To raise awareness about the negative impacts of single-use plastic, environmental advocacy group Protect Our Future is holding a Youth Climate March on 4 Nov.
Noting Cayman’s “huge environmental footprint, much of which comes from consumption of single use plastic”, organisers are partnering with Plastic Free Cayman, Nauti Nomad and students from several schools to raise awareness about single-use plastic and the government’s recommended ban on these items. A formal ban is yet to be implemented in the Cayman Islands as it seems those government discussions have stalled.
“The impacts of single-use plastic on the island, from on beaches and roadsides to the dump, are impossible to ignore”, Protect Our Future said in a press release, adding, “it becomes more obvious each year that the only solution to our plastic pollution problem is by targeting the source of plastic production and shipping to our islands”.
Evie Sweetman, 16, a leader of the student-led Protect Our Future, emphasised the importance of young people getting involved in environmental issues.
“Youth voice is an incredibly important and powerful factor in generating change, big or small, in the community,” she said in the press release.
“Such an outpouring of community support and youth empowerment is an incredible thing to see, and we are hopeful that some real changes will come from this march.”
Both Protect Our Future and Plastic Free Cayman have called for a ban on plastics “similar to what has been seen on other Caribbean islands. This has been discussed in government for some time, and POF is hopeful that soon real change will be made in regards to plastic bans,” organisers said in the release.
The march will begin at 2:45pm, by Dairy Queen on North Church Street and move through George Town, ending outside the Government Administration Building at 4pm.
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