St. Joseph’s Infant, St. Jago Cathedral Preparatory and Kingston Technical High have emerged winners in the Urban Development Corporation’s (UDC) “2012 Hellshire Schools Enviro Competition”. The winning schools copped trophies and cash prizes valued at $25,000 each and select passes to UDC-owned attractions Dunn’s River Falls and Park and Green Grotto Caves and Attractions in St. Ann. The awards were presented at the 6th annual Hellshire Enviro Fair held at the Two Sisters Caves on Thursday, May 31.
Speaking at the event Lenworth Tracey, Deputy General Manager at the UDC said “The fact that the UDC continues to implement the Hellshire Enviro Fair on a yearly basis shows that the Corporation is serious about the preservation and conservation of the environment. He further added “Everyone has a big role to play in helping to preserve the environment and this starts with keeping your homes, schools and communities clean”.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Guest Speaker Marcia Creary, President of Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals said “I would like to applaud the UDC for this community outreach programme. It is important to start with teaching students, so they can become stewards of the environment”.
The Hellshire Schools Enviro Competition, was open to students from infant, primary and secondary schools from Kingston and St. Andrew and sections of St. Catherine and was aimed at encouraging eco-friendly practices among young people.
The competition was carried out over the period September 2011 and May 2012. Students were required to implement environmental projects, guided by their teachers. The projects this year focused on recycling, assessing the effects of soil erosion, garbage disposal, pollution reduction and prevention of rat infestation.
St. Joseph’s Infant’s winning project focused on recycling, St. Jago Cathedral Preparatory highlighted the negative impact garbage disposal can have on human and marine life and Kingston Technical High’s project focused on generating electricity from wave energy.
Over 600 patrons, including students from approximately 25 infant, primary and secondary schools from Kingston and St. Andrew and St Catherine turned out to support the Hellshire Enviro Fair which is aimed at encouraging eco-friendly practices and environmental awareness. The event is held annually in recognition of International Day for Biological Diversity, which is celebrated on May 22nd annually. The theme for this year was “Marine Biodiversity”.
This year the event enjoyed sponsorship from Party Plus Entertainment Company, Wisynco Group Limited through their WATA brand, GraceKennedy Foods, CB Chicken, Dolphin Cove, Jamaica Zoo, Bob Marley Foundation and The University of the West Indies Department of Life Sciences.
The UDC hosted the inaugural Hellshire Enviro Fair during May 2007 and organized the Hellshire Schools Enviro Competition for the first time during 2008.