By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Monday 1st August 2022) — Citizens and residents are being encouraged to reduce the use of single-use plastic here in St. Kitts-Nevis for the benefit of locals and visitors alike, and to practice such throughout the year. That call was made by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Carlene Henry-Morton following a march through the streets of Basseterre to mark the end of the month of activities for Plastic Free July held on Friday 29th July 2022. Among those who participated in the event, organised by the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the St. Kitts Sustainable Development Council, were the Early Childhood Development Unit, the St. Kitts-Nevis Youth Parliament Association (SKNYPA) and the Ministry of Environment.
“It is not just about July. It’s about throughout the entire year. We can intensify our efforts in July but we want the message to resonate throughout the entire year that all of us individually and collectively, we are responsible for making sure we reduce single-use plastic in our homes, when we go to the supermarkets, wherever we are,” Henry-Morton stated. She mentioned that persons should find innovative and creative ways such as using plastic bags as plant pots “to reduce for now and eventually eliminate the use of plastic.” She added: “A healthy environment will continue to help to create healthy lives and livelihoods. We want that message to go along with our young people, our parents, education and all the different organizations that are supporting us — we want them to take that message throughout the year.” On children as ambassadors: “Ten years from now, these children are going to be fifteen and what we would like to see is that they don’t even have to think about whether or not they should reduce plastic; it’d be second nature. It would be part of them to just refuse plastic. Whenever they go to the beach and they see garbage on the beach, they pick it up. These young people are our best destination stewards.”