Charlestown, Nevis – Two Science teachers at the Charlestown Secondary School, Kenisha Lewis and Kwesian Davis are currently pioneering efforts to recycle plastic bottles on Nevis, in an effort to make Nevis a healthier and more environmentally friendly place.
They have initiated a very proactive group at the school, known as the Charlestown Secondary Environment Awareness Society (CSEAS), which seeks to educate students on such issues as deforestation, climate change, sustainable living and the like. As part of the group’s current thrust for a safer and cleaner Nevis, plastic bottles are also collected and recycled.
The two youthful and enthused teachers, both saw recycling programs work effectively while studying in Jamaica and decided that a similar program can work in Nevis.
They have motivated quite a number of students at the school to be a part of the program, starting with an initiative, which involved going on a plastic bottle collection drive and the students who brought back the most bottles were given specific meaningful prizes, which served as an incentive.
Unfortunately, sponsors for the initiative were not forthcoming and the teachers bought the prizes out of pocket. They have now commenced an ice cream sale project at the school, to take care of expenses.
The teachers and students collect the plastic bottles from the schoolyard; the streets on the island; the ghauts and wherever they are found. The bottles are then brought to the school, where they are cleaned and stored temporarily at the Science lab.
Later, thanks to the TDC Company, they are shipped free of cost to St. Kitts and taken to the Admirals Company, where they are effectively recycled.
‘Nevis is a small island and the issue of LAND TAKE, must be given serious consideration. The more plastic bottles we throw into the environment; the Landfill gets filled up and then has to be expanded. The land can be better used for the building of homes and expanding our agriculture,’ stated Kenisha, in a recent appearance on the Solid Waste Environmental Education Program (SWEEP).
The two young ladies are so passionate about keeping the island clean and healthy, that they are constantly removing bottles and other trash, even as they go on walks, or go to the beach, in their leisure time.
Other individuals and some businesses have also caught on to the idea and will regularly drop off loads of plastic bottles at the school, to be taken care of by the hard-working group of teachers and students.
The two ambassadors are promoting the three R’s:
Reduce; Reuse and Recycle, but do not want to continue to provide a simple band-aid solution to the problem of the great use of single-use plastics and the constant littering of the environment, but would like to eventually see persons actually REDUCING the use of single-use plastics and stop littering as well.
They want to go further and get the other schools on the island involved, from preschools, primary schools and also will try to get the Gingerland Secondary School to imitate a similar program.
They took time out to thank the many students, other teachers and community-minded individuals and businesses, who have come on board to make the program such a huge success, over the last two years.
They are also encouraging more persons to be a part of the initiative to save our environment.