Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Yasuhiro Atsumi (second left), is assisted by Grade Six Mannings Hill Primary School students, Zinoviea Hughes (left), and Raynor Gordon, during a tree planting exercise at the institution on Friday (October 6). Looking on is Senior Technical Advisor, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Clehan Williams. The exercise was held in observance...

One thousand trees were planted at the Lydford Beulah Park Great House in St. Ann on Friday (October 6) to mark National Tree Planting Day. The initiative, which started in 2003, is an annual observance led by the Forestry Department, and celebrated on the first Friday in October. The undertaking aims to promote the value of trees while providing an...

A total of 881 volunteers joined the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to remove 611 bags of debris from four sites on September 16, International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) Day 2023. Of the total number of volunteers, 531 visited the largest site at Shipwreck Beach along the Palisadoes Strip, collecting 440 bags of recyclable and non-recyclable material, weighing approximately 4,299...

The Forestry Department is distributing a variety of timber and ornamental seedlings in observance of National Tree Planting Day (NTPD), October 6. The distribution period, which started on September 25, will run until October 13. During an interview with JIS News, the Agency’s Principal Director, Forest Operations, Jerome Smith, shared that the seedlings will be available for free at its...

The Government is seeking to increase Jamaica’s land mass protection to close to 40 per cent by 2030. Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for Water, Environment and Climate Change, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, who made the disclosure, said this target surpasses the international goal of 30 per cent protection by...

The soon-to-be-legislated Deposit Refund will seek to improve recycling activities locally. This will boost the effort to improve the country’s environmental and waste management thrust. To date, the scheme, which is voluntary, provides a cash refund to consumers who return their plastic bottles after use. Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the Government will be looking at developing initiatives geared towards creating a culture of environmental cleanliness. The Minister made the disclosure while participating in International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) activities at Shipwreck Beach on the Palisadoes Road in Kingston on Saturday (September...

Members of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) were among thousands of Jamaicans who turned out to participate in International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) activities on Saturday, September 16. The 30-member-strong JIS team collected several bags of recyclable and non-recyclable garbage, totalling 105.9kg, from the Shipwreck Beach along the Palisadoes Strip in Kingston. Manager of the JIS’s Public Relations and Marketing...

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is looking to establish refrigerant recovery and recycling centres in Jamaica. Refrigerants are substances used in mechanisms designed to maintain cold temperatures. These include refrigerators, freezers and home and motor vehicle air conditioning systems. Manager for the National Ozone Unit and NEPA National Ozone Officer, Vivian Blake, told JIS News that consequent on...