Greening

institutions in
Timor-Leste
By Penny Jones
Acting Country Director
Plan Timor-Leste
6 July, 2009
© Plan
Formation of the Green Task Force
•Formed in September
2008.
•Aim: To Improve Plan
Timor-Leste’s
environmental
knowledge and
practices in the office,
the field and the
home.

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Initial Green Task Force activities (pre-
survey)
•Tree planting
•Film screening
•Poster campaign
•Green Team Awards for staff
•Infrastructure improvements
• Fans installed
• Taps fixed
• Waste segregation.

•Environmental policies
• Duplex printing
• Green catering.

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Introducing the Green Investigator
•Izito Castanheira,
Plan Timor-Leste’s
Operations Manager.

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Plan Timor-Leste Staff Environmental
Survey
• Conducted over
approx 1 month, from Respondents by district (%)

18 Feb 2009. 60
51.6

• 104 staff participated

40
(96.2 %). 28.0
16.1
20
• Written interviews –
4.3
Tetum and English. 0
Dili Aileu Lautem Unspecified
• Open-ended
questions.
• Results reported for
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Timorese
Plan

respondents.
Survey findings: Views of the
environment

Major environmental issue facing Timor-Leste (% )

24.7
30

17.2 16.1 15.1 15.1

20

11.8
10

0
Waste Awareness Burning off Deforestation Disasters Other
management

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Survey findings: Views of the
environment
•Major environmental issue facing the
world:
• Pollution – 30.0%
• Natural disasters – 20.0%.

•Best source of information on the

environment:
• Government – 29.0%
• Television / films: – 11.8%.

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Survey findings: Views of the
environment
•‘Young people need to
know more about the
environment. This is
crucial for Timor-Leste,
because the environment
is not just one thing: it’s
the earth, the sea and the
sky.’ Male, Dili.
•‘The environment is an
important part of our
health.’ Male, Dili
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Survey findings: Protecting the
environment

Most important action Timorese people should take to

protect the environment (%)
52.7
60

40

18.3 11.8
20
8.6 8.6

0
Planting / Awareness- Waste disposal - Cleaning Other
protection of raising appropriate
trees

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Survey findings: Protecting the
environment
•Biggest obstacle to environmental
protection in Timor-Leste:
• Education / awareness – 43.0%.

•Most important thing international

organisations can do to protect the
environment in Timor-Leste:
• Education / awareness-raising – 51.6%.

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Survey findings: Protecting the
environment
•‘Now the world is getting warmer, we need
to plant lots of trees, and protect
ourselves from natural disasters.’ Male,
Aileu.
•‘We need to help communities to prepare
alternatives. If we tell them not to cut
down trees, we need to help them find
other options.’ Male, Lautem.
•‘People often don’t think enough about the
environment. They throw garbage
anywhere, cut down trees, and burn
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rubbish in people’s living areas. As for the
Plan
Survey findings: Changes in staff
behaviour
• 73.1% of respondents said they and their families
had taken a new environmental initiative in the
previous 6 months.
Family initiatives in previous 6 months (%)
27.6 27.6
30
25.2

19.5
20

10

0
Waste Tree planting Cleaning Other
management

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Survey findings: Changes in staff
behaviour
•94.6% said they could do more at work
to protect the environment.

Additional ways respondents could protect the

environment at work (%)
38.1
40

30
19.4 15.7
20
13.4
8.2 5.2
10

0
Education / Waste Waste Cleaning Tree planting Other
awareness minimisation management / protection
raising

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Survey findings: Changes in staff
behaviour
•88.2% said they could do more at home to
protect the environment.

Additional ways respondents could protect the environment at

home (% )
13.5 13.1 12.0
15

10

4.7 4.0 5.5

5

0
Cleaning Tree planting / Waste Education / Waste Other
protection management awareness minimisation
raising

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Survey findings: Changes in staff
behaviour
•‘Plan has explained about the environment
to its staff and to the communities where
it works, but we still don’t have very good
results. But gradually, people will start to
understand.’ Male, Dili.
•‘We should introduce penalties for staff
who do not follow good environmental
practices, so that staff get used to looking
after the environment everywhere, not
just at Plan.’ Female, Lautem.

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Survey findings: Views of the Green
Task Force
•Most useful Green Task Force activity:
• Tree planting / gardening – 31.9%
• Education / awareness raising – 13.2%
• Waste management – 13.2%.

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 Survey findings: Views of the Green
Task Force
•44.1% had told someone outside Plan about
the Green Task Force.
People whom respondents told about Green Task Force (%)

40
32.7
30
19.2 17.3
20
13.5
9.6
10 3.8 3.8

0
Family Neighbours Plan Friends Other NGOs Government Others
beneficiaries

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Survey findings: Views of the Green
Task Force
•Most frequent suggestions for Green Task
Force:
• More awareness-raising for staff / communities – 41.3% of
suggestions.
• Increase presence in rural areas – 9.3% of suggestions.

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Survey findings: Views of the Green
Task Force
•‘We need to keep telling the community
about the importance of the environment.
We need to create a Green Task Force to
protect the environment, from a national
level all the way to the districts,
subdistricts, sucus and aldeias. This team
should teach people to respect and value
the environment.’ Male, Aileu.
•‘All the NGOs should come together in one
big Green Task Force, so that lots of
people in the community can understand
©and get involved.’ Female, Dili.
Plan
Lesson-learned: Effective
environmental education
•Need to share
information in a
variety of ways
• Participatory activities (eg
tree planting) are effective.
• Written messages (eg
emails) are less effective.

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Changes made a result of lessons
learned
•Participatory workshop on the
environment for extended management
team.
•Environmental action plan developed.
•Aileu office established its own Green Task
Force
• Tree planting campaign
• Improved waste management practices
• Environmental awareness-raising in rural areas.

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The latest Green Task Force Action
Plan
•Community:
• Environmental campaign.

•Office:
• Tree planting
• Reduce energy use
• Reduce water use.

•Home:
• Provide advice to all staff to
have and clean a household
toilet.

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Questions?
•Please contact
• Penny Jones
• Acting Country Director
• Plan Timor-Leste
• +670 331 2492
• Penny.jones@plan-international.org.

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