Environmental Awareness Week

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS WEEK
April 17 – 23, 2005

CNMI EARTH DAY
April 22, 2005

A PROCLAMATION

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) declares: “Each person has the right to a clean and healthful public environment in all areas, including the land, air and water.”

The Commonwealth Environmental Protection Act establishes the policies to support and implement the Constitution, including enforcement of environmental standards to protect and preserve marine resources and uninhabited islands; to promote the highest attainable quality of life for present and future generations; to preserve, protect, and improve the aesthetic quality of land, air, water, and all natural resources of the Commonwealth in order to promote the beauty of the Commonwealth for the enjoyment of its residents and visitors.

The Commonwealth Environmental Protection Act empowers the Division of Environmental Quality within the Office of the Governor to develop, implement, and enforce the policies set forth in the Act.

The Environmental Awareness Week 2004 theme, “Our Environment: Our Health, Our Future,” reinforces our responsibility to maintain and protect our shared environment, which includes the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the soil from which we grow our food. We must protect the rare plant and animal life unique to our islands from harm and extinction. Our environmental resources must also be maintained and enhanced to benefit the CNMI’s important tourism economy. Let us all treasure what we share together – our land, water, and air. Each of us must do his/her part daily to protect, preserve, and conserve these vital and essential natural resources.

We must all do our share to keep the CNMI clean. Individuals, families, visitors, businesses, and the Government: we are all responsible to ensure that Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and the Northern Islands remain clean and green for our present and future generations. It is our obligation; it is our debt; it is our privilege. Let’s all work together.

Now, therefore, I, Juan N. Babauta, Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth, do hereby proclaim April 17-23, 2005 as Environmental Awareness Week and April 22, 2005 as CNMI Earth Day. I ask that all citizens of the Commonwealth take an active interest in their environment and help protect it for future generations. I urge all citizens and organizations of the Commonwealth to observe the week in recognition of our goal of maintaining a healthy, clean and beautiful Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on this 13th day of April 2005.