BEIRUT - T.E.R.R.E. LIBAN Association held a press conference on Friday, May 29, 2009 in partnership with Cimenterie Nationale to present the achievements of the Lebanese Ecocitizen Project and to declare the results of the competition launched in the context of this project. The conference was held in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of State for Administrative Reform, the Ministry of the Environment, the Lebanese Environment Forum, as well as numerous journalists and media figures.

T.E.R.R.E. LIBAN Association has launched the Ecocitizen Project in 1139 primary and complementary public schools during the academic year 2007 – 2008, with the aim to promote the Lebanese Ecocitizen Chart in all of Lebanon. The project was done in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and was funded by the European Union under the direction of the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) – Afkar II Program and by Cimenterie Nationale.

The Ecocitizen Project represents an additional milestone in Cimenterie Nationale’s longstanding record of social and environmental contributions which include, among others, continuous support to schools, sports clubs, and community associations, environmental endeavors such as reforestation campaigns, a Turtle Monitoring Project and the annual organization of a Summer Club targeting the schools of the Chekka-Anfeh locality which also offers environmental workshops.

During the application phase of the Lebanese Ecocitizen Project, T.E.R.R.E. LIBAN launched the “Active Ecocitizen” competition for the academic year 2008-2009, targeting students from the fourth-grade to the eight-grade. 382 groups participated in the contest and took part in practical environmental activities which included reforestation and environment cleaning campaigns, organic farming, waste sorting and recycling, building of wooden bird nests and implementation of pilot projects for alternative energy.

Mr. Paul Abi Rached thanked all parties who contributed to this project for their support, particularly Cimenterie Nationale. Mr. Abi Rached also encouraged the support offered by the private sector to environmental and social projects carried out by Non-Governmental Organizations.

During the conference, students from the Qulayla Intermediate School- Tyre represented the participating groups in the contest, and presented several projects they had undertaken including the Cleaning Police, the permanent waste sorting center, and the square foot gardening projects.


Cimenterie Nationale was founded in 1953, and has grown to become a leader in the cement sector. Throughout its years of activity, the company has sought to preserve high standards of ethics and integrity which are clearly reflected in the role that Cimenterie Nationale is playing as a community member. This role is expressed in numerous ways: being a factor of economic development by providing job opportunities and developing the industry, contributing to the well-being of the community, and safeguarding the environment. The ecological aspect has been of particular importance for Cimenterie Nationale, as the company has undertaken major reforestation initiatives while continually and heavily investing in its production facilities to keep them environmentally friendly. Cimenterie Nationale has obtained the ISO 14001 environmental certification as a result of this effort.