Green Line - Milestones

In January 2006, based on efforts from the coalition against illegal sand extraction, a ministerial decree was issued by the Minister of Transport and Public Works that states that “No permit or license will be issued for cleaning/deepening of any port from any shore without undertaking an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and thus obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Environment (MoE)” and that “Extracted sand is not to be sold, but returned to the shoreline” especially sand-scarce shores.
Green Line initiated the "Status and Potentials of Renewable Energies in Lebanon and the Region" project
A national workshop on energy, renewable energy and climate change was organized by Green Line Association on the 3rd of June 2006. The objectives of the workshop were to update the information among the attendants on the issues of renewable energy and climate change and to come up with a set of recommendations that would outline a future work plan on the issues of renewable energy and climate change.
12 July 2006 – Israeli aggressions on Lebanon started!
Green Line in collaboration with many civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations (Relief Center in Sanayeh) organized, supported and coordinated relief work for 15,000 displaced persons gathered in 38 schools in Beirut after having fled from Southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Green Line in collaboration with Lebanese NGOs organized several demonstrations condemning the Israeli attacks on Lebanon:
20 July 2006 - Demonstration from the United Nations headquarters to the European Union headquarter in Beirut. A memo was presented to each of the organizations highlighting the magnitude of the crisis and demanding immediate ceasefire
22 July 2006 - “Innocence vs. Brutality”: Demonstration to mourn and remember the martyred children next to the martyr’s memorial
26 July 2006 – "US tax dollars at work": Demonstration to condemn the United States government’s financial and logistical support of the Israeli military attacks.
6 August 2006 – Press conference at Ramel el Zarif school to discuss the government’s negligence in Relief Work.
9 August 2006 – A memorial, composed of 400 tomb stones, for the victims of the Israeli war on Lebanon was set up near Martyrs Square. The area welcomed a candle light vigil every evening with soft live music in the background. Families of the martyrs visited the site, wrote the names of their lost loved ones on the tomb stones, lit candles and put flowers.
13 and 15 July 2006 - Israeli forces bombed Jiyeh power plant, located along the coastline, 30 km South of Beirut, causing major oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea (15,000 tons of heavy fuel-oil)

17 July 2006 - Green Line Association volunteers and a number of environmental activists formed an oil spill working group and started the assessment operations and documentation of the damage covering the Lebanese coast from Beirut northwards.
27 July 2006 - Press Release by Green Line: War in Lebanon Brings About the Biggest Environmental Catastrophe in the History of the Country 15,000 ton Oil Spill from Jiyyeh Power Plant Hits Most of the Lebanese Coast
11 August 2006, clean up operations started.
11-25 August 2006 - Rick Steiner, Professor at the University of Alaska and member of the Commission of Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) conducted the Preliminary Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) within a Agreement between Green Line and IUCN (Secretariat and CEESP). This assessment was the basis for the work conducted later by the experts that came to Lebanon to support in the Oil Spill work.

Preliminary Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)

18 August 2006 – Press conference: Israeli Army refuses to allow oil spill aerial survey flight off Lebanon
23 August 2006- Press conference: International Expert Concludes Rapid Assessment of Lebanon Oil Spill - Extensive injury, requires serious response and in depth damage assessment
Green Line initiated the development of a scientific report with support from local and international experts on the use of "banned weapons" by the Israeli forces during the Israeli aggressions on Lebanon

[1991] [1992] [1993] [1994] [1995] [1996] [1997] [1998] [1999] [2000] [2001] [2002] [2003] [2004] [2005] [2006] [2007]



	2006 ACHIEVEMENTS In January 2006, based on efforts from the coalition against illegal sand extraction, a ministerial decree was issued by the Minister of Transport and Public Works that states that “No permit or license will be issued for cleaning/deepening of any port from any shore without undertaking an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and thus obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Environment (MoE)” and that “Extracted sand is not to be sold, but returned to the shoreline” especially sand-scarce shores. Green Line initiated the "Status and Potentials of Renewable Energies in Lebanon and the Region" project A national workshop on energy, renewable energy and climate change was organized by Green Line Association on the 3rd of June 2006. The objectives of the workshop were to update the information among the attendants on the issues of renewable energy and climate change and to come up with a set of recommendations that would outline a future work plan on the issues of renewable energy and climate change. 12 July 2006 – Israeli aggressions on Lebanon started! Green Line in collaboration with many civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations (Relief Center in Sanayeh) organized, supported and coordinated relief work for 15,000 displaced persons gathered in 38 schools in Beirut after having fled from Southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Green Line in collaboration with Lebanese NGOs organized several demonstrations condemning the Israeli attacks on Lebanon: 20 July 2006 - Demonstration from the United Nations headquarters to the European Union headquarter in Beirut. A memo was presented to each of the organizations highlighting the magnitude of the crisis and demanding immediate ceasefire 22 July 2006 - “Innocence vs. Brutality”: Demonstration to mourn and remember the martyred children next to the martyr’s memorial 26 July 2006 – "US tax dollars at work": Demonstration to condemn the United States government’s financial and logistical support of the Israeli military attacks. 6 August 2006 – Press conference at Ramel el Zarif school to discuss the government’s negligence in Relief Work. 9 August 2006 – A memorial, composed of 400 tomb stones, for the victims of the Israeli war on Lebanon was set up near Martyrs Square. The area welcomed a candle light vigil every evening with soft live music in the background. Families of the martyrs visited the site, wrote the names of their lost loved ones on the tomb stones, lit candles and put flowers. 13 and 15 July 2006 - Israeli forces bombed Jiyeh power plant, located along the coastline, 30 km South of Beirut, causing major oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea (15,000 tons of heavy fuel-oil) 17 July 2006 - Green Line Association volunteers and a number of environmental activists formed an oil spill working group and started the assessment operations and documentation of the damage covering the Lebanese coast from Beirut northwards. 27 July 2006 - Press Release by Green Line: War in Lebanon Brings About the Biggest Environmental Catastrophe in the History of the Country 15,000 ton Oil Spill from Jiyyeh Power Plant Hits Most of the Lebanese Coast 11 August 2006, clean up operations started. 11-25 August 2006 - Rick Steiner, Professor at the University of Alaska and member of the Commission of Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) conducted the Preliminary Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) within a Agreement between Green Line and IUCN (Secretariat and CEESP). This assessment was the basis for the work conducted later by the experts that came to Lebanon to support in the Oil Spill work. Preliminary Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) 18 August 2006 – Press conference: Israeli Army refuses to allow oil spill aerial survey flight off Lebanon 23 August 2006- Press conference: International Expert Concludes Rapid Assessment of Lebanon Oil Spill - Extensive injury, requires serious response and in depth damage assessment Green Line initiated the development of a scientific report with support from local and international experts on the use of "banned weapons" by the Israeli forces during the Israeli aggressions on Lebanon [1991] [1992] [1993] [1994] [1995] [1996] [1997] [1998] [1999] [2000] [2001] [2002] [2003] [2004] [2005] [2006] [2007]