Service to one’s country is one of the highest forms of patriotism. For marine biologist and ecologist Professor Mona Kay Webber, who has dedicated over 30 years to preserving the marine and coastal environment, she is driven by a deep love for the land of wood and water. Over the years, Professor Webber, who is Director for the Centre of...

Mangroves, the groups of trees and shrubs that line Jamaica’s coastlines, hold significant value not only in protecting and sustaining the lives and livelihoods of citizens along the coasts but also in real economic terms. It is estimated that these wetland forests are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. A report on Jamaica’s mangroves, launched in 2019, estimate that they...

Twenty-three-year-old Portmore resident, Tiffani Barrett, got together a group of her family members and friends to clean the Boardwalk Beach in the St. Catherine community on Saturday (September 17). The group of 12 volunteers, most of whom live in Portmore and regularly enjoy the use of the recreational space, removed plastic and glass bottles, Styrofoam containers, empty snack bags, used...

The Prime Minister’s Youth Awardee for Environmental Protection 2021, Colleen Dawkins, has always been passionate about the environment. “I love nature; it calms me. Even from high school days I’d always try to choose the window seat or the seat near the door, so I could always look out and be inspired by the mountains, the birds and the trees,”...

To date, 730,548 trees have been distributed/planted under the National Tree Planting Initiative, and the environment has been that much better for it. By simply planting tree seedlings since the project began two years ago, over 14 tonnes of pollutants have been removed from the air; 574.3 million gallons of water have been filtered; and more than 4,490 tonnes of...

More than two million hazardous, used tyres are to be removed from the Riverton City disposal site in St. Andrew under a 10-year project, which will eventually extend to other garbage disposal facilities across the island. Already, over 8,700 tyres have been taken from the Riverton facility under the National Programme for the Environmentally Sound Management of End-of-Life Pneumatic Tyres,...

The International University of the Caribbean (IUC) continues to position itself as a tertiary educational institution of choice in Jamaica, particularly in preparing young people to meet the demands of a competitive global employment environment. Founded in 2005 by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the institution is committed to taking students “from where they are” and...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 4.2 million deaths occur each year as a result of exposure to ambient air pollution with low- and middle-income countries experiencing the highest burden from this type of pollution. Some pollutants are emitted into the air and others are formed in the air from chemical reactions to the emissions. Of great concern is...