Toward a new attitude

Publication: Daily Nation
Paper Section And Page: 32A
Paper Date: Wed, Feb 2, 2000
Byline:

"Economic development is based on our natural resources. Tourism depends on beaches, sea, and coral reefs, now our forests and rivers; industry, agriculture, and daily domestic life depend on water from our forested watersheds, springs, and rivers. Therefore, if we want economic development and improved standards of living, not just for ourselves but also for our children, then we need to take care of our natural resources."

How business can help

THE corporate sector is being urged to join the campaign by putting the environment on the front burner this year. This can be done through the following means:

  • Green your office;

  • Conduct environmental audits of your business;

  • Educate employees in environmental matters;

  • If you are a retail business, place emphasis on environmental products when advertising;

  • Support our Buy-A-Bag campaign for the one-day clean-up by contributing to a pool to buy the bags of litter;

  • Support environmental NGOs;

  • Support our media campaign through advertising support for our print andbroadcast projects and public service announcements.

THIS statement, penned by the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust in 1987, is at the crux of the environmental awareness campaign being launched by the Nation Publishing Co. Limited and Starcom Network Inc. That campaign, called Greening Barbados is not only "greening" in the sense of planting of trees and revegetation, only, but a whole attitude change, an environmental consciousness and a holistic approach towards life in Barbados.

Barbadians easily relate to health, economy, crime and violence, and land ownership while many regard the environment as something abstract - someone else's problem. But the link is strong. For example, there are a number of environment-related illnesses such as gastroenteritis, dengue fever, leptospirosis, viral infections, and upper respiratory tract infections.

It is estimated, by the Dengue Centre of the Centres for Disease Control in Puerto Rico, that 50 per cent of the population of Barbados have been infected with dengue fever since 1977, while one in every five persons has had leptospirosis. If one considers that each infected working person has an average of two weeks sick leave then it would mean that around 3.75 million man hours were lost. When that is translated into loss of wages, productivity, National Insurance claims and medical bills, the figure becomes alarming.

Cuba stamped out dengue fever (except for an outbreak in 1997 in Santiago) and Barbados can stamp it out through a clean, litter-free environment. But dengue fever is now endemic in Barbados.

The Nation and Starcom are not convinced that Barbadians appreciate the importance of the environment to their health and welfare, to the economy, or to the viability of future generations given the rampant littering and illegal dumping all across Barbados.

In addition, the economy is largely environment-based. The major foreign currency earner is tourism. This has been successful since the 1950s because of the quality of the island's natural environment - not only the landbased environment but also the marine environment. Sugar cane is waning as a major foreign currency earner but that too relies 100 per cent on the natural environment. Our daily domestic lives as well as the upsurge in home and office construction depend on water which is sourced from only 20 per cent of rainfall at this time. It is to be supplemented by water from a coastal desalination plant operated by the government. It is therefore indisputable that there is a need to educate Barbadians on the importance of the environment to their health and wealth.

On this page we outline how we propose to achieve this.

Strategy behind campaign

Greening Barbados is a public awareness campaign.

The Nation and Starcom Inc. will do what they do best publish and sensitise. Through the pages of the Nation and the airwaves of the Starcom Network, Greening Barbados will promote the work of those who are presently educating Barbadians in environmental matters. The following channels have been made available:

  • Green Page: A full page of environmental news and information on page 19A in each Wednesday Nation newspaper;
  • Going Green: A 10-minute radio programme at 10 a.m. Sundays on Voice of Barbados;
  • Green Minute-in-the-News: A daily one-minute environment focus during the 5:30 p.m. edition of the Starcom Network News Monday to Friday;
  • Monthly Environment Magazine: Better Health magazine will be expanded from March to include in-depth environmental features.
  • Green Action Line: A joint project between the Nation, Ernst & Young, and the Future Centre Trust. If you are seen throwing garbage through your car window, for example, you will find your car number published in the newspaper in the next edition of the Green Action Line. Similarly, if you do a good deed, we will heap praises on you. All the information will be kept in a computer database resulting in some people developing rap sheets;
  • Promotional Material: Public service announcements, jingles, environmental songs and fillers on all the radio stations of the Starcom Network. The campaign from February 12 to early April will focus on anti-litter;
  • Internet Publishing: Most of the environmental news and information will be published via www.greeningbarbados.org and the listserver greeningbarbados@egroups.com.

The campaign is open to any area of the environment but nevertheless we are focusing on six particular areas which we consider to be of critical
importance to Barbados. In each of these areas there are people undertaking work and this is where we promote that work and not duplicate it. The campaign is focused on the following areas:

  • Garbage;
  • Water use;
  • Tree planting and revegetation;
  • Energy use;
  • Marine environment;
  • Environmentally friendly homes and buildings.