Caribbean News
Grace Bay Beach gets Sandals Foundation clean-up
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, October 5, 2023— TheGrace Bay Beach in Providenciales recently received a much-needed facelift when Sandals Foundation ambassadors and members of the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) department from Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) cleared more than 250 pounds of garbage and discarded items from the beach to mark International Coastal Clean-Up Day (ICC).
“Our committed team members were delighted to help in providing some level of protection for the environment as well as protecting the pristine beauty of the shoreline and beaches here in the beautiful by nature, Turks and Caicos Islands”, shared Beaches Turks and Caicos Public Relations Manager Orville Morgan.
The volunteers filled several bags with items washed ashore such as plastic and glass bottles, clothes, household items, and drink cans.
Morgan noted that the team did a detailed check of the beach, determined to remove even the smallest item of rubbish. The waste collected was properly sorted and then removed by the Grounds team.
The Sandals Foundation commits itself to preserving the natural surroundings through projects in education, environment, and community.
“A lot of the waste have been washed up on our shores and being agents of change, as a resort we were happy to see how much our efforts were important in helping with the cleaning of our environment,” noted Shuntal Gibson, EHS Manager at theresort who led a team of volunteers out for the clean-up.
Sandals Foundation said the labour of love was a collaboration between three environmental groups at Beaches Turks and Caicos – the Beaches Public Relations Team, Earth Guardians, and the Sandals Foundation Ambassadors.
Through this annual event, the International Ocean Conservancy hopes to spread awareness and encourage everyone to stop trash at the source, a mission the Sandals Foundation fully supports.
General Manager James McAnally said the Sandals Foundation is cognisant of the fact that the beach is heavily patronised by members of the local community, “which is why we are so happy to be able to work with our team of volunteers to keep this particular beach clean”. 
“It was really pleasing to see how much our efforts were important in helping with the cleaning of our environment,” said Jennie Parsons, one of the many volunteers from the resort who turned out for the clean-up.
To ensure long-term benefits, those who use the beach the most – area residents – were given tips on the role they can play maintain the environment.
“We educated residents who were there about the importance of keeping the beach clean and protecting our environment because if we don’t ensure that they understand the importance then the beach will be back in that deplorable state before we know it,” said Morgan.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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