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Competition winner wants Jamaicans to focus more on Energy Conservation

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#Jamaica, December 29, 2017 – Kingston – Winner of the first Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) Energy Champion Competition, Ms. Marcia Higgins, is calling on Jamaicans to focus more on energy efficiency and conservation.   She says this will help the country to reduce the quantity of oil it imports for energy consumption.

Speaking with JIS News after being announced the first winner of the competition on December 18 at the PCJ’s head office in Kingston, Ms. Higgins said she heeded the call by the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology for persons to practice energy efficiency and conservation, thus she was able to win the competition.   The Energy Champion Competition was staged through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programme (EECP), which has a mandate to promote the nation’s energy transformation.

Currently, only students and members of the public sector are allowed to submit entries, and those interested in entering can do so by posting their energy-conservation activities on the Facebook page – ‘Ease Up on Energy’.   Ms. Higgins, who is the Operations Manager at The Postal Corporation of Jamaica, entered by posting about her device, which has an automated timer that turns itself on and off, and her refrigerator on and off between set hours.

“When I saw the contest on Facebook, I rattled my brain as to what I could do to enter.   I saw a video of someone turning off the light, then I decided to show something that everybody should try and do.   The fridge guard turns off the refrigerator and then it comes on at a time that you determine,” she said.

Marcia-Higgins

Marcia-Higgins

“My fridge guard turns off at 11:00 p.m. and turns on at 5:30 a.m., so for seven hours, I will be saving energy, and that would have been energy lost.   So far, I am seeing a $2,000-per-month reduction in my JPS bill,” Ms. Higgins said.

She told JIS News that she tried to be innovative and different with her entry and not incorporate a traditional energy conservation activity, so that she could have a better chance of winning.

Ms. Higgins said she is very passionate about energy conservation.  “Energy to me means money that could have been used for something else, so I’m very passionate about anything that allows me to save money,” she added.

During the final stage of the competition at PCJ, Ms. Higgins was given the opportunity to dip into a bag and select the prize valued at $40,000 – a smartwatch, an energy basket including an LED desk lamp, energy bulbs, a smartswitch or a Samsung Galaxy tablet. She dipped and selected the tablet.   “I’m totally excited,” the public-sector employee, who has been working with The Postal Corporation of Jamaica for the past 17 years, said.   Ms. Higgins was presented with her tablet by Project Manager, PCJ, Ms. Jody Grizzle.

In her address, Ms. Grizzle encouraged more qualified Jamaicans to enter the competition, as there are more prizes to be won in upcoming months by nine persons.

“The Energy Champion Competition is about reducing energy consumption, and reducing the amount of money spent on paying high energy bills in the public sector,” she said.

“The aim of the competition is to promote behaviour change among public-sector workers, and once we’ve built the capacity of our public-sector workers, they will take these same strategies into their homes and throughout Jamaica.   We will improve our chances of achieving a reduction in electricity consumption and save on high energy and fuel costs,” Ms. Grizzle added.

According to the Project Manager, the PCJ believes that when you want to change behaviour, this is a very good strategy to increase the participation and interest of your target population.

“It is an easy activity to do to build interest and promote our objectives.   We want to encourage all public-sector workers, if your organisation is supported by funds from the Consolidated Fund, to go on Facebook, log on to the ‘Ease Up on Energy’ webpage,  and do a creative action to show and demonstrate your interest and ability to save energy,” Ms. Grizzle said.

By: Ainsworth Morris (JIS)

 

 

 

 

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New Tilapia Hatchery Slated for Completion Later This Year

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – The new tilapia hatchery under construction in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, is slated for completion towards the end of 2024.

The 12,000 sq. ft. facility, being built at a cost of approximately $574 million, is intended to address the major issue of shortages in good-quality seed stock for fish farmers islandwide.

Manager for the Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project, Selena Ledgister, says the hatchery’s establishment is critical for securing a sustainable fisheries sector.

“Construction is on in earnest and we are looking before the year is out – which would be by around September or October – to complete the building part of it. The Project will be supporting the purchase and installation of the recirculating aquaculture system. This system will provide over five million advanced fries (young fish) per year, using the recirculating aquaculture system,” she told JIS News.

The bio-secure climate-resilient modular hatchery, being developed in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), will feature a solar standby generator, plumbing system, rehabilitated guard host and administrative building.

Mrs. Ledgister said the hatchery, to be built and operated under environmentally friendly conditions, will impact the lives of fish farmers islandwide.

“I believe we have over 120 aquaculture farmers, and that number is growing; so, this will benefit the industry significantly. The hatchery is also expected to cushion the demand for fish. Fish farmers will also get the supply of advanced fries to restock their ponds. This is a significant impact that the Climate Resilience Project, as well as JSIF, will be creating for the Jamaican fish farmers,” she said.

 

Contact: Twila Wheelan

Release: JIS

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Trust Fund for Poor Children Born On or After August 6, 2022

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – Children born on or after the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, who are wards of the State or beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will be eligible for the Jamaica 60 HOPE (Hope, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment) For Children Trust Fund.

Jamaica celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on August 6, 2022.

In his contribution to the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 21, Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, said the purpose of the Fund is to help to close the wealth gap and address the issue of intergenerational poverty by creating a trust account specifically catered to vulnerable children.

“The HOPE for Children Trust Fund will provide each eligible child with a long-term savings account funded through annual contributions from the Government. Parents, guardians or other donors will also be able to make deposits into the account for the future benefit of any specific child,” Mr. Holness said.

The accumulated funds, including interest, will be accessible on or after the child’s 18th birthday, for specific purposes such as education, purchase of a home or commercial property or investment in a business.

“The central idea behind the programme is to provide children with a lump sum to start them in life upon attaining adulthood. Our initial target is a lump sum of between $600,000 and $800,000, to be available on the 18th birthday of any eligible child,” Mr. Holness said.

He noted that the Government will also explore alternatives to establish and manage the Fund, adding that it could form part of the National Insurance Fund or be administered by private insurance companies.

“This is, I believe, a ground-breaking initiative to truly grapple with inequality in the society. From a historical perspective, there are many households who have no endowment in Jamaica, meaning that they can’t look towards anything bequeathed to them from their family. There is no asset being passed down to them from generation. The only way that they are able to create any wealth is through their labour, through the dint of their effort – literally pulling themselves up by their bootstraps,” Mr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that as the economy grows, the Government has a responsibility to take instrumental and decisive steps to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and correct structural inequalities.

“The intention here is great, the amount may be considered small, but it is the first step in the right direction to truly create a more equitable society,” Mr. Holness said.

 

Contact: Judana Murphy

Release: JIS

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Port Royal Museum to Open in May

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 26, 2024 – The long-awaited Port Royal Museum is expected to be opened in May of this year, with the first exhibit set to be unveiled at the event.

Construction of the two-storey facility, which will be the first fit-for-purpose museum erected in Jamaica, was done at a cost of $788 million with funding from the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

Major work on the building was completed in December 2023, with finishing touches and furnishings left to be done.

Director of the National Museum Jamaica (NMJ), Dr. Jonathan Greenland, told JIS News in an interview that the new museum will replace the older and much smaller facility at Fort Charles.

“It didn’t touch all the subject areas… so we lobbied for the Port Authority to collaborate with us and develop a museum in Port Royal, and so they’ve actually constructed a huge building with restaurant facilities, lots of parking, multifunctional space and meeting rooms, shops and everything that a modern museum should have,” he said.

The museum will also be fully accessible to members of the disabled community with wheelchair ramps and an elevator.

Dr. Greenland added that the location of the museum is also of notable significance to the history of the sunken city.

“Right on the spot where the museum is going to be, there was a rebellion of the enslaved workers from the dockyard. The leader of the rebellion or uprising was a skilled bricklayer and when you look at the walls around the whole area where the dockyard used to be, he was probably involved in building that,” he said.

He further pointed out that the museum will present a new opportunity for the NMJ to attract even more visitors and facilitate cultural tourism.

“We’re very excited…. and you know Port Royal is a very interesting place and the history is fascinating. We always had loads of visitors from all around the world without doing any marketing whatsoever, and this is going to be a whole different level of merchandising, marketing and tourism. This is fascinating history and it’s going to be quite dramatic,” Dr. Greenland told JIS News.

 

Contact : Jermi-Lee Nelson

Release : JIS

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