–says First Lady in observance of ‘Earth Day’ 2021

EVEN as Guyana continues to accelerate plans to further develop its oil resources, equal attention must be placed on environmental sustainability, First Lady, Arya Ali, has reasoned.
The First Lady’s remarks followed the launch of a national tree planting exercise, in observance of ‘Earth Day’ 2021, on Thursday.
“As Guyana continues to accelerate plans to further develop its oil resources, it is equally important for attention to be placed on environmental sustainability. More than just enhancing the scenic qualities of public spaces, my National Beautification Project aims to do just that,” the First Lady was quoted as saying in a statement issued by her office.
For the most recent exercise, the tree planting initiative, Ali was joined by representatives of the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NARIE) and the Protected Areas Commission (PAC).

Through this initiative, a number of fruit trees were planted in the National Park and at other areas around Georgetown. Groups such as the Seawalls and Beyond, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) women’s arm, and Youths for Better Living participated in the initiative.
This exercise forms part of the First Lady’s “National Beautification Project”, and will be sustained over the next four years.
Among the fruit trees planted were guava, cherry and mango.
Celebrated annually on April 22, ‘Earth Day’ was initiated to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide, and garner support for environmental protection. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, established in the USA at a time when air pollution was rising and its threats to human life were not being given enough attention.
‘Earth Day’ has now grown to the extent where it is being celebrated by over one billion people in more than 193 countries.