Beckles rallies young people at Earth Day

PLANNING Minister Pennelope Beckles on April 22 urged youngsters to get involved with environmental activities like beach clean-ups as she addressed Earth Day celebrations at UWI, St Augustine.

Earth Day was set in 1970 as April 22 as a day to show support for the environment worldwide, with this year's theme being Planet versus Plastics.

Pupils from several schools visited UWI to enjoy displays, literature and staff interactions by several different environmental agencies, governmental and non-governmental.

Youngsters of their own volition keenly joined in a rendition of Kool and the Gang's hit, Celebration, sung by MC Kendall Fontenelle, showing serious matters can be done in a fun way, according to permanent secretary Aarti Bedassie-Maharaj.

Beckles, in her address, said Earth Day was both a notable date and a mark of people all over the world working together to take care of the planet.

Touching on this year's theme, she said plastics do not decompose to a natural state very easily, yet every year millions of tonnes were dumped into the world's rivers and oceans.

While glad that in Trinidad and Tobago turtles have been returning to nest in areas they previously avoided, she lamented cases of their eating plastic bags they mistake for jellyfish, or getting tangled in fishing nets and drowning.

She asked assembled pupils if they would join with her ministry to clean up local beaches. Detecting a subdued response in some quarters, she zoomed in on the pupils of Fatima College to repeat her question, electing a loud "Yes!" from those young men.

Beckles then told pupils plastics contribute to global warming, in that plastic production releases methane into the air (a greenhouse gas even worse than carbon dioxide.)

She said the government alone cannot deal with the country's plastic waste.

"It is the responsibility of every citizen."

She again called for pupils to help to pave the way for a cleaner, greener Trinidad and Tobago.

The event also saw the award of prizes for the ministry's Earth Day video competition. Joshua Fontenelle of Hillview College won prize for best individual video. The form 1-3 award went to St Joseph's Convent, St Joseph, and the best video for form 4-6 went to Bishop's High School in Tobago.

Exhibitors included the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), Flying Tree Environmental Management, National Trust, UWI, Field Naturalists' Club, Nature Seekers, Basel Convention Regional Training Centre, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, Solid Waste Management Company Ltd, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Association, and the National Ozone Unit of Trinidad and Tobago.

Pupils attended from several schools, including St George's College and Tunapuna Presbyterian Primary School.

Also putting in an appearance were life-sized mascots in the form of Kyle and Maya, SWMCOL's Earth Defenders.

Charlie of "Chase Charlie Away" fame also turned up, but on this occasion was allowed to stay by MC Kendall Fontenelle in the stated hope that Charlie would learn something and mend his littering ways.

After formalities, Beckles went outside to view a park bench made by Flying Tree Environmental Management by recycling plastics into plastic lumber. While a sign on the bench said its inputs included plastics from the likes of old fans, old shoes, toys and bottles, Beckles said the bench was made from the equivalent of 33,000 plastic bottles.