Youth urge Tonga to "Rethink, Recycle" in quest for clean and green environment [1]
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 - 13:00. Updated on Friday, May 9, 2014 - 15:56.
Tonga's Environment Awareness Week held last week, June 5-11, focused on Youth Awareness for a cleaner environment, and also featured the launching of a Home Composting Kit.
Highlight of the week was a float parade on Saturday June 11 when, despite the stormy weather, ten colorful floats from youth groups and non-government organizations took to the streets of Nuku'alofa displaying the theme of a Clean and Green Environment. The youth urged Tonga to "Recycle!", "Rethink," to stop littering and "...Oua Fakaveve!"
The Minister of Forestry, Hon Peauafi Haukinima, said in launching a home composting kit that this was a national development that required individual effort. He believed a clean environment started from home, where about 70 to 80 percent of normal Tongans spend most of their time.
The Home Composting Kit, which was launched on Friday June 10 by Solid Waste Management, contained information on how to make compost, and how to use it in home gardens to create flowers and healthy vegetables.
Hon Haukinima said that economically we could make compost to assist us with our farming and home gardening because about 40 percent of household wastes are decomposable and about 100 percent of all household wastes were discarded.
The float parade marked the ending of the Environment Week.
The first prize of $700 pa...anga went to the ...Amanaki Lelei Youth Group of Ma...ufanga, the second prize of $500 went to Ocean of Light, and the third prize of $300 went to the Tonga Visitors Bureau.
Manutasi Ledger of the Tongatapu Youth Congress, the organiser of the parade said the float parade was part of the Environment Week and all cash prizes were sponsored by the Department of Environment. He said that youth also performed dramas and skits on the theme of a clean and green environment during the award ceremony held at Pangai Si'i.