DIGICEL’S Earth Day event was five days late, but the telecoms firm simply would not allow the occasion to go unmarked.

And so on Wednesday, the telecommunications giant hosted its first big ‘green’ initiative for the year — a farmers’ market, sited on the grounds of its New Kingston head office, mainly for the benefit of its employees.

“Aligned with Earth Day’s theme this year, ‘A billion acts of green’, we decided to host a farmers’ market for our staff as our act of green. As you can see, our neighbours (employees from companies in the vicinity) have also made the decision to partake,” Donovan Betancourt, one of the brains behind the event, told Career & Education.

He added that they had opted to host the farmers’ market on Wednesday instead of Earth Day, which fell on Good Friday this year, because only a limited number of employees were present during the holiday break.

“We couldn’t do it on Earth Day (April 22)… Today was the best day,” said the man who is also Digicel’s head of facilities and emergency management.

Meanwhile, the turnout was so good that before noon on Wednesday, the provisions on offer had to be replenished. Among those helping themselves to the offerings was Digicel’s chief executive officer Mark Linehan.

Excited at the turnout to the farmer’s market, he lauded Betancourt for his effort in making it a successful ‘green’ effort.

“We are celebrating Earth Day in a different and unique way. Not only are we doing an act of ‘green’, but we have brought ground provisions for our staff, which is good for their health,” Linehan said during a short break from his shopping.

Others at the market also had high praise for the market.

“It’s hard to find time to go downtown. I can’t really say if the prices were lower here, but it was a great initiative,” Peta-Gae Soltau, a Pan Caribbean employee, told Career & Education, her Digicel-branded reusable shopping bag in hand.

Her sentiments were echoed by another visitor to the market Louise Green.

“I wouldn’t say there was a big difference in the prices here than elsewhere, but with some of the things, there was a reduced cost of (up to) $10,” said the woman, who was joined by a friend in making purchases.

Digicel, in the interim, placed recycling bins — with their green slogan ‘One Earth, One Vision’ — at strategic points in the market. The company also mounted an image of the ground plan for their ‘green’ building to be erected near the Waterfront in downtown Kingston.