SGU Students Talk Recycling in Grenada
St. George’s University students held a recycling symposium to support the efforts of the Grenada Government in controlling the effects of waste on the environment in Grenada.
Attended by faculty, staff and students from St. George’s University and T.A Marryshow Community College, Education Conservation Outreach (ECO), a student-led environmental organization, held the symposium on March 18. Helping to further the ongoing efforts of the Grenada Solid Waste Management, the symposium was created to help residents focus on recycling and waste disposal by emphasising responsibility and accountability.
Michael Mitchell, a representative from Spice Isle Recycling, a local business recently awarded by Grenada Chamber of Industry & Commerce for environmental excellence, urged the attendees to be the catalyst of change. Comparing humanity to a graduation date, he appealed to the audience to envision this decade as the final exam. He stated, “We are at a turning point in the global economy and interventions are direly needed. We were meant to work with nature and not against it so let’s have a more positive and respectful attitude towards our environment. The actions of each individual counts; and the contributions, though small, can make a huge difference.”
Senior Public Relations Officer at Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA), Myrna Julien, stressed that “Environmental conservation is a collaborative effort. While the Authority is committed to recycling initiatives and waste management in Grenada, the onus is on each one of us to make Grenada a greener and more sustainable nation.”
ECO was established in October 2010 to facilitate environmental awareness through education and research. According to ECO president, Wayne Smart, “Our goal is to assist and carry out research within the field of marine and terrestrial biology, conservation and wildlife biology, and to create an awareness of local, regional and international environmental issues that impact small island states like Grenada.”
With Symposiums like these and in keeping with their mandate for education, it is their hope to help save Grenada’s ecosystem – one step at a time.
