Fair pushes recycling

Every piece of garbage that was generated during the recent Multi- National Fair will be recycled.

 

That’s according to the Co-organiser of the Multi- National Fair, Sharon Oran. She was speaking to the Barbados Advocate as the event kicked off on the grounds of the Foursquare Rum Distillery and Heritage Park in St. Philip, welcoming hundreds of persons under the theme ‘Celebrating Our Strengths’ in recognition of the island’s 50th anniversary of Independence.

 

She explained that in 2014 when the event was first held, the focus was on the “going green” and on educating persons about recycling, organic food, composting, proper waste disposal and solar vehicles, and they are still pushing that agenda. In addition to placing bins at the entrance of the fair to collect items to be recycled, she said there were experts on hand to show individuals how to sort garbage. She made the point as she noted that Foursquare is the perfect location for the event, as the Distillery is a leader in recycling in this country.

 

“There are over 500 youth volunteers at this fair and we wanted to encourage them to come out and learn how important the continuity of this country is, and it is really dependent on our ability to start looking at and adjusting some of the major problems including waste disposal and waste management,” Oran indicated.

 

Her comments came as she noted that the patrons to the fair have been very receptive to their message of going green. Moreover, she added that exhibitors were encouraged not to distribute plastic bags at the event, but rather to encourage patrons to buy a reusable bag to put their purchases in and use it again when going to the supermarket.

“Recycling and greening the economy don’t have to be boring subjects, it can be fun. So the fair is full of a lot of pop up entertainment all over the fair ground, celebrating our young people and how they can contribute to the sustainability of Barbados. This all falls under the auspices, since 2014, of ‘Be the Change Barbados’ which is an organisation that really encourages change for everyone – personal change, community change, country change, environmental change, and it is a real focus on the fact that everyone can make a difference,” she added.

 

Oran noted that they were able to reach over 4000 people with their message in 2014, and are confident that yesterday’s event would reach just as many, if not more.

 

There were approximately 200 exhibitors set up at the fair showcasing such things as agricultural produce, craft, local food products and condiments. She said there were also booths representing the countries of Italy, Canada, the United States of America, and Guyana among others. (JRT)