NEWS RELEASE                             April 9, 2003

For immediate release

NEPA Celebrates Launch Anniversary on earth day 2003…
.Focuses Attention on Community Outreach Activities

Earth Day which is celebrated on April 22 each year will be observed next Tuesday under the theme "Water For Life". The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will also commemorate the first anniversary of its launch as an Executive Agency which coincides with this event. To mark the occasion, NEPA has planned an Open Day which incorporates a Prayer Ceremony slated for 9:00a.m. and a Lunch Hour Concert scheduled for 12:30p.m., respectively. These activities will take place at 9 Caledonia Avenue, Kingston 5, adjacent to NEPA's offices.

The Open Day will also feature a variety of exhibits showcasing different aspects of NEPA's work. At 10:15a.m., there will be an official opening of the newly refurbished Customer Service Area of the Applications Secretariat Branch of NEPA, at 10 Caledonia Avenue, Kingston 5. Schools in and around Kingston will participate in the Lunch Hour Concert.

Members of the public, media, academy and other crucial stakeholders are invited to attend the Open Day which ends at 5:00p.m. It forms part of the Agency’s thrust to increase public participation in the process of sustainable management of key natural resources and build awareness of its work.

Other members of the environmental NGO community in Jamaica will also join in the celebrations. The Negril Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT) will stage an Earth Day exhibition at the Negril Community Centre, from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m on Tuesday, April 22. Schools in Negril and members of the community are invited to participate in the expo.

According to NEPT, the expo will provide vital information which may not be readily available to the public elsewhere within the Negril environmental protection area. NEPT notes that there is an increased need for raising environmental awareness of the community in which they operate.

The International School of Jamaica (ISJA) will undertake its second annual Earth Day Exposition on Friday, May 2, 2003 at Palmers Park in Port Maria, St. Mary. The event aims to promote environmental conservation awareness and the consequences of failing to observe these. NGO’s, government agencies and schools participating in the Jamaica Environment Trust’s (JET) Schools’ Environment Programme (SEP) will mount exhibits on various aspects of the environment. Participants will be entertained and refreshed. An admission fee of $20 and $50 will be charged for children and adults, respectively. All activities get underway at 10:00 a.m.

The Ridge to Reef Project in association with the Great River Watershed Management Committee (GRWMC) will launch the Green Village and River Action with the Action Boyz programmes, on Earth Day. The programme objectives are to mobilize citizens’ support for better and clean water programmes, improved local stewardship and greater public involvement in environmental issues beyond clean water. The community of Rafters Rest, otherwise called “Valley of Graces" in Lethe, Hanover will play host to the activities which start at 1:30 p.m.

Copies of the "It Affi Legal Iyah" posters, which form part of a larger environmental awareness campaign by Ridge to Reef will also be available at NEPA’s offices on Earth Day. The goals of the campaign are to inform people of some of the major environmental laws in Jamaica, why they are important, what the repercussions for breaking these laws are and how they protect Jamaicans’ rights. The "It Affi Legal Iyah" campaign will officially be launched on World Environmental Day on June 5, 2003.

Last year NEPA celebrated Earth Day by staging the first Open Day and Educational Expo in the organisation’s two-year history. The event marked the first official presentation of the recently formed environmental agency to members of the public. It symbolized the Agency’s commitment to original goals of Earth Day – “Think Globally, Act Locally”, which was started in 1970.

Earth Day is intended to focus citizens’ attention on the natural environment and remind them of their obligation to protect and preserve the Earth. NEPA’s is urging NGO’s, community groups, neighbourhoods, watch groups, schools, service clubs, professional organizations, youth clubs, consumer groups and individuals to get involved in the activities and special projects in support of Earth Day 2003.