Wood-Mizer Europe wins in film competition on UN Sustainable Development Goals

On 5 October 2017, Wood-Mizer Europe participated in a Polish film festival dedicated to the promotion of the United Nations' "17 Goals" programme.

The "17 Goals for Sustainable Development" programme was signed by 193 heads of state in 2015 and is made up of a global network of organizations aiming to eliminate poverty by supporting profitable businesses, reduce hunger by promoting agriculture, facilitate access to education, etc. Goal number 15 is "Sustainable forest sector management..."

The Film Festival was specifically aimed at Polish companies and NGOs to highlight how their organization contributes to the success of the "17 Goals" programme. 58 films were submitted and 27 of them were accepted for the competition.

The Wood-Mizer Society Europe entered the project entitled Nasza Zielona Planeta (Our Green Planet). The film's important questions and real-life examples had a positive impact on the audience, and it was voted the People's Choice Award at the event, as well as third place overall.

The short film shows the problems of developing markets that require vast forest resources and the inability to access timber responsibly and sustainably. This combination contributes to continued deforestation and illegal logging. The Wood-Mizer video asks: "What can one person do?"

The problem is epitomized by three different people who faced particular obstacles. In Africa, a missionary saw how pine sawdust was being wasted because there was no efficient way to turn low-quality wood into useful products. In the Philippines, the government's fight against illegal logging resulted in tens of thousands of cubic meters of confiscated timber, which quickly turned into rotting heaps across the Philippines. In northern England, a farmer was desperate for ways to keep his farm profitable while continuing to do what he loved.

And solutions to their problems included Wood-Mizer brand saws. The missionary assembled a small, affordable sawmill and began turning sawdust into components to build hives - the basis for a beekeeping program that helps thousands of Zambian residents give their families a better life. Instead of leaving the timber to rot, the government of the Philippines used 12 Wood-Mizer brand mobile saws to turn confiscated timber into some 150,000 school benches for poor rural schools. And the farmer was able to start a timber business with a mobile sawmill, keeping the farm income steady and sustainable for his family's future.

Source: www.woodmizer.ro

Official press release - http://www.17celow.pl/laureaci-ii-edycji-2017.html
Website for the "17 objectives" program - http://17goals.org