Well, the “Jetters” and thousands of volunteers across the island are gearing up and getting ready for International Coastal Cleanup Day 2017 – this coming Saturday. There is a full list of all the cleanup sites on the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) website. Take a look and see where your nearest cleanup is taking place, and lend your support! Here is JET’s press release. I would also love to see our political representatives (MPs and local councillors, too?) take a “hands on” approach and rather than just pay a courtesy call, actually participate in a cleanup. This would send a great message to Jamaicans: Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica!
September 11, 2017
The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) is expecting over 10,000 Jamaicans to participate in 150 cleanups across the island on International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2017, this Saturday, September 16. JET hopes that Members of Parliament (MPs) will be amongst the thousands of volunteers expected at ICC this weekend, sending a clear message that all Jamaicans need to take more responsibility for our garbage.
To this end, JET has sent letters to Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Andrew Holness, as well as the Leader of Opposition, Dr. Peter Phillips, inviting them and all MPs to take part in an ICC event in their constituencies.
“With solid waste being one of Jamaica’s main environmental issue, JET encourages the nation’s leaders including our Members of Parliament to lead by example and take part in a cleanup this weekend,” said Suzanne Stanley, Deputy CEO of JET. “We are encouraged by the number of groups and volunteers that have registered for this year’s ICC and hope to see our nation’s leaders amongst those cleaning up Jamaica’s coastline.”
Beach cleanups raise awareness about poor disposal of solid waste and encourage a sense of personal responsibility for our garbage. Garbage thrown away carelessly in the street and open lots makes its way to our coastline via rivers, gullies and drains. Beach cleanups are the last chance to remove this garbage from our coast before it washes out to sea, where it becomes much more difficult to retrieve. Last year over 109,000 pounds of garbage were collected from Jamaican beaches and river banks during ICC 2016.
Project Coordinator Felicia Wong, said, “A full list of beach cleanup sites can be found on the JET website (www.jamentrust.org). We are encouraging all Jamaicans to check the site list and find a beach cleanup in your area where you can volunteer.”
This year marks JET’s 24th annual beach clean-up on the Palisadoes Strip in Kingston and its 10th year as the national coordinator of ICC in Jamaica, which it has been delivering in partnership with the Tourism Enhancement Fund since 2008. Championed by Ocean Conservancy, ICC involves volunteers from over 100 countries picking up garbage and recording data on what they collect from coastlines every year.
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