About Us

History:

Since early 2001, Green Line and other NGOs have been lobbying members of the Lebanese parliament to enforce laws directed towards managing the land transport sector and decreasing the air pollution caused by motorized vehicles. This has resulted in the declaration of the Law 341/2001 which aims at reducing pollution and traffic problems. The partial implementation of this law triggered the initiation of the Sustainable Land Transport Campaign at Green Line that aims at lobbying for a National Land Transport Strategy based on Transport Demand Management. Read More.

Objectives:

Through this project, Green Line hopes to reduce air pollution and other environmental and socio-economic problems caused by the land transport sector.

Achievements:

The Sustainable Land Transport project has two dimensions namely political lobbying and social awareness. As a result of lobbying efforts, the parliament set a new timetable for the implementation of the law and so far, two sections (banning of cars and up to 24-seated buses with diesel engines) have been implemented.

After several revisions, the contract was signed and the workplan for the first year (2002) was submitted to Novib.

The work agenda for 2002 included:

• Writing, production and dissemination of a study of the land transport sector.
• Preparation and production of an informative kit
• Preparation and production of promotional items such as stickers, T-shirts and posters.

In August 2002, the report entitled “National Land Transport Strategy Options for Lebanon ” was finalized, reviewed by professionals at Green Line and the American University of Beirut and printed in English and Arabic. The study aimed at putting in place an integrated National Land Transport Management Strategy (NLTS). This strategy adopts the principle of Transport Demand Management, which aims at reducing the number of circulating private vehicles, thus reducing their negative environmental and socio economic impacts. This report is being disseminated to members of involved ministries, professionals in the field and interested individuals.

Publications:

•  National Land Transport Strategy Options for Lebanon (English and Arabic Study)

•  On the Move Without Your Car - Brochures, Fact sheets, and stickers

Project funded by Novib In 2002 & by the Heinrich-Boell Foundation 2003-2004

Check the Sustainable Land Transport Website

HISTORY & ACHIEVEMENTS:

Ramlet el Baida

Since its establishment Green Line has been active in the field of preserving the Lebanese coast. The coast of Lebanon is around 225 km in length, and 70 percent of the Lebanese population live in this narrow area. This intensive density puts our coast under a heavy pressure, and results in the degradation of it.  Check our Public Beach Campaign.

However, one of the major problems that the Lebanese coast is suffering from is the privatization of this coast, thus making the access to public beaches very difficult. For example, Beirut , the capital of Lebanon , has only one public beach called the Ramlet El-Baida beach.
In the year 1998, Green Line was able to get a map showing the plans to transfer this beach into a private touristic resort, thus depriving the Citizens of Beirut from their last public beach. After thorough investigation, Green Line discovered that the beach has became a private property to two companies connected in one way or another to one of the powerful political figures in the country. Green Line formed a committee to follow up on this issue. The committee met and put a plan to:

1. Make the plans of privatizing the beach public as the owners were trying to keep everything secret in order to avoid public pressure
2. Make the Lebanese more aware of the beauties of their beach, and the different activities that it can be used for.
3. Try to lobby as much as possible Beiruti NGO's to pressure the municipality of Beirut to re-buy this beach and transform it again into a public beach.
   

The committee planned for an environmental day on September 22, 2002 to publicize the plans to privatize this beach by showing the map we received earlier.
This day included many activities for all the family members. It included a play to show that the public beach is going to be privatized, a workshop to teach Street music, a workshop for the children to teach them how to draw, a competition for the nicest sand sculptures, volleyball games, and games for children. On this day, which was attended by the representative to the Prime minister, Green Line gave a speech to show the Lebanese the dangers that are threatening their last public beach. The activity date received good media coverage, and was welcomed much by the public.

After this event the Ramlet El-Baida beach committee started working on lobbying people to pressure the municipality of Beirut and the government to stop any plans to continue in the plans to build a private beach resort in Ramlet El-Baida. Green Line hold tens of meetings with different Beiruti NGO's in order to prepare for a new public workshop. 
The main aim of this workshop was to give a strong message for the private companies that want to deprive the Lebanese from their last public beach that Green Line is continuing its efforts in order to lobby against this plan. 
Also, this same message was intended to reach the citizens of Beirut , that Green Line is a serious NGO, and that it will not retreat under any pressure. 
Also, a third objective was to get a set of recommendations from the NGOs to back up the campaign. The main recommendation Green Line was looking for was that the Beiruti NGOs are asking their municipality to establish a public beach in Ramlet El-Baida. 
The workshop faced huge political pressure to prevent people from attending it, and to a great extent these pressures succeeded; however, the workshop received huge media attention and it was attended by the head of the parliamentary committee for environment.
Also, Green Line took the case to the parliamentary committee for environment.
Finally, the campaign reached a partial success when it was announced that the beach at Ramlet El-Baida will be open for the public, after being rehabilitated and equipped properly for the public. This is a partial success because the public beach is still built on a private land based on a special arrangement with the owning company, thus not making it a permanent public beach.

Tyre:

In its continuous efforts to make the Lebanese more aware about the importance of their public beaches, Green Line is planning to organize a series of environmental, cultural, and sport activities on the public beach of Tyre .
The activities are planned to take place in the second half of August 2004.
The objectives of these days are:

To make the people appreciate the public beaches and their beauties.

• Give a chance for new artists to expose their talents in a friendly environment.
• Distribute useful information about how to protect the environment.
• Expose the beauty of the historical city of Tyre .
• Highlight the efforts of Tyre municipality in preserving their public beach.

If you believe in the objectives of this campaign, or if you have a talent that you want to expose, or just a person who wants to extend a helping hand, please contact us: greenline@greenline.org.lb

HISTORY & ACHIEVEMENTS:

Since its establishment, Green Line considers coast preservation as a priority and is continuously following up and lobbying against any damage to the coastal and marine ecosystem. Advocacy campaigns started as early as 1991 addressing flagrant environmental crimes including the privatization of public maritime domains, dredging of coastal sand, and dumping of solid wastes, wastewater and toxic wastes into the sea.Read More.

Green Line considers the coast a public and environmental resource that should be protected from mankind's constant mistreatment. In 2005 and after hard work, Green Line's advocacy committee in collaboration with 17 other environmental NGOs was able to freeze illegal sand extraction in Jiyyeh and Nahr El Kalb.

The “Central Inspection” issued two decisions (Decision number 472/2005 and Decision number 353/2005) showing that illegal sand extraction activities were undergone in both Jiyyeh and Nahr El Kalb and transferred this file to the State Attorney. The NGOs that lobbied against illegal sand extractions met on a regular basis to follow up this issue.