EnviroWeek attendance
Good and passion high
SIMPSON BAY--EnviroWeek may not have captured mass attention, but organisers are confident that those who have attended so far have gathered new ideas, points of view and a renewed passion for protection of the island’s natural environment.
Taking a cruise in Simpson Bay Lagoon Wednesday, Paul Boonstra, Paul Mooij and Cee Marlin of Caribbean Foundation for Sustainability agreed that the short time they had had to promote the agenda for the week of activities had limited exposure to a wider cross section of the population.
Building from this, they intend to start early for the more compact EnviroWeek event in March 2008.
Marlin called this week of activities that started Saturday with a youth forum on environment a yardstick to measure interests, gather concerns and prepare for March. “People were comfortable to express their thoughts and this is what we want,” he said.
However, one of the main hurdles faced by EnviroWeek is a severe need for a mentality change in how the environment is perceived. Introducing change agents to highlight environmental issues as everybody’s business is a driving force behind the March event.
EnviroWeek continues this evening with a presentation by the government Department of Environmental Policy VROM on its work and planned projects. The organisers invite the general public to Belair Community Centre at 7:00pm to hear what’s in store for the island.
Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) will also share the benefits of the Blue Flag programme to St. Maarten, especially in curbing pollution and improving water quality.
The week-long programme ends on Friday with an all-day workshop for non-governmental organisations and civil servants on prioritising environmental issues that need tackling immediately and in the long term.
Winding things down for participants and sponsors, a closing party has been organised at Taloula Mango’s for Friday evening during which the winners of the Environmental art competition will be announced and prizes given out. The posters are on display at Philipsburg Jubilee Library.
