EARTH DAY PHOTO CONTEST ATTRACTS OVER 1,500 PICS FROM ALL

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000792

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/PDA: DPRINCE
DEPT FOR OES/FO: WARMBRUSTER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KPAO OIIP BR
SUBJECT: EARTH DAY PHOTO CONTEST ATTRACTS OVER 1,500 PICS FROM ALL
OVER BRAZIL



1. SUMMARY: The US Embassy in Brasilia, through its Regional
Environmental HUB Office and with indispensable support from the
Public Affairs section, celebrated Earth Day 2007 through a
countrywide photography contest entitled 'A Snapshot of Brazilian
Nature.' With over 1,500 entries from throughout Brazil, this
program reached a very large segment of the Brazilian population and
allowed post to highlight US environmental engagement throughout the
country. We believe this high visibility, low-cost program could
become a Department best practice and encourage OES to adopt it for
international distribution next year. END SUMMARY.

2. With over 1,500 entries from more than 130 cities across the
country, and all but two states, (Amapa and Roraima),this Earth Day
contest had one of the highest visibilities and reaches of any
outreach program conducted by the mission over the last year. The
Public Affairs section and Regional Environmental Hub worked closely
in conducting the public outreach necessary to achieve this level of
participation in Brazil including writing and distributing press
releases, conducting media interviews throughout the country
highlighting the contest, and making individual efforts to speak
directly with NGOs, academic institutions, and other potential
partners. In addition, the Hub and Public Affairs developed an
Earth Day op-ed from the Ambassador that was printed in over 10
media outlets, and reached hundreds of thousands of readers.

3. The Grand Prize winner - Lucas Landau, age 17, from Rio de
Janeiro - received an airline ticket to Florida, courtesy of
American Airlines, and a Kodak EasyShare digital camera. The HUB
office is arranging the logistics for Lucas to visit the Everglades
National Park during his stay in the U.S. and will use this
opportunity to highlight the on-going work post is doing to support
the Everglades-Pantanal Sister Parks Agreement signed in 1997. In
addition to the grand prize winner, there were three winners in each
age group category (10-15, 16-20, 21-25, and 26-30) who received a
coffee table book on the environment and a certificate signed by
Ambassador Clifford Sobel.

4. The Earth Day event was capped off by an award ceremony at the
Casa Thomas Jefferson (bi-national center) in Brasilia on April
23rd. Five of the winners, including the Grand Prize winner,
attended the event hosted by Ambassador Sobel. In addition, the
event honored a group of Special Education students from CESAS, a
school located near the Embassy compound. Fourteen students from
CESAS, most of which are visually or audibly impaired, sent in
pictures of nature for the contest. The Embassy awarded the school
with a certificate of Honorable Mention, a book on the Grand Canyon
for the school library and other books for each participant.

5. The response from the community as well as from NGOs, academic
institutions, and our contacts in the Government of Brazil has been
overwhelmingly positive. Due to this response, the Public Affairs
section and the Hub have developed a program for a traveling exhibit
of winning photographs to other bi-national centers and will create
a calendar for possible use as our annual end of year gratuity to
our contacts.

6. The Regional Environmental Hub Office will create a "How to
Guide" for developing a similar program in other countries and will
make this available to OES for possible inclusion as a best practice
for other posts next year.
SOBEL