Trudy Simpson, Freelance Writer ARMED WITH gloves, garbage bags, hundreds of environmental soldiers islandwide yesterday took to designated marine sites, among them the Palisadoes Strip in east Kingston, to make the yearly effort to clean-up the coastal areas.
The event was to mark International Coastal Clean-Up (ICC) Day, which is billed as the world's largest one-day volunteer effort to clean-up the marine environment.
From as early as 7:00 a.m., the environmental soldiers began combing the Palisadoes Strip coastline to remove debris and garbage, some of which was unearthed by Hurricane Ivan.
The troops included members of environmental clubs in primary schools, high schools and tertiary students, service clubs, interested passers-by and the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), which organised the event.
Among them was 12-year-old Giovanie Ricketts, a student at the Windward Road Primary and Junior High. "I like cleaning up the beach, taking bottles that are broken up so they do not cut people and besides, one day I would like to come out here and fish," he said.
Steven Martin, Giovanie's
science and mathematics teacher, said he brought students here so they could see first hand the effects of environmental pollution and to illustrate topics the
children were learning in class.
Carine White, a volunteer who carried her 17-month-old son, added: "We found phone cards, diapers, plastic bottles and forks, a dead fish that looked like a sour sop, a carjack, parts of cars. There was a lot of plastic and fibre glass like from boats."
