Domestic and International Upcycle Organizations and Experts Collaborate... Brainstorming to Revitalize Upcycling
[Asia Economy Jeju Reporting Headquarters Park Chang-won] The 2020 Asia Upcycle Jeju Forum, held in Jeju under the theme "Leading Asia's Environment through Upcycling," concluded its schedule on the 30th.
Hosted by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and jointly organized by the Jeju Free International City Development Center, KCTV Jeju Broadcasting, Jeju Economic Newspaper, and the Jeju Upcycle Association, the forum featured participation from domestic upcycle specialized institutions such as Seoul Sae Hwal-yong Plaza, Incheon Upcycle Eco Center, and Suncheon Upcycle Center The Saerom, as well as upcycle experts and artists from both Korea and abroad.
Considering the COVID-19 situation, the forum was held at the KCTV Jeju Broadcasting studio. The entire event was broadcast live on the official website of the Asia Upcycle Jeju Forum and YouTube.
The forum included a conference attended by domestic upcycle experts and related organizations.
The first presenter of the event, Yoon Dae-young, director of Seoul Sae Hwal-yong Plaza, gave a presentation on "Domestic and International Upcycle Status and Success Cases," stating, "Due to global climate change, the environmental market size is expanding, and international economic policies are shifting toward a resource-circulating model," adding, "Through establishing an upcycle culture, Korea should prepare for changes toward a resource-circulating economic policy via citizen networks."
Director Yoon suggested, "For upcycle culture to succeed, it is necessary to build a resource circulation logistics system, conduct research and development to reduce waste, and develop urban-rural integrated cooperation programs," and added, "Along with this, it is necessary to develop awareness improvement programs for the transition to a circular economy and non-face-to-face programs suitable for the COVID-19 situation."
The second session featured a presentation by Yoon Sung-gu, director of Incheon Upcycle Eco Center, which plays a leading role in domestic environmental education. Director Yoon argued that the "climate crisis" has arrived due to citizens' excessive consumption in modern society and emphasized the need to use all possible means to move toward a resource-circulating society.
He explained, "Currently, the Earth is facing a climate crisis and environmental pollution due to resource misuse and overconsumption," adding, "This results in sea level rise, ocean acidification, new disease outbreaks, and an increase in environmental refugees." He further stated, "Hardware (facility infrastructure), software (policy systems), and humanware (awareness and behavior) are needed, but the most important deciding factor is awareness improvement," and argued, "Upcycling can serve as a lever to bring about a paradigm shift in the conventional consumption-production model and is expected to create synergy through cooperation with environmental education."
The third session presenter, Hyun Sang-cheol, head of the Environmental Business Department at Jeju Free International City, emphasized the need to promote upcycling efforts to spread the consensus that "Jeju's greatest value lies in its environment."
On the final day of the forum, the 30th, Director Hyun gave a presentation titled "Enhancing the Environmental Value of Clean Jeju and Upcycling," stating, "To spread the consensus that 'Jeju's greatest value lies in its environment,' efforts to activate upcycling are necessary," and added, "To enhance the environmental value of clean Jeju, cooperation and network building across various sectors are required, and for this, continuous awareness improvement activities are needed for upcycling to become a culture in daily life."
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