No ease in garbage

Environmentalist wants Government to do more on policy implementation

A youth advocate on the environment is concerned that Barbadians are still using too much plastic in their daily lives.

In fact, Ashley Lashley, the executive director of the eco-foundation which bears her name, is suggesting that Government be more hands-on in implementing policies relating to the environment.

“I have not seen an improvement when it comes to the amount of litter and garbage seen across Barbados. Two weeks ago my foundation assisted a young environmentalist- Maria Marshall- in a beach clean up in the Oistins area. The amount of garbage we saw in the area and on our beaches was very daunting for us because as young environmentalists, we’re working every day to ensure that our beaches and our oceans are protected.

“We saw lots of plastic and lots of pollution. We know that Government introduced the single-use plastic ban a few years ago but we are still seeing vast amounts of plastic. This suggests that more can be done in this regard. I believe that far more needs to be done from a policy level to really ensure that when it comes to addressing the use of plastic that each and every Barbadian understands that they have a major role to play,” she told the media on the sidelines of the Barbados Youth Climate Action Summit at the Hilton Barbados Resort in Needham’s Point, St Michael.

Lashley said that despite various environmental campaigns to bring awareness to protecting the island’s natural resources, many Barbadians did not seem to understand or care about why this is important.

Government, she added, may have to go a step further in regulating how plastics are used.

“I find that we often advocate for these varying policy changes but when it comes to the implementation capacity, Barbados is lacking. We have an implementation deficit. I really believe that far more needs to be done from a policy level to ensure that Barbadians understand the importance of protecting our beaches and protecting our environment.”

The young environmentalist noted that all Barbadians must take the necessary action in the spirit of World Environment Day.

“There is this saying that sustainable development cannot be achieved without resilience and implementation capacity. At the end of the day when it comes to environmental protection, it starts from each and every one of us,” she said.

During the summit, hosted by the Ashley Lashley Foundation in partnership with Aquasure Barbados, a number of organisations and individuals received awards for their contributions to environmental protection over the years.

Eleven-year-old Layla Licorish was recognised as one of the youngest environmental activists in Barbados and Travis Gardiner received an award for marine conservation and preservation.

Non-governmental organisations such as The Barbados Sea Turtle Project, Barbados Blue and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network were also recognised. (SZB)