Thais urged to join eco-friendly Loy Kratong Festival

BANGKOK, November 13 (TNA) - Thailand's Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, has urged the public to celebrate the upcoming Loy Kratong Festival in an eco-friendly way, by using kratongs, or floating baskets,made by biodegradable materials, under the theme of "Thai People with Green Heart Floating Kratong in Clear Water, No Pollution and Eco-friendly." The department's director-general, Jatuporn Burootpat, noted that more than 910,000 kratongs were floated last year, 75 per cent of them were made from banana leaves which could be biodegraded. Jatuporn said that his department has seen the importance of promoting public participation in the conservation of the environment and ecological systems, covering keeping waterways clean, through the 3R campaigns:Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Based on the 3R campaigns, the senior official explained, people are urged to "reduce" the amount of materials used for making kratongs or the size of kratongs, to "reuse" kratongs by sharing used kratongs with their families' members or friends and to "recycle" materials used to make kratongs for other purposes. This year's Loy Kratong Festival in Thailand falls on November 17. Besides, the department has organised a logo contest for "Thai People with Green Heart", to promote the "green" environment in the society, the winner of which will be awarded with a royal plaque of honour and a cash prize of 50,000 baht on December 5, 2013, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday and also a day after the National Environment Day, every December 4.(TNA)