Green Festival Video

Special thanks to Martin Turner for putting together this video of the highly successful festival!

Let Us Know You’re Coming!

Social Media is our friend and yours:

Let us know you’re coming on Friday!

 

All in a Tuesday Night

We’re happy to say that things are coming together nicely for the festival!  Some of us have green hands (literally) from painting signs.  Some of us have been building tables out of scrap wood.  And many of us came together to make some music.  Listen to us take on the Kurdish song Ewrya over on Soundcloud.

Constructing Games

AUIS Development Club members put together a number of fun carnival games this past Thursday. All of the games are created using recycled construction materials such as wooden palates and pvc pipe. These volunteer students will invite the festival crowd to join in the fun of playing their home-made games at the festival on April 20t

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Photography

Just a quick reminder that we’re accepting photos for the exhibition at the festival.  Send us your environmental photos on one of these three themes.

1. Environmental beauty in Iraq

2.Environmental problems in Iraq

3. Solutions to environmental problems in Iraq

Check out some of the photos we’ve already recieved:

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If you’re interested in some of the methods and resources of using photography in and as advocacy, the Blue Earth Alliance has some great information.

Collaboration, Conversation, Cooperation

Nature Iraq played host to a meeting of Environmental NGOs based in Sulaimani last Thursday.

The meeting provided both a time for much-needed conversation about the issues facing this area, and an opportunity for these organizations to get involved with the Green Festival.  While we didn’t manage to solve all of Kurdistan’s environmental issues (yet), we did manage to get at least two additional exhibitors for the Green Festival: the Green Kurdistan Association and Green Environment.

Get Involved!

Hey you.

Yes, you.

Want to meet some fantastic people? Want to help protect the environment? Want to be serenaded by handsome men with guitars on a regular basis?

Basically, want to help us make this Festival thing happen?

I’m glad you do!

You should email us to find out more.  We particularly need help with work we’re doing in schools as part of the lead up to the festival, but if you can juggle, build a web page, or anything in between, we’d love to talk to you.

Also, this is very cool.

Get Excited

Because we clearly are.

In other news, the Sulaimani-based news website Awat has published an editorial by Festival planner Kevin Johnstone detailing what we’re doing and why.  Check it out.

 

Environmental Photo Contest!

We’re putting together a photo exibition as part of the festival, so we want to show the world (or at least Sulaimani) your photos! Please upload your best environmental photo to the Green Music and Arts Festival facebook page for one of the following topics:

1. Environmental beauty in Iraq

2.Environmental problems in Iraq

3. Solutions to environmental problems in Iraq

There will be an exhibition showcasing the best photos, and they will also be displayed at the festival! The deadline for the photo contest is April 1st. We can’t wait to see your best work! Feel free to send, questions, or comments to volunteer@natureiraq.org.

A Beautiful Place, This Planet of Ours

NASA (the space exploration agency of the United States), recently released two gorgeous pictures of the earth from orbit, vivid reminders that we’re all connected, we’re all in this together.

See Wired for more information.