- Alfred Fornah
SIERRA LEONE BEATING PLASTIC POLLUTION ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
Environmental champions took part a big beach clean up at Lumley Beach to beat plastic pollution today on World Environment Day in Sierra Leone. Volunteers from Society 4 Climate Change Communications, Sierra Leone School Green Club, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, Friends of Nature, Young African Leaders Initiatives Network and the Artisanal Fisherman's Union pooled resources to spend the day cleaning up this beautiful beach.
Speaking afterwards Alhassan Sesay of the School Green Club said:
“Today was all about how working together we can beat plastic pollution in Sierra Leone and how innovative volunteerism can deliver environmental and climate action and the sustainable development goals.”
Imagine how beautiful our beaches will be if we all do our bit – reduce, reuse and recycle - to keep them clean and plastic free. Youth coming together to take care of our environment is a great way to enhance Sierra Leone’s natural capital and give tourism a boost.
A REGENT MEMORIAL PARK FOR MUDSLIDE VICTIMS?
Another world environment day event taking place in Sierra Leone today, saw trees planted at Regent at the site of last year’s tragic mudslide.
We are a young nation and we can write our own story and make our own history. So today on World Environment Day we make an open call for the Government to designate this site at Regent a protected Memorial Park to honour and commemorate the too many victims of last August 14th's mudslide and floods. A rewilded Memorial Park where survivors and relatives and all of us can come to remember our brother and sisters and our nation's loss.
Although Regent was home to many this place was not a safe place to build in the first place, before the mudslide and to consider building there again surely invites disaster? A strong early signal is needed that the new administration’s most important stated priority - the environment - is truly at the heart of our nation's new direction.
A Memorial Park would be a most fitting remembrance for the many souls that rest at Regent still. Let us to make our own history and publically commemorate the many lives lost that tragic day last August so that we can remember for all time the lessons from this national tragedy.
