The 7th pillar of Rotary, Environmental Sustainability, was well represented at events prior to and during RICON.
Prior to the convention opening, the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) launched a Green Events handbook; held an action summit; and led a number of tours highlighting environmental issues. During the convention, breakout sessions included an ESRAG lunchtime forum; and a diverse menu of breakout sessions: ‘Adopt a River’, ‘End Plastic Soup’, and ‘A Plant-rich Diet: Delicious Climate Action’.
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The House of Friendship featured several booths representing Rotary environmental projects and featuring environmental issues which generated a great deal of interest, among them ESRAG; We’re for Bees, highlighting the importance of bees and other pollinators.
A highlight of the Sunday afternoon entertainment program in the House of Friendship was a performance of the ‘Waggle Dance’ introduced by Canterbury Rotarian Lili-Ann Kriegler with choreographer, Naki Khan and four members of her dance class. The House of Friendship audience joined in! The waggle dance is a representation of the ‘dance’ performed by bees returning to the hive to inform their colleagues where to find pollen.