introduction | protecting threatened species | safeguarding biodiversity | improving water quality | enhancing the landscape | managing the archaeological heritage | restoring land for recreation | reducing neighbourhood noise | blending into the landscape | informing the community | creating nature reserves | conserving geological heritage | reducing environmental impacts

Informing The Community

BACKGROUND

There is a wide gap of understanding between the general public and the quarrying industry. The general public have very little knowledge about quarrying and therefore sometimes have difficulty in understanding the importance of the industry and its need for good working conditions.

The industry, on the other hand, can have difficulty in understanding people living in the neighbourhood of a pit or rock excavation. Sometimes there is too much noise and unnecessary untidiness in the production plants. As a result of this gap, permits for the operations can be delayed or the requirements for the permit can be unnecessarily severe, with negative consequences for the physical development of society and the economy, not only for the companies concerned, but also for society as whole.

In order to reduce this gap, and also to stimulate young people to work in the quarrying industry, the Board of the Swedish Aggregates Producers Association in 2001 decided to recommend that their members keep their quarries open for the public on the Day of Geology. MPs, local politicians and journalists were invited to study tours to several quarries the day before.

The project was successful and was repeated on the Day of Geology the following year.

ACTION

Both years a project group with representatives from the aggregates industry and the Swedish Aggregates Producers Association was formed. The project group gave advice and manuals for the activities as well as suggestions for invitation letters to politicians and journalists, and for local press releases and advertisements.

The Swedish Aggregates Producers Association, who also gave the participating companies presentation materials, published press releases and advertisements for nationwide media.

RESULTS

“When I am old I will be driver of a dumper”, said a young boy who visited Gustav R. Johansson's quarrying operations outside Ljungby in Småland in southern Sweden on the Day of Geology 2003. He was in a good company with 700 other persons who studied aggregate production, including handling a wheel loader in this operation and a nearby one in Hamnede.

Fifteen operations were open and received in total more than 3300 visitors. Geologists explained the history of the rock and how the rock material is used in various applications. Minibuses went around in the operations with the visitors and in some operations other companies, involved as producers of quarrying equipment, showed their products. Press coverage was extensive. Many articles about “the unknown big industry” were published locally before the day as a result of press releases.

introduction | protecting threatened species | safeguarding biodiversity | improving water quality | enhancing the landscape | managing the archaeological heritage | restoring land for recreation | reducing neighbourhood noise | blending into the landscape | informing the community | creating nature reserves | conserving geological heritage | reducing environmental impacts