The Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) is reporting an increase in the illegal use of its facilities by people burning materials to get copper in order to cash in on the growing trade in that metal.
At a media briefing on Friday, public relations officer (PRO) Carl Alff Padmore said the use of the Mangrove, St Thomas landfill for that purpose was extremely dangerous and put residents in the nearby communities at serious risk.
“The landfill area is dry because, naturally, we are not getting any rain. Why is that a problem for us? We have persons who are trespassing on the compound and they are creating a nuisance because what they are doing is burning copper. There is a trade for copper in Barbados [and so] they are trying to get the rubber off of the copper,” he complained, explaining that these fires were happening in an area near the old Central Cricket Club pavilion.
Saying that no permission had been granted by either the SSA or the Barbados Fire Service to start these fires, Padmore warned: “A simple flame can ignite the grass around the landfill and once the landfill catches, we know it will cause serious strain on our resources because we have to get crews to out it; it will cause strain on the fire service because they will have to deploy trucks; and environmental officers from the Ministry of Health would have to come and do air quality testing.”
“So one simple act . . . has the potential to be a nuisance at a bigger scale,” he added, noting that residents living downwind, in areas such as Arch Hall, Bennetts and Bucks, would be impacted if a fire started at the landfill.
The SSA spokesperson said the culprits tend to start the fires early in the morning and while some people had been spotted leaving the dump, no one had been caught.
He reminded that anyone found engaging in the illegal practice could be slapped with a fine of $5 000 or be jailed for creating a public nuisance.
During the briefing, Padmore also reminded Barbadians not to commingle old mattresses they take to the dump with other waste.
He said there was a programme in place for the SSA to dispose of those kinds of items which come from households, businesses such as nursing homes, and government facilities like the Geriatric Hospital.
Padmore said the SSA would engage in a controlled burn and those were the only fires that were conducted and considered safe at the Mangrove Landfill.
(SZB)

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By Anesta Henry

Cow-itch vines growing on empty lots have been creating major headaches for some schools across the island and President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell wants landowners to have the offending lots cleared and maintained.

He has complained that cow-itch is becoming a “nuisance” as several schools have been affected already for this school term. One teacher who had a serious allergic reaction, was  ordered by her doctor not to return to the school to which she was assigned.

Lovell charged that some of the offensive lands may even be owned by the State.

“This is a serious matter. The Barbados Union of Teachers is imploring, begging, beseeching, whatever word you want to use, landowners who have lands adjacent to schools that are harbouring cow-itch to clear the lands. This is becoming a nuisance and several schools have been affected. This term alone, Daryl Jordan Secondary, Grantley Adams Secondary, Gordon Greenidge Primary have been affected. 

“Now I am getting complaints from Mount Tabor Primary, I am getting complaints from Blackman and Gollop Primary, from Thelma Berry Nursery, and this is just to name a few,” Lovell said.

He said that the Ministry of Education has been working to address the vexing issue, but admitted that they could only do “so much”.

When contacted, Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Adrian Forde, told Barbados TODAY he would be contacting the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Wellness to investigate the environmental concern being reported by the BUT.

“I would talk to the Minister of Education and find out what the concerns are. I know the Environmental Health offices under the Ministry of Health can also activate certain legislation under the Health Services Regulations as it relates to properties. So it would be a collective effort,” Forde said.

Meanwhile, Lovell said the union believes that landowners have a social responsibility to ensure that their lands do not pose any threat to persons in surrounding areas. The president said this is why the BUT is encouraging landowners who know that their properties are overgrown with bush, to clear the lots.

He said it is unfair to students, teachers and ancillary staff who occupy school plants, to have to be exposed to “this nuisance called cow-itch”.

“And even though we may ask the Ministry of Education to intervene at times, the Ministry of Education can only close the schools. And even after the schools are reopened, in some cases, the lands are not really cleared to the extent that the cow-itch has been totally removed. So we are asking the landowners to do what they are supposed to do by maintaining their properties.

“I know in some cases, schools have been reaching out to the landowners. But the thing is that this is an annual problem. We know that around this time of the year cow-itch grows. Why wait until it impacts or affects the occupants of the schools to then come and clear the fields? Why not be proactive as a landowner and seek to remove the cow-itch from the properties? I received calls on a daily basis with regards to cow-itch, it is a total nuisance,” Lovell said.

The BUT president also indicated that he has been getting multiple complaints from teachers that they have been experiencing allergic reactions as a result of the hazard. 

Forde said he agreed 100 per cent with Lovell’s plea, and revealed that the Government was currently working on legislation that would address landowners being forced to either clear their lots or be subjected to penalties if they refuse to do so.

“The school of thought is that landowners who are not complying to have those persons be given a period of time to do the remedial work.” 

He said if this fails, the Government would do the cleaning and bill the charges to the landowner whether it is through the land tax bill or by some other means. 

“The legislation hasn’t been drafted yet but there are definitely plans to deal with this issue. Really and truly this is not how we should be operating as Barbadians, this is not who we are as a people,” Minister Forde said.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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“Using evidence and stories of real young people, the campaign will encourage Caribbean youth to be agents of climate change for action”

View the full post CCCCC #Betterclimate4MyHealth campaign on NOW Grenada.

The Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research Education and Design (WIRRED) hosted the launch of A Garden of Hope at Walkers Reserve on Saturday, January 28. This work is a creative intervention at the Reserve by Annalee Davis in collaboration with Kevin Talma and the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research Education and Design (WIRRED). 

The name, A Garden of Hope, refers to the 17th-century Hope estate, later amalgamated into a larger Scotland plantation, once owned by Judith Powrey, becoming the foundation of what is now Walkers Reserve. It eventually shifted from sugar cane to a silica sand quarry. 

In recent years, under WIRRED’s stewardship, it has been transitioning to a site of permaculture and regeneration. That is where hope returns, through vision, knowledge, and action; an exhausted landscape is being transformed into a healthier ecosystem and a post-plantation site of healing. It is the largest regeneration project in the Caribbean region. WIRRED continues to engage with myriad partners to meet the goals of environmental conservation to increase biodiversity, develop natural habitats and build awareness around reducing the negative effects of climate change. 

In her narrative about the project, Davis says: “This plot highlights the revolutionary and subversive history of plants, acknowledging them as agents of restoration and reparation while insisting on the need for us to remember valuable systems of knowledge that are being erased or forgotten. This living apothecary is intended as a sacred space of healing, regeneration, and contemplation, honouring the traditions of bush medicine and recognising this site as hallowed ground. The plants in the garden have been designed with a focus on well-being for women’s reproductive and post-reproductive health and are also available as a natural first aid kit. 

“I hope that visitors who spend time in the Garden of Hope might reflect on the ancestors who came before us, using what was available to them for medicine – plants growing in their environment that they had to learn about to heal themselves and one another. There is also a QR code and some labelling offering information about local plant uses and traditions. This is very much a work in progress, and hopefully, there will be more opportunities to engage with the garden through workshops for those who are interested.” 

The Garden of Hope is one of the first installations under the eARTh programme at Walkers Reserve. There is no earth without ART and as WIRRED continues to steward the regeneration of the Reserve from a sand quarry into a thriving space for connection and reconnection, they hold space for artistic expression and cultural transformation.

WIRRED is thankful to all contributors to the project and acknowledges everyone who has been a part of its evolution including the McNeel family, Island Developments Ltd., the team at Walkers Reserve, Richard White for the construction and maintenance of the cobb beds, and Ireka Jelani Spiritual Baptist elder who blessed the Garden at Saturday’s launch supported by her two children, Subira and Baruti. (PR)

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The purpose of this petition is to eliminate illegal littering & dumping in Grenada

View the full post Petition for the Implementation of the Abatement of Litter Act 2015 on NOW Grenada.

The Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) will be celebrating its second anniversary on January 18, 2023, with activities that include education and engagement with the public, the health sector and investors. 

The week of events are:

Jan 16, 2023: Launch of BMCLA Cannabis Crash Course Term 2  – partnered with the University of the West Indies (UWI) – Future Learn Courses – Open to the public via registration on https://www.bmcla.bb/blog.

Jan 17, 2023: BMCLA Health Forum, Island Inn, Aquatic Gap, Bay Street, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. For the health sector only via registration.

Jan 18, 2023: BMCLA Open House, Hero’s Square, Bridgetown, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open to the public – walk-in or appointment via https://www.bmcla.bb/blog. 

Jan 19, 2023: BMCLA Mix & Mingle, Island Inn, Aquatic Gap, Bay Street, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Invitation only via registration.

Communications and Public Education Specialist with the BMCLA, Tracy Moore, said, “These forums are the BMCLA’s continued initiatives to educate and engage stakeholders while ensuring transparency and equity within this developing local industry. We hope that persons come out and be informed and involved in the medicinal cannabis industry.” 

“The BMCLA Health Forum on Jan 17, 2023 will engage the health sector to provide real scope about the medicinal cannabis industry while looking at the important role the sector plays in the industry. It will also be an opportunity to hear feedback and address any lingering concerns. The BMCLA Mix and Mingle on January 19, 2023 will allow for licensees and potential licensees (applicants in the last steps of the application process) to be in a room with potential investors, industry partners and select members of the industry support sector to meet and discuss industry opportunities,” she explained.

Moore noted that two of the four events are for specific audiences. The Health Forum is specifically for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists and the Mix & Mingle is specifically for industry participants. The educational campaign and the Open House are open to the public. 

The BMCLA Cannabis Crash Course Term 2 will have online classes available free to all, while the BMCLA Open House on January 18, 2023 will see the officers of the BMCLA go into the public space to provide important industry information.

“We did the Open House last year, and we had an overwhelming response, so we decided to make it bigger this year by engaging the public in Bridgetown. We can assist anyone who wants to know more about the medicinal cannabis industry or needs help to get into the industry, on a one-on-one basis,” she said.

Moore explained that these forums were very important because the industry grew steadily from last year to this year.

“Last year, we announced that two licensees with a combined nine licences had been approved. This year, we have an additional three licensees with a combined six licences approved by the Board. We also have two applicants at the pre-approval stage with one licence each, and there are currently a few more before the Board for review. So, as the industry grows we need to ensure that the persons who are applying and receiving their licences, those who are our valued partners and stakeholders as well as industry investors, are all growing together under the regulatory framework,” she added.

Moore urged all service providers to get in touch with the BMCLA during this week of activities via socialmedia@bmcla.bb so that they can grow within the medicinal cannabis industry through the BMCLA Classifieds. 

The BMCLA Classifieds allow applicants and licensees to contact service providers like security firms, fencing and lighting companies, accountants, lawyers, administrative workers, real estate agents and anyone else who can benefit from the industry with their products and services via all BMCLA public platforms. (PR)

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“Grenada’s history and traditional wealth is based on being an agrarian nation where agriculture and agro-processing were key drivers”

View the full post Agro Processing, Agriculture 2.0 on NOW Grenada.