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| Minister of the Environment, Denis Kellman |
Reducing waste and creating a greener environment and economy continue to be major areas of focus for government.
This was the sentiment shared by Minister of the Environment, Denis Kellman, last Sunday, as he delivered the feature address at the closing ceremony of Project: Clean Give, a recycling venture at Harrison’s College, which was formulated by Cherice Gibson of the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC).
Minister Kellman observed that the project, and others like it, served to highlight the need for everyone to become actively involved in waste reduction efforts.
"Our primary objective is to reduce the toxicity of our waste stream while increasing our diversion rate to over 80 per cent and the overall conservation and preservation of our limited natural resources.?? I, therefore, strongly urge those of you not involved in recycling and waste reduction to get involved.?? To those of you now starting out, I urge you to strive to reach your full potential in this area.?? There is a new horizon of industries in the delivery of the low carbon economy, accelerated by concerns relating to waste reduction, energy generation, natural resource use and environmental management," he said.
Minister Kellman also highlighted the ongoing endeavour with national and international partners to make a green economy a reality.
"[The Ministry of the Environment] has commenced a Green Economy Scoping Study in collaboration with the University of the West Indies and the United Nations Environment Programme that will review all the conditions for the implementation of the national greening programme.?? The findings will inform us as to the potential benefits and challenges of investment in priority economic sectors that offer the greatest opportunities in transitioning to the Green economy and point to the best mix of policy recommendations to deal with capacity gaps and needs," he stated.