Earth Today | TNC Caribbean launches regional wastewater campaign

THE NATURE Conservancy (TNC) has launched a regional wastewater awareness campaign with a February 19 virtual event on Zoom, held under the theme ‘Protect our Water, Protect our Future’.

Aria St Louis, head of Environment Division of the Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy in Grenada, delivered the feature address on behalf of Kerryne James, minister of climate on Wednesday, February 19 on ‘Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy’.

Other speakers included TNC Caribbean Executive Director, Dr Rob Brumbaugh; TNC Caribbean Coral Conservation Programme Manager, Dr Elizabeth Shaver; and performance by Jamaican performer and environmental educator, Jean Brown.

The TNC Caribbean wastewater campaign is being implemented in three Caribbean countries, namely Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Grenada where studies were conducted that highlighted both the challenges and opportunities for improving wastewater management.

Dr Elizabeth Shaver, Caribbean wastewater project manager, noted TNC’s findings from communities in the three countries that participated in a knowledge, attitudes and perceptions survey.

“People felt like it was up to everyone – the government, private sector, and their own communities – to reduce contributions to this problem,” she revealed.

“Interestingly, we found that there was both a societal interest and a lot of opportunities for nature-based solutions. Things like constructed wetlands can be key tools in wastewater management,” Shaver added.

Aria St Louis, representing Grenada’s Minister of Environment Kerryne James, said “Wastewater management includes the setup of a regulatory framework, including guidelines and regulations, and also monitoring along with the use of innovative engineering and technologies”.

“These actions go hand in hand with public engagement and public awareness and form essential parts of tackling wastewater management for healthy oceans,” St Louis added.

As part of the launch, TNC unveiled a new animated video in both English and Spanish titled ‘Wata Flow’, which is the centrepiece of the campaign aimed at increasing public awareness of wastewater pollution and the solutions available.

The campaign combines communications, education, and capacity-building efforts across the three target countries to promote awareness and action at all levels.