Seventeen primary school children were recently dubbed ‘Plastic Clever Champions’, at the culmination of the Plastic Clever Climate Camp, held at West Terrace Primary School, West Terrace, St. James.
The campers were presented with their certificates by Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy, Adrian Forde.
During his address to the campers, Mr. Forde issued a call for young people to lead in the fight against pollution by plastics.
“Unless you are at the forefront of our efforts, then we will lose the fight in terms of protecting our environment. Every single year, millions of tonnes of plastics are exposed to the ocean, destroying the marine environment as we know it – our fish life, our reefs, our coral – and therefore interfering with our marine ecosystems and the ability to protect us from those hurricanes and those storm surges,” he stressed.
The little Champions were also encouraged by Minister Forde to learn and utilise the five Rs of solid waste management, which are Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle.
Programme Coordinator Stacey Alvarez, from Common Seas, the entity which sponsored the Plastic Clever Climate Camp, explained that the aim of the camp was to raise awareness about the scourge of plastics “and to show the children what they could do”.
She continued: “And let them know that every little bit makes a difference. So, it’s about empowering them to become leaders by example, in the region, to eliminate plastics.”
On receipt of the certificates, the ‘Plastic Clever Champions’ pledged to be advocates at school, at home and everywhere they go, taking collective action against single-use plastics and focusing on sustainable practices.
The Plastic Clever Climate Camp, which is an output of the National Action Plan to stop plastic pollution in Barbados, was designed for children to learn about plastic pollution and inspire others to swap out or remove single-use plastics.