#keeping the environment clean #demanding a strategy #acting for future generations
The local initiative CIVOZ was founded with the goal in mind to warn about the inappropriate treatment of our environment. The initiative has been striving for justice, namely people’s basic right to healthy living environment.
There are news and information on a daily basis about endangering environment and our health. This is a direct consequence of irresponsible practice of certain individuals on the one hand and the state with its flawed legislation, lobbying and capital on the other. This can only mean one thing – we need to resist this highly irresponsible behaviour now.
While helplessly watching hop fields expand continuously directly towards the vicinity of settlements, the concerned citizens established a local initiative in November 2017 called The Local Initiative for Protection of Health and Environment -CIVOZ. The goal was to evaluate the newly occurred situation. Soon after 2500 other concerned citizens of the municipality of Slovenj Gradec joined the Initiative with their signatures. They support the efforts of the Initiative and the position of all those who are well aware of the negative consequences of living in an unhealthy environment.
The main objective of CIVOZ Slovenj Gradec is to actively operate in the direction of making people aware of this serious environmental issue and work towards a solution. By no means do we wish, through our engagement, to mislead the public, spread untrue facts and misrepresent them. We have carefully examined the legislation and acquired numerous opinions, statements and findings from competent authorities, institutions and professional experts.
As a consequence of accelerated setting up of hop fields and a strong increase in use of chemicals – the so-called plant protection products all the way to the very vicinity of settlements of Slovenj Gradec, Šmartno (in the vicinity of school and kindergarten with about 500 children) and Podgorje, the living conditions in terms of health and quality of life have significantly deteriorated.
At the beginning of 2018 we submitted an initiative to the Mayor and the Municipal Council of Slovenj Gradec for the initiation of process to change the municipal spatial plan (OPN). The then municipal leadership failed to accomplish this. The current Mayor is well aware of the importance of a healthy living environment and is well acquainted with the problem. He has met with the workgroup of CIVOZ three times so far and he gave the professional services an assignment of dealing with this current situation. CIVOZ has informed the Municipality about filing a complaint to the inspection service because of spreading of hop fields to parts of municipal property. CIVOZ has also sent a request for issuing a decree by which the use of polypropylene ropes in these hop fields in the region of the Municipality of Slovenj Gradec would immediately be forbidden. Additionally, putting back the hops leftovers mixed with polypropylene ropes would also need to be immediately forbidden. CIVOZ is about to launch a petition on issuing a decree for tackling this burning hops issue. You will be able to sign the petition on our website.
We are happy to witness an increasing number of advocates and supporters of healthy environment and quality of life. We would like to inform the public that our activities towards protecting our healthy environment will certainly continue and this undertaking is increasingly gaining in significance. You are welcome to join us and help us with our activities.
Please contact us at: civozinfo@gmail.com
You can find us on Facebook: CIVOZ
