The young people of Barbados are on their way to creating a more environmentally-friendly society; however, assistance is needed to further develop existing greening programmes in schools.

This sentiment was expressed by Minister of the Environment and Drainage, Dr. Denis Lowe, at the Enviro Waste Expo (formerly the 4 R???s Fair), held recently at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

The Minister applauded the various schools which had to date implemented greening initiatives.

???We congratulate those schools on their efforts and we certainly encourage the Ministry to continue to provide the support necessary to enable these programmes to succeed,??? he stated.

Dr. Lowe pointed out that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart had also lauded the efforts made by the schools to encourage and educate students on how to protect and preserve the environment.

He said that during a recent meeting, both officials agreed that more still needed to be done to assist the various schools in implementing programmes which promoted green living.

While touring the Expo, the Environment Minister noted that several of the exhibits were from secondary and primary schools. ???I am very impressed, and I really believe that the country???s objective of bringing attention to the environment is taking place, particularly among young people,??? he affirmed.

Echoing the Minister???s statement, Akim Griffith, a teacher of agriculture at the Ellerslie Secondary School, stated that the goal of the Expo was to instil knowledge and an appreciation for agriculture and recycling through practical application from a very young age.

Mr. Griffith, who accompanied his school???s Science Club, stressed the practical application of the information, stating that ???it is one thing for me to tell a student about photosynthesis, but if they have the experience???they are more motivated to remember???.

According to the teacher, his school, which has an active agriculture programme, planned to begin exposing students to farming and agriculture from as early as First Form.??

???From the first year???we???re going to get them to make self-watering planters???It???s not just a matter of teaching them something but it???s something they will be able to take home and actually have the experience of doing,??? he explained.

The theme of the school???s Science Club exhibit was Recycle + Reuse = Sustainable Growth. Vice President of the Science Club, Amirah Cumberbatch, cited recycling as one of the main ways of keeping Barbados clean.

She described preparing for the Expo as ???an amazing learning experience???, and said she was unaware that recycling could produce ???so many interesting and diverse things???.

In total, this year???s Enviro Waste Expo saw over 30 exhibitors from various public and private sector institutions, secondary and primary schools as well as non-governmental organisations.

jamal.weekes@barbados.gov.bb

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