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Come Friday, April 22, the National Environment
and Planning Agency (NEPA) will join the international community in
observing the thirty-fifth (35th) anniversary of Earth Day under the
theme “Protect our Children and our Future”. NEPA, in association with
the Ministry of Land and Environment, and a number of other
non-governmental organizations, schools and community groups have
organized a number of activities to mark the celebrations.
Minister of Land and Environment, Dean Peart,
members of the local Ramsar Committee and NEPA will mark the
designation of Jamaica’s second Wetland of International Importance at
the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI).
The ceremony is being held in recognition of the Ramsar Convention’s
inclusion of the Palisadoes-Port Royal wetlands on the international
list of Wetlands of International Importance. The Palisadoes-Port
Royal wetlands are Jamaica’s second wetlands to be included in that
directory. The Black River Lower Morass was designated in 1998. The
ceremony gets underway at 10:00 a.m.
Earth Day also marks NEPA’s fourth anniversary as
an executive agency. It was created out of a merger of three former
government agencies; the Land Utilisation Development Commission (LDUC),
the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) and the Town
Planning Department (TPD).
NEPA will also give a roll-out of one its major
public education projects for 2005; its radio drama series entitled
“Down to Earth”. Scheduled to be aired on various radio stations, at a
date to be announced, the drama will educate Jamaicans on various
environment and planning issues which affect them. The series which
centres on the lives of a working class Jamaican family with rural
connections will examine topics ranging from forest fires to the
Atlantic Hurricane Season.
The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) will host its “Recycle Day”, at
its Earth House headquarters on Waterloo Road. There will be a live
outside radio broadcast. Members of the community are invited to
participate by taking along recyclable goods and water quality samples
for testing.
The School of Hope and the Jamaican Association of Mental Retardation,
in Kingston, will host an Earth Day exhibition at the school.
In Stewart Town Trelawny, the Southern Trelawny
Environmental Agency (STEA) in collaboration with the Westwood High
School will conduct a tree planting and clean up exercise at the
school.
The Chesterfield/ Castleton Citizens Association in St. Ann will meet
at the Castleton Community Centre at 3:00 p.m. to clean up of the
area.
The Portland Environment Protection Agency (PEPA) will stage its Earth
Day Conference at the Neville Antonio Park, in Port Antonio. There
will be special guest speakers and other activities. The community is
invited to attend.
In St. Elizabeth, the Malvern Science Resource Centre, will conduct a
clean up of the area. Starting time is 3:00 p.m.
The Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society along
with the Negril Chamber of Commerce, the Dolphin Head Trust and the
Hanover 4H Club will conduct a tree planting and clean up exercise at
the Norman Manley Beach Park. Display booths will also be mounted.
Starting time is 9:00 a.m.
The Sligoville All Age School in St. Catherine
will conduct a clean up of its school community, starting at 3:00
p.m.
The Mocho Primary and Infant School in
association with local 4H clubs in Clarendon will stage an all day
event at the school, scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. Activities
include tree planting and other educational exercises.
Friends of the Sea will stage an Earth Day Expo
at Island Village in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.
The Half Moon Hotel will celebrate Earth Day with
an Earth Day Fair, scheduled for the Half Moon Shopping Village in
Montego Bay, St. James.
NEPA is urging schools, community groups, youth
and service clubs, professional organizations, public and private
sector agencies and individual citizens to support activities in
commemoration of Earth Day 2005.
The first observance of Earth Day took place in the United States in
1970 when an estimated twenty-five (25) million people joined clean-up
groups, sang and listened to speeches in honour of planet Earth.
Introduced under the theme “Think Globally – Act Locally”, Earth Day
has spread to become an event marked by vigorous environmental action
at the local level in many countries. Earth Day is intended to assess
the work still needed to protect the environment. |
