English Summary 2007

Type: Non-profit, non-governmental organization

Mission: To contribute to the development of knowledge, values and responsible behaviors consistent with environmental conservation and sustainable development, with emphasis on legislation, education and communications.

Scope: Regional, national and international.

Email: info@vitalis.net         Web Site: www.vitalis.net

Address of National Head Office: Centro Profesional La California, Suite 9-8, Av. Francisco de Miranda, La California, Caracas – Venezuela

P.O. Box: Apartado 61580 – Caracas 1060 – A.

Telephones and Fax: (58) (212) 271.9610 y 271.5420, Fax (0212) 271.5561.

Action Areas: VITALIS directs its efforts towards the following nine main agendas:

·        Information and Communications

·        Environmental Education and Citizenship

·        Environmental Law and policies

·        Community Development

·        Ecoeficiency, Clean Production and Sustainable Consumption.

·        Environmental Goods and Services

The main activities within each agenda include: 

Information and Communications

ü      Design and development of informative and/or educational environmental campaigns (i.e. the campaign on illegal trade: “Your home is not its home”)

ü      Environmental pages in different national mass media

ü      Columns in national and international magazines

ü      Web site (www.vitalis.net)

ü      Radio program (Conciencia Global)

ü      Production and direction of international TV programs (i.e. Actualización de Maestros (AME) with the Universidad Metropolitana for Direct TV).

ü      Annual national environmental report:: ‘Environmental Balance in Venezuela’ (‘Balance Ambiental de Venezuela’ - 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)

ü      Annual environmental calendars and planners

Environmental Education and Citizenship

ü      Raising of environmental awareness among rural and urban communities in areas of high biodiversity  (i.e. in the Amacuro Delta, Los Roques and Canaima)

ü      Citizens of the World (within the framework of Earth Day Network)

ü      Creating key capacity groups involved in situations of environmental conflict (i.e. Canaima)

ü      Strengthening Botanic Garden and Zoo Management.

ü      Specialized training in environmental science for teachers, municipal employees and workers in specified areas

ü      Organization and coordination of specialized workshops, seminars and courses (i.e. ABC of  the ONG,  Ecology for Lawyers,  Environmental  Law,  Planification of Programs of Environmental Education and Use  of institutional communication, etc.).

 Environmental Law and Policies

ü      Formulation and analysis of legal instruments: resolutions, laws and regulations

ü      Analysis of the legal framework in strategic development areas

ü      Development of environmental policies

ü      Specialized legal assessments in environmental matters

ü      Environmental Gazette on the Web

ü      Electronic Forum: Project of the Organic Law for the Conservation of the Environment and Solid Waste and Domestic Waste.

Ecoeficiency, Clean Production and Sustainable Consumption.

ü      Supporting companies in the design and start-up of initiatives to achieve competitive advantage directed towards greater production of materials and energy with minimal environmental impact (i.e. Espiñeira, Sheldon and Associates Ofc. de Maracaibo, World Bank Headquarters (Caracas) and Universidad Metropolitana)

ü      Environmental awareness among employees and their communityies in relation to ecoefficient environmental best practices.

ü      Promotion of the achievements and benefits of clean and responsible production in the business sector

ü      Network of a Clean Production within the countries  of the Convention Andrés  Bello (Founding member of Venezuelan Chapter)

ü      Waste management and the national recycling program 

Community Development

ü      Development of environmentally friendly values and behavior

ü      Environmental decision making and conflict resolution

ü      Community participation in watershed management   

Environmental Goods and Services

ü      Planning and management of protected areas (i.e. Management effectiveness of protected areas)

ü       ‘Enhancing  our Heritage  Project’  (´Mejorando Nuestra  Herencia’) for  the conservation of historical sites  together  with  UNESCO,   INPARQUES, indigenous communities   and  UICN

ü      Integrated Water Resource Management (Jointly with GWP and AVEAGUA)

ü      Economic valuation of natural resources and environmental services

ü      Support in specific integrated environmental assessments

Given its social approach, VITALIS favors projects that benefit the citizens and develops, assists and promotes environmentally sustainable solutions to problems linked with, among other issues, the unsustainable use of natural resources and a lack of awareness of their importance to human populations.  

In order to reduce its administrative and operational costs, VITALIS operates with minimum administrative structure. Funds received for projects and programs are fully utilized for those ends. 

Board of Directors

Diego Díaz Martín, President and Executive Director (ddiazmartin@vitalis.net)

Biologist with a Masters degree in Environmental Management and extensive experience in environmental matters in Venezuela. Former Executive Director of FUDENA and the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Northern Andean ecoregional program. Lecturer in postgraduate studies at different national universities.

Marycarmen Sobrino, Vice President (mcsobrino@vitalis.net)

Graduate in Communications. She has been host, presenter, anchor and general manager in diverse audiovisual media. Currently conducts a daily TV Show in Venevision and also a daily Radio Program at Magica FM.

José Antonio Apostólico, Treasurer (jaapostolico@vitalis.net)

Graduate in public accounting with extensive experience in the Venezuelan private sector and associate of the company Espiñera, Sheldon and associates (member of PriceWaterhouseCoopers). Director at the Chamber of Commerce in Maracaibo.

Bernardo Soto Negrón,  Secretary (bsoto@vitalis.net)

Lawyer, specialist in corporate, mercantile and international law. Member of the firm Ponte, Mossi, Soto and Associates. Legal Advisor at VITALIS.

Eduardo Ochoa Perales, Director (eochoa@vitalis.net)

Graduate in Administration, specialist in material and financial resources. Employee at  Financial Management Direction at SENIAT. Expert in security matters in tax forms.

Professional Staff

Ø      Legislation, Policies, Access to Resources and Biosecurity, María Elisa Febres, Lawyer (mefebres@vitalis.net)

Ø      Environmental Education and Citizenship: Isabel Novo, Biologist, Master in Environmental Management (inovo@vitalis.net)

Ø      Zoos and Aquarium, Esmeralda Mujica, Biologist (emujica@vitalis.net)

Ø      Botanical Gardens, Cecilia Gómez Miliani, Engineer, PhD. (cgomez@vitalis.net)

Ø      Community Development, Zoila Martinez, Biologist (zmartinez@vitalis.net)

Ø      Ecoefficiency, Business  administration and  Producción Más Limpia: Liduvina Valderrama Economist (Ivalderrama@vitalis.net)

Ø      Technical Assistance: Yazenia Frontado, Chemical Engineer (yfrontado@vitalis.net)

Ø      Executive Assistance: María Luz Lubo (mlubo@vitalis.net)

 Advisors

 ü      Fátima Viera, Accounter (Tax Matters)

ü      Bernardo Soto, Lawyer (Corporate Law)

ü      Pierre Guex, Designer (Eeffective use of educational and informative messages)

ü      Diego Gabriel Diaz G, Designer (Corporate design)

ü      Anna De Luca, Biologist - Environmental Management

ü      Silvana Peñuela, Civil Engineer

ü      Beatriz Leal, Quemist, Dioxinas y Furanos.

ü      Leopoldo Molina, Electric Engineer, Eficiencia Energética

ü      Silvia Yanez, Engeneer, Environmental Management 

ü      Dra. Oralyn Caldera, Sustainable Development

ü      MSc. Felipe Baritto, Environmental Economy

 Honorary Members

Ana María Giammarino (†) , Diploma in Industrial Relations, specialist in professional education and institutional development. She occupied diverse important public and private functions. She founded VITALIS and was Vice President till 1^st June 2003.

VITALIS is a proud member of

v     Unión Mundial para la Naturaleza – UICN

v     Pacto Global de las Naciones Unidas

v     Red de los Países del Convenio Andrés Bello en Producción Limpia.

v     Red Latinoamericana de Bosques

v     Red del Día de la Tierra

v     Global Water Partnership

v     Consejo de Manejo Forestal Mundial

v     Asociación Sudamericana para el Agua

v     Red de Observadores del Fondo Ambiental Mundial

Some Private, Non Governmental and Public Organizations with whom VITALIS worked or has worked:

·        Alcaldía Bolivariana de Maturín

·        Alcaldía de Chacao

·        Alcaldía de Baruta

·        Alcaldía de Pedernales

·        Alcaldía de Tucupita

·        Ambientalistas del Zulia (AZUL)

·        Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela

·        Ateneo Ecológico de Orinoco

·        Autoridad Única de Área de Los Roques

·        Bayer de Venezuela

·        BBC World

·        Bigott C.A.

·        British Embassy in Caracas

·        Cantv

·        Caveguías

·        Cementos Caribe

·        Chevron-Texaco de Venezuela

·        ConocoPhillips

·        Compaq Venezuela

·        Defensoría del Pueblo

·        Earth Day Network

·        Espiñeira, Sheldom and Associates (Company of PricewaterhouseCoopers)

·        ExxonMobil Venezuela

·        Farmatodo

·        Ferregraphics

·        Fundación Banco de Venezuela – Grupo Santander

·        FUNDARBOL

·        Global Water Partnership

·        Holcim, C.A. (former Natec, C.A.)

·        IICA

·        ITACAB

·        Metropolitan University of Venezuela

·        Ministry of the Environment

·        Ministry of Foreign Affairs

·        Movistar

·        MRW Venezuela

·        National Institute of Parcs - INPARQUES

·        Padrón, Ingoglia and Associates

·        Ponte, Mossi, Soto and Associates

·        PDVSA

·        PERENCO

·        PEQUIVEN

·        Petroguarao

·        Pierre Guex Comunicación Creativa

·        Radio Caracas Radio

·        Sadarbol

·        Servicio de Pesca y Agricultura de Estados Unidos

·        Smurfit Carton de Venezuela

·        SOCSAL

·        STATOIL and GAS

·        Swiss Embassy in Caracas

·        Thomas Greg & Sons Ltd.

·        Tribunal Supremo de Justicia

·        United States of America Embassy

·        Universia

·        Universidad Católica Andrés Bello

·        Universidad Metropolitana

·        Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos Ezequiel Zamora (UNELLEZ)

·        University of Queensland (Australia)

·        Universidad Católica del Táchira

·        Universidad del Zulia

·        Universidad de los Andes

·        UNESCO

·        World Conservation Union - Unión Mundial para la Conservación (UICN)

·        World Commission of Protected Areas

·        Zona Educativa del Estado Delta Amacuro

Recognition and Awards

v     Special Recognition of the National Award on Conservation “Enrique Tejera”. Sadarbol, 2007

v      “Environmental Organization of the Year 2002”, awarded by the Environmental Society of Miranda (‘Sociedad Ambientalista de Miranda’, SAMIR) (June, 2002)

v     “El Avila Mountain Award”, for “its excellent site vitalis.net”, awarded by Libertador Municipality (June, 2001)

v     Second place in the category “Popularization” of the William H. Phelps Prize, awarded by Baruta Municipality of Caracas (June, 2001)

v     Cross of the National Guard of Venezuela, for “merit in Venezuelan environmental management”, awarded by the Director General of the Environment of the National Guard. 

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