Awareness programmes, activities and events for interested persons of all ages are planned as the Territory observes Environment Week 2016.

The Conservation and Fisheries Department will host the activities from June 5, World Environment Day.

Environmental Education Officer Mrs. Cynara Benjamin-Duncan said, “This year we have taken our focus from the entire month of June and squeezed all our various eventsinto just one week. We hope to build good momentum and focus on the environment through various media. We also hope that environment issues become more central and highlighted during this week and that everyone finds someway to get involved.”

Mrs. Benjamin-Duncan said this year’s theme is ‘Join the Race to Make the World a Better Place’ and the department is placing emphasis on the theme through social media and the use of the hash tags ‘#jointherace’ and #jointheracebvi’.

She added that the first activity is anArt Competition,which encourages persons to reuse and recycle trash for art,capture these images and have them uploaded on social media using these hash tags.

She added, “We want people to get into it, to think about the environment, to think differently about waste and its uses, more as a resource instead of a refuse. Our planet is precious and needs to be cared for. There is a sense of urgency to our message that we try our best to convey - everyone needs to join the race!”

Activities for the week also include: a Church Service on June 5, 10:30 a.m. at the Sanctuary of Hope, Virgin Gorda; a Coastal Clean Up on June 8 on Beef Island and an Eco-Walk on June 11 from the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, Beef Island at 5:00 a.m.

Persons are alsoencouraged to tune into the State of the Environment Address made by the Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr. the Honourable Kedrick Pickering and a an educational broadcast of a Sargassum Seaweed Panel Discussion with representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, the Department of Agriculture, the Hotel Industry, the Water and Sewerage Department and the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.