STUDENTS of Barrett Town All-Age School in Montego Bay, St James, accompanied by members of Sandals’ environmental team, on June 11 led an environmental awareness road march in the second city.

Spearheaded by Sandals Resorts in the Montego Bay region and inspired by the 2014 World Environment Day theme “Raise your voice, not the sea level”, the march symbolised the silent cry of future generations and the urgency needed to address environmental ills as we strive to save planet Earth for our children.

Sandals environment health and safety managers, Hannif Richards and Conrod Harvey — who both assisted in leading the march, noted that such activities and partnerships with organisations, like the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust, were some of the ways in which Sandals resorts continue to exercise their commitment to the environment.

“Maintaining beautiful surroundings and a clean, healthy environment will prove beneficial to all Jamaicans. Furthermore, these are also key elements of our tourism product,” said Richards. “Therefore the protection of the environment cannot be left up to environmentalists alone, all sectors within the society must come together for real results to be seen.”

He further noted that as Jamaica seeks to find sustainable solutions to environmental problems and change the social mindset, children must be engaged at an early age to develop positive attitudes towards the environment.

Richards’ comment came against findings of recent environmental reports from the World Health Organisation, which state that globally, more than three million children under five die each year from environment-related causes and conditions. As a matter of fact, children represent the largest subgroup of the population susceptible to the effects of air pollution while every year 3.4 million people — mainly children — die as a result of preventable water-related diseases worldwide.

Joshua Bailey, outreach officer for the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust, who made a presentation to grade six students at the school moments before the road march began, noted that Jamaica’s major environmental problems include water quality and waste disposal. He was particularly concerned about the amount of solid waste ending up in the island’s water system and the dwindling fish population. During his presentation, he stressed the need for proper solid waste management practices and the creation and protection of fish sanctuaries.

All parties agreed that environmental degradation does not occur in a vacuum.

“It is all interrelated,” said Richards, “and the sooner our children realise how simple actions now can create major problems in the future, the better equipped they will be to create change.”

For Barrett Town All-Age Principal Elerton Blair, activities such as the march can never be too much.

“The Sandals team is doing a good thing by involving the children in discussions about the environment,” he said. “The more we get the word around, the closer we get to mitigating the problems that exist and healing our planet.”

The Environmental Awareness Road March formed part of Environmental Week activities hosted by Sandals Resorts within the Montego Bay region.