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| (Microsoft Clip Art) |
Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Keith Franklin, has praised the work of Soroptomist International for taking a keen interest in assisting government in creating a green economy.
He made this observation recently, while addressing Soroptimist International of the Caribbean Network 21st Biennial Conference.?? The conference, under the theme Recycle Today for a Better Tomorrow, was held at the Accra Beach Hotel, Rockley, Christ Church.
Emphasising that the world was threatened by the effects of climate change, rising sea levels, drought, food scarcity, poverty the scourge of illegal drug ??trafficking and the menace of terrorism, Mr. Franklin said the work of organisations such as Soroptimist International was important in this regard.
"Your chosen theme suggests a code for looking at our past, taking forward the best aspects of our culture, deriving maximum benefit from our social and physical environments, and weaving all this to create a greener economy and a better society to take us to the next level of development," he suggested.
Mr. Franklin revealed that the island had a long history of recycling which dated back to the first decade of the last century when the Metal Dealers Act was in force to treat scrap metal.
Moreover, he added that in 1986, the Returnable Containers Act was passed into law, which paved the way for a refund deposit on glass bottles more commonly known as ???pet bottles’.
Given this record, the senior government official disclosed that these Acts were being revised to "bring them up-to-speed with what is happening in the 21st Century".
"In Barbados today, almost anything can be recycled – automotive oil, vegetable oils, plastic and car bumpers," Mr. Franklin underlined.
In commending the body for its role in areas such as providing care for seniors providing food hampers for the poor, mentorship, running nutritional summer camps and counseling youth at risk, Mr. Franklin urged other groups to get on board.
"We need more organisations, and indeed, more members of organisations like yours to come on board and fill the gaps which no government seems to be able to do as effectively as the volunteer sector…," he added.