"Let's realize ESG values at the nostalgic Chungjang Festival." Various programs considering the climate crisis, environment, and social cooperation are prepared, drawing attention.
According to Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 21st, multiple recycling zones will be operated at major points of the festival site, and campaigns will be conducted.
A set of five types of reusable tableware that can be used at food booths will be distributed and collected, then sanitized and reused.
When using a tumbler, a free cup of coffee will be provided at the comprehensive information center, "Chungjang Lounge," and discounts will be available when using stores linked to Chungjang-ro.
Additionally, devices and decorations used in major programs such as "Memory Playground" and "Alley of Banquets" will be created using discarded wooden pallets.
At Chungjang-ro 4-ga, a kids' program that creates a small pop-up city using waste paper and cardboard boxes will also be operated regularly.
Programs for social cooperation and communication also attract attention.
The way local residents participate in the festival will be specifically expanded, and it is particularly meaningful that the Jisan 2-dong Saemaeul Women's Association and the Halbae Chefs (graduates of a cooking class composed of elderly living alone in Jisan 2-dong) are participating in the festival's recipes.
Major stage programs will provide stenographer subtitles even for minor explanations to accommodate the hearing impaired.
At the comprehensive information center, "Chungjang Lounge," sign language volunteers will be on standby at all times, and various services for socially vulnerable groups, such as wheelchair and stroller rentals, will be provided.
The overall program participation will be handled by "Chungjang Lounge" as a festival content called "social service," rather than just a simple information center.
In cooperation with Dong-gu Self-Support Center, reusable tableware used at the festival site will be collected and washed, and the creation of the Memory Garden and Memory Playground will be done together with students from the College of Fine Arts at Chosun University.
The festival program planning activities of the youth planning group "Jjin-i" and the participation of "citizen actors" from Road Theater Gwangju also demonstrate new possibilities for social linkage.
A new attempt for collaboration (Governance) will also be introduced.
The national evaluation group, publicly recruited for citizen participation judging in the festival's representative program, "Chungjang Parade," will enhance fairness and transparency in the competitive structure.
The role of the agency, which had previously been limited to simple production tasks, will be upgraded to a "directing production team."
This is to improve the organizational structure and provide an opportunity for active participation by having local planners take the lead in directing and completing the festival, rather than producing under the unilateral instructions of a director.
Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, "The ESG values embedded throughout the Chungjang Festival are expected to serve as a positive catalyst for future environmental, social, and governance issues in the local community."
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