Speaking at an event commemorating World Environ-ment Day yesterday, President Donald Ramotar said that Guyana is one of 17 countries out of 189 selected to receive an award in Rome, Italy at the end of the month, aimed at the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 1: ‘Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.’
World Environment Day was celebrated under a three-part theme involving thinking, eating and saving. The focus has been to control the amount of waste that is produced on an annual basis and to assist in defeating world hunger.
Globally one third of all food produced is wasted or lost while millions go hungry.
United States Ambassador to Guyana, D. Brent Hardt also spoke at the event, saying that cleaning up the environment is part of a larger issue. He commended the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud for the Green Walk on Sunday last, but also threw out a challenge for next year’s walk, “when you bring together hundreds of people to march for the environment, give them garbage bags and gloves and encourage people to “pick it up’ while they march.” Hardt continued “imagine what a difference four hundred people armed with garbage bags could do to some of Georgetown streets.”
The US Ambassador stated that the ‘Guyana Shines’ initiative was aimed at educating young people since once youths are trained to think along the lines of recycling and not littering they can make a greater impact. “All of us can make environmentally friendly choices in our everyday lives that are easy and can make a difference. We can use re-usable tableware, silverware and cups instead of disposable ones.”
He continued that the US Embassy was not just speaking about change, but has stopped using Styrofoam and replaced it with cardboard containers.
He charged that all citizens have a role to play and noted that creating new attitudes that take deep root and sponsor real action has always been the goal of the ‘Guyana Shines’ campaign.
Hardt said that the campaign had become like a “snowball” and continues to grow. He stated that at its core ‘Guyana Shines’ has been about active participation.
He said that the volunteer based clean-up campaign began in the Lodge and Tucville neighbourhoods within Georgetown and ballooned into seminars at 62 schools within the capital city. The Ambassador noted that the campaign was also the subject of a documentary by the same name which premiered at the Theatre Guild on Tuesday.
Students also participated in the event with young Keisha Conway stealing the show as she performed ‘Time to Clean Up.” The Winfer Gardens Primary School student sang that “when you’re done clean up the drain, tomorrow there’s garbage again.
You got to bow down your head in shame. Time to clean up this place, Georgetown is a disgrace,” to roaring applause. The other performers from West Demerara Secondary School and Marian Academy did dramatic pieces aimed at reinforcing the notion that food and water resources are precious and consumption should be balanced and not excessive.
