducing single-use plastic,' citizens themselves will be able to create various forms of climate action."

He added, "Local governments wrote the success story of 'K-quarantine' by creating diverse and innovative policies in response to the COVID-19 crisis," and stated, "In this climate crisis situation, world-class 'climate crisis response models' will continue to emerge in various communities across our country."

He further said, "Just as streams gather to form a great river, the will of citizens and local governments will come together to achieve 'climate action from below.'"