[Fwd: First regional workshop on culture and environment opens in Jamaica]

Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 08:20:42 -0400
From: "Webmaster CCA" <webmaster@ccanet.net>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kingston, Jamaica, July 15, 2002 - The first of two regional workshops
on
Culture and the environment opens in Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday July
17,
2002.

The workshop entitled "An Interface of Environmental Professionals with
Culture Producers" is part of a programme by the Caribbean Regional
Environmental Programme (CREP), a department of the Caribbean
Conservation
Association (CCA), to promote environmental awareness in the Caribbean
using
the popular medium of culture.

Manager of CREP, Cathal (PRONOUNCED CAH-HALL) Healy-Singh, says that
culture
is undoubtedly one of the most persuasive media today and was an
excellent
tool to spread the message of the importance of the environment to
Caribbean
economies and livelihoods.

"Caribbean cultural expressions are world renowned. At home singers,
song
writers, 'mas' makers and calypsonians can command public behavior. We
have
decided to utilize 'culture producers' to infuse ideas of conservation,
sustainability, pollution control, and overall survival into the 'word'
on
the street. So, instead of 'jump and wave' we might hear 'jump and
save',"
he explained.

The three-day work has brought together a list of high profile names in
culture and the environment who will brainstorm and devise a strategy
for
this Regional Environmental Awareness (REA) component of CREP. Another
workshop will follow in Trinidad and Tobago next week for people in the
southern Caribbean. From these two workshops, an overall strategy will
be
devised and implemented next year.

CREP will be providing financial assistance to cultural practitioners to
produce enviro-cultural products for release next year up to a total of
about US $500 000.

The Jamaica workshop is attracting participants from Jamaica, Antigua,
St
Lucia, the Bahamas, Belize, St Kitts, Dominica, and Barbados.

Executive Director of Jamaica's National Environmental and Planning
Agency,
Mr Franklin McDonald will officially open the workshop which starts at
9:00
am at the Jamaica Conference Centre.

(ENDS)

============================================================

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND/OR INTERVIEWS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Dr Joth Singh, Executive Director, CCA
Cathal Healy-Singh, Manager, CREP
Yuri Chakalall, Technical Officer, CREP

at Hotel Four Seasons, Ruthven Road, Kingston, Tel: (876) 876-8805

or

Terry Ally, Information Officer, Barbados - Tel: (246) 427-2520, email
terryally@ccanet.net

============================================================

GENERAL NOTE:
1. The Caribbean Conservation Association is the pioneer regional
organization in environmental conservation. For over 35 years we have
initiated, advocated, and advised on environmentally sound activities in
the
Caribbean. We hold the widest geographic membership base of any regional
organization covering 80 per cent of the countries in the wider
Caribbean,
encompassing four languages, 17 Governments, 80 environmental NGOs, and
over
130 individual and student members in the English-, Dutch-, Spanish-,
and
French-speaking Caribbean.
2. CREP is a programme of the Caribbean Conservation Association. It is
a
four-year Euro 9.1 (approximately US$7.8 million) project funded by the
European Union. Its job is to strengthen regional cooperation, build
greater
awareness of environmental issues, and advocate for and demonstrate
sustainable management of regional environmental resources in the
Caribbean
Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific states, which is referred to as
CARIFOUM.
3. There are 15 CARIFORUM member states but only 13 are included in
CREP's
project: Haiti and the Dominican Republic are being serviced under
another
project.
4. The 13 CARIFOUM members benefiting from CREP's work are: Antigua &
Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Dominica, Jamaica,
Trinidad & Tobago, St Vincent & the Grenadines, St Kitts & Nevis, St
Lucia,
and Suriname.
5. The principal activities of CREP are:
. To develop and strengthen Regional environmental information networks;
. To promote Regional education and awareness of environmental issues;
. To build the capacity of Regional non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) to
implement CREP components and to develop a Regional Platform for
cooperation
on environmental issues; and,
. To establish "sustainable living demonstration sites" at selected
amenity
areas. These are areas that are recognised as having significant
ecological
and economic value. This activity is mandated to demonstrate how
improved
stewardship over natural resource management can lead to an improved
income
and quality of life for resident communities
Received on Tue Jul 16 10:51:05 2002