On June 5, communities across the planet participated in World Environment Day with the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution.” Representatives from Haiti’s Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture co-hosted a Haiti Takes Root event in Anse-a-Veau with J/P Haitian Relief Organization focused on raising awareness about plastic pollution in town and in the larger Nippes department.
Students from schools in Anse-a-Veau gathered on the steps of the mayor’s office to hear from their community leaders about the importance of World Environment Day. The Deputy Mayor noted that the cleanliness of Anse-a-Veau is a source of community pride, but more can be done, especially near the town square. Emmanuel Philippe from the Ministry of Environment, one of the focal points for the Resilient Productive Landscapes project that is launching this year in Nippes, talked about the Ministry’s involvement in raising awareness about pollution and ways to reduce single use plastic.
The main activity of the day was a beach clean up near the town square, where the river meets the ocean. For many years, people have been disposing their trash in this spot. During the World Environment Day event, students, volunteers, and local authorities collected nearly a dozen bags of plastic to be recycled. The plastic was transported to Port-au-Prince where Environmental Cleaning Solutions purchased the plastics for recycling and reuse.
After the clean up, students gathered again at the mayor’s office to receive reusable canvas market bags, emblazoned with the Haiti Takes Root logo and Creole name, Ayiti Vèt. Local leaders and ministry representatives, along with volunteers and representatives from the participating schools, were invited to a lunch and discussion with Ministry representatives and the mayor’s team about developing a comprehensive waste management strategy for Anse-a-Veau.
While World Environment Day is an annual celebration and opportunity to take action for the environment, the activity in Anse-a-Veau is part of a longer-term strategy for an integrated response to climate change in Nippes. Although not directly part of the RPL project, the plastic clean up event was the first in a series of awareness-raising activities that HTR will support in partnership with the local community.
To learn more about World Environment Day and get ready for June 5, 2019, visit the official site.
To get your own Ayiti Vèt reusable canvas market bag, send an email to info@haititakesroot.org.