Cadets from the Grace Christian Academy organised a bake sale to raise funds for persons suffering after the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. The group was able to raise $522.11. These cadets are to be commended for their humanitarian efforts.

Watch the following video and post your thoughts and comments.

ALERT :: YUNGA :: ALERT :: YUNGA :: ALERT :: YUNGA :: ALERT

Biodiversity art competition

Recent developments from YUNGA, 29 January 2010

This is the International Year of Biodiversity and on the 12 August it will also be the International Year of Youth. So……………

You have no excuse get involved, be active, create the change )

This year will be packed with activities and we will keep you up to date on all of them.

The first initiative is the biodiversity art competition -> take part and you could see your artwork all over the world )

For more information go to: www.fao.org/climatechange/youth/en/

So what are you waiting for, its your year lets go )

Teachers at Cades Bay

On Friday 22nd January forty-five (45) Environment Cadet teachers from across Antigua and Barbuda took part in a workshop designed to teach them about Biodiversity. The workshop was planned by Environment Education Officer, Arica Hill.

Hill stated “Today was the start of an important part of the Environment Cadet Programme. The cadet programme for the year involves discussions and field trips on biodiversity and ecosystems. However, many of the teachers that administer the programme are not science teachers, and often know very little about specific environmental issues. So, the Environment Division took this opportunity to train the teachers. We cannot expect them to teach without giving them the necessary tools, so today was a very important step in that direction.”

The first part of the workshop was held at the Heritage Hotel where Project Coordinator of the Sustainable Island Resource Management Mechanism (SIRMM), Ruleta Camacho, gave a presentation on biodiversity.

“SIRMM is pleased to be a part of this endeavour to sensitise teachers about important environment issues. We intend to continue to work with the Environment Cadet programme on similar projects”. SIRMM is also a sponsor of the workshop and the Environment Cadet Programme.

The second part of the workshop was a field trip to the Cades Bay area. There, Senior Fisheries Officer, Tricia Lovell, gave the teachers in-depth information on biodiversity as it relates to mangroves. The teachers were able to relate what they had learned in the ‘classroom’ with what exists in nature.

At the end of the day Hill stated that she was pleased with the overall workshop since she believes that teachers are more equipped to run the Environment Cadet programmes in their schools. She further stated that she looks forward to organising similar workshops throughout the year.

This is a not-for-profit film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film seeks to bring awareness to environmental issues by providing background on how planet earth developed into what it is now. It is an interesting film which highlights the interconnectedness of all things on earth. Enjoy!

Here is an interesting video on ocean acidification and the effects on marine life. Take some time to watch it, and if you have any comments, please feel free to do so.

The Environment Division Education Unit, in close collaboration with the Antigua and Barbuda Waste Recycling Company, embarked upon an ambitious project of waste recycling in the 2009-2010 school year. Environment Education Officer Arica Hill stated that the project entailed encouraging all of the schools that are a part of the Environment Cadet program to bring in recyclables throughout the year. Hill said that at the end of the school year, in July, the schools that were able to collect the most recyclables would receive a considerable prize.

So far the cadets have collected a total of 6,897 pounds of recyclables. Golden Grove Primary School is presently the most enthusiastic Primary school having collected 837 pounds in three months; while the Antigua State College outranks the other schools in its division (secondary and tertiary institutions) after collecting 445 pounds.

Hill states that she wishes to encourage all the schools to continue to recycle within the coming terms and to look forward to incentives throughout the year.

ABWREC manager, Carol-Faye George, has stated that the facility in Coolidge is able to recycle even more materials. These materials are: plastic bottles (PET & HDPE/1&2), aluminium cans, steel tins, vehicular batteries, UPS batteries, PVC cuttings, galvanize cuttings, scrap metals and toner cartridges. Schools are encouraged to bring in any of these materials, particularly the steel tins which are easily accessible.