PARTNERS in the ‘Guyana Shines’ initiative, in company with Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Mr. Robert Persaud, yesterday, visited St. Rose’s High School, in Church Street, Georgetown, where they spoke to the students about the importance of caring for their surroundings.

The visit coincided with the worldwide observance of the 43rd Earth Day under the theme ‘The Face of Climate Change.’
In his remarks to the school population, the minister said, not only are young people the future, but they can also be today’s change agents.
According to him, human behaviour can be altered and influenced by students and he encouraged those listening to him to take advantage of their power to influence adults, in the context of how solid waste is treated.
Persaud stated, further, that his ministry will continue to work with the Ministry of Education in ensuring that the importance of a clean and healthy environment is reinforced in the curriculum of schools.
Alluding to the pressures which are being put on the Earth’s resources and the competition and the conflict between it and man, the minister stated that Earth Day is very important, because it provides the opportunity to place special emphasis on caring, protecting and recognising the importance of this planet.
He pointed out that Guyana has always taken decisive steps in contributing, not only at the national but at the global level, as well, in terms of ensuring that the Earth is respected and treated in a manner that its resources and its capacity will continue to avail itself to not just today’s generation but future generations.
Persaud made particular reference to the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and the Amaila Falls hydropower project and urged the students to be proud of Guyana’s environmentally friendly initiatives as well as be engaged in making them better citizens and conscientious Guyanese.
Much more
While highlighting these initiatives, the minister  acknowledged that there is still much more work to be done in this regard.
He commended what was done by the various ‘Guyana Shines’ partners in introducing and moving the effort forward in supporting what the country has been doing, both at the national and local government levels in ensuring that the environment is clean, healthy and friendly.
Addressing the forum, too, United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Brent Hardt said they have been very impressed with the response by students to ‘Guyana Shines’, which was launched last April on Earth Day 2012.
He said they created the idea of ‘Guyana Shines’ to try and encourage all the people of this country to embrace civic activism and come together, as communities and schools, to find solutions to the problem of litter and waste disposal.
Hardt reported that, in the first year of the project, they worked on various hands-on clean-up exercises within the environs of Georgetown, in other communities such Lodge, East La Penitence and Festival City to make those neighbourhoods shine again.
The diplomat noted that ‘Guyana Shines’ donated some basic tools, such as rakes, wheelbarrows, gloves and plastic bags to help people make their environment clean again.
He expressed gratitude and commended all the community residents and volunteers who came out and showed their dedication and concern for their country.
Hardt stated that the knowledge is there, among the young people of Guyana, because they know what the right thing to do is and they can become leaders, as they want young people not to be part of the litter problem, but part of the solution to it.
Most important
He said the most important element of their outreach is that they have been reaching out to schools all across Georgetown, making presentations and speaking to young people in primary and secondary schools.
The envoy informed that, so far, they have been able to reach 62 schools in Georgetown and, by the end of today, they would have visited every primary and secondary school in the Georgetown area.
He said the presentations made at these schools included awareness of the harmful effects of littering and pollution and they also tried to encourage the students to make environmentally friendly decisions in their own lives.
Hardt said it is his hope that the presentations made a lasting and positive impression on all the students, highlighting that the partnership between the students, teachers and parents of Marian Academy led to a recycling shed being built at that school.
He encouraged more schools to become involved in the act of recycling, noting that waste disposal is a global challenge and the more persons can recycle the less it is going to be challenging in the future.
He indicated, too, that they have had other partners come on board, like the University of Guyana (UG) students, the Private Sector and the Lions Clubs, stating that this allowed them to do much more than they would have been able to do on their own.
Hardt said the Government of Guyana has also been making very impressive efforts on its own to bring attention to the issue of littering and he saluted the leadership of Minister Persaud under whom the ‘Pick it up Guyana’ campaign was launched.
He also acknowledged the collaborative efforts of the City of Georgetown, under the Mayor, Mr. Hamilton Green, before handing over a book on garbage to the students and teachers of St. Rose’s.
The U.S. Embassy, the British High Commission, the Canadian High Commission, the European Union (EU) Delegation in Guyana, Conservation International Guyana, and Youth Challenge Guyana, are among the partners of the ‘Guyana Shines’ initiative.