Yann Wehrling
Encyclopedia
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is an illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and former leader of the political party The Greens
The Greens (France)
The Greens were a Green political party to the centre-left of the political spectrum in France. They had officially been in existence since 1984, but their spiritual roots could be traced as far back as René Dumont’s candidacy for the presidency in 1974...
.
Life
In 1988 he joined the environmentalEnvironmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
movement "France Nature Environnement" and in the following year joined The Greens. From 1992 to 1994 he was the National Secretary of "EcoloJ", a youth environmental organisation. After completing his studies of fine arts in Strasbourg in 1994, he worked as an illustrator in publishing, for the French-German television channel Arte
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
, and for the Irish channel TnaG. He then became a spokesman for The Greens. In January 2005 he was elected the National Secretary of The Greens with 62% of the vote, coming after long and protracted negotiations. In December 2006 Cécile Duflot
Cécile Duflot
Cécile Duflot is a French politician. She is Party Secretary of Europe Écologie–The Greens, a position she has held since November 2006 and is, with Jean-Luc Bennahmias, the only Green leader to have served two consecutive terms .-Biography:The eldest daughter of a...
succeeded him to the post.
He belongs to the environmentalist wing of the party, named "Pôle Écolo" (the Eco-Pole) ou "Écolo" (Eco). He works with fellow Green politicians in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
He is a specialist in wild fauna, and an expert on the reintroduction of the lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
into the Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
forest.
Media action
On 22 March 2005, for the World Day for WaterWorld Day for Water
'World Water Day' has been observed on March 22 since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared March 22 as World Day for Water....
, he took a swim in the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
river in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, along with three other members of the Executive College of the Greens. Their reason behind this action was to denounce pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
in French rivers and to urge the government to reexamine its environmental policy in this regard. French President Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
had—in a sense—promised much the same thing in regard to the Seine river during time as mayor of Paris.