(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Dr. Edward Greene, Assistant Secretary General, Human and Social Development of the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM Secretariat) led a team of Staff Members from the CARICOM Secretariat and the Ministry of Health Guyana, on a Four Mile Green Walk on World Environment Day, Thursday, 5 June 2008.
Clad in green as a symbol of concern for the preservation of the environment, the team walked from the Secretariat Headquarters in Turkeyen, to the East Coast Highway up to the Ogle Airstrip Road and returned to the headquarters in what was described as a show of solidarity with the aims and objectives of World Environment Day observed under the theme: Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy.
In addressing the walkers, CARICOM Secretary General, H.E. Edwin Carrington commended what he called the pro-activity of the team and noted that the walk was a “serious, symbolic and substantive event” and that the action was not just one to preserve the environment for the future generation but for the present generation.
On returning from the walk the team engaged in a series of exercises led by the Secretariat’s Dr. Morella Joseph, Programme Manager, Human Resource Development.
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Recognising that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, UNEP has advocated for countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them.
The World Environment Day 2008 highlighted resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.
The Secretariat’s Walk on World Environment Day was also in keeping with the promotion of physical activities leading up the first Caribbean Wellness Day to be observed on 13 September 2008.
The observance of Caribbean Wellness Day was one of the decisions taken when the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government, deeply concerned about the physical, economic and social burdens caused by lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, obesity and cancer, met in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on 15 September 2007 to design a plan of action to stop the epidemic of chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
To be observed annually on the second Saturday in September, Caribbean Wellness Day will showcase national and community level activities to promote healthy living and encourage citizens to develop good health practices. Among the activities proposed for the day are the introduction of vehicle-free streets and smoke-free environments to provide opportunities and safe spaces for physical activity and healthy eating, free from exhaust emissions tobacco smoke and other pollutants
