Approximately 90 three and four-year-old students of the St. Giles Nursery School today pledged to preserve their environment by not littering and keeping it plastic free.
The tiny tots recited poems and sang songs that spoke to the importance of the environment before an audience that included Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Kirk Humphrey, and other officials from the Ministry during the culmination of activities held under the theme: Preserving our Environment for the Future of Barbados.
During his interaction with the students, Minister Humphrey made reference to government’s ban on petro-based plastics, noting: “This is your Barbados. I am doing this for you.”
He explained to the students that his job was to protect the ocean and keep it clean and safe. But, the Minister noted, the problem came when people continued to litter.
“The plastics find themselves back into the sea and are eaten by the fish, turtles and other sea creatures,” he pointed out.
Director of the Public Education and Awareness of the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, Carla Daniel, also encouraged the students to place their litter in bins, tell an adult when they see litter lying around and correct persons who are caught littering.
Early Childhood Coordinator at the school, Gemell Gale, explained that the overall project started in term two, and was designed to teach students to understand the importance of their environment.
She added that the school also launched a recycling project last Wednesday, which will see students bringing and sorting their recyclables into bins posted at the school.
During the event, there were performances by The Eager Environmentalists group, and The Busy Beautifiers, while the students collectively rendered Let Us Preserve Our Nature.
Minister Humphrey also took the opportunity to tour the recycling project and the rainwater harvesting project for the nursery’s garden.