Thu | Apr 25, 2024

Earth Today | Companies wade into International Coastal Clean-up

Published:Thursday | October 6, 2022 | 12:08 AM
Pause
Taneka Lawrence, fund sales and service officer at JMMB Fund Managers, lends a hand in cleaning up a section of the Palisadoes coastline as part of International Coastal Clean-up 2022.
Contributed
Taneka Lawrence, fund sales and service officer at JMMB Fund Managers, lends a hand in cleaning up a section of the Palisadoes coastline as part of International Coastal Clean-up 2022.
The JMMB Group team together with family and friends joined forces with the Port Royal Marine Laboratory and Biodiversity Centre to clean up a section of the Palisadoes coastline on September 17.
Contributed
The JMMB Group team together with family and friends joined forces with the Port Royal Marine Laboratory and Biodiversity Centre to clean up a section of the Palisadoes coastline on September 17.
ESIROM volunteer and Norman Manley Law School Environmental Club member, Steven Harvey, empties the sand from a bottle that was embedded during the International Coastal Clean-up Day Little Bay Beach collaboration with ESIROM.
Contributed
ESIROM volunteer and Norman Manley Law School Environmental Club member, Steven Harvey, empties the sand from a bottle that was embedded during the International Coastal Clean-up Day Little Bay Beach collaboration with ESIROM.
1
2
3

FROM FINANCIAL institutions to social media marketing firms, more than 180 registered groups turned out for International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) in Jamaica last month.

Counted among them were the JMMB Group and ESIROM Limited whose teams joined the estimated 9,000 volunteers who cleaned a total of 225 sites islandwide.

The annual clean-up efforts for Jamaica’s coastline was coordinated by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), which has noted its satisfaction with the level of public participation this year, given the COVID-19 realities that forced a reduction in turnout over the last two years.

“There was a lot of interest this year and the turnout of volunteers was significantly more than the last two years …” noted Lauren Creary, JET’s programme director, in a release issued by the entity.

She added that data on the amount of waste collected is being collated, with registered groups to submit their information by October 7 for the preparation of JET’s National Report.

JET, meanwhile, has taken a new approach to the observation of ICC due to COVID-19, hosting smaller clean-ups that are carried out over a period of weeks instead of a single activation on the day. The entity did, however, host its flagship clean-up at the Palisadoes Go-Kart Track after a two-year hiatus.

GREAT TURNOUT

“We had a great turnout. We estimate that our 1,076 volunteers collected approximately 5,000 pounds of garbage. This is less garbage than previous years, which is a good thing,” revealed JET chief executive officer, Dr Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie.

“This event is important not just because we are cleaning up our coastlines and, in turn, protecting our marine environment, but it is an opportunity for people to learn. This problem we have with solid waste ending up in our environment is a people problem and people have to be a part of the solution,” she added.

The principal funders of ICC 2022 were the Tourism Enhancement Fund and the Ocean Conservancy. TeamSeas, Nestle Jamaica Limited, International Ingredients and Versachem Limited along with other local sponsors also made the event possible.

“ICC 2022 took months of planning and preparation. We could not have done this without the support of our sponsors and behind-the-scenes volunteers. We are truly grateful for the support,” noted Creary.

pwr.gleaner@gmail.com