Roadtown, Tortola - The third annual Parade for the Planet and the Growing Green Fair is set for this Wednesday, June 10 as part of Territory-wide celebrations to mark Environment Month.

Adhering to this year’s theme, Your Planet Needs You! Unite to Combat Climate Change, the Conservation and Fisheries Department has joined forces with other Government departments, primary schools and civic groups for this year’s Parade for the Planet and Growing Green Fair.

Environmental Education Officer at the Conservation and Fisheries Department Ms. Lynda Varlack explained the long term objectives of the partnership.

“We are uniting with the community, we are uniting with government agencies, we are uniting with civic minded service groups and environmental advocates to help bring more awareness, attention and unity to the whole question of global warming and climate change.  In so doing we are also joining hands and making a commitment to a long term relationship meant to have long term repercussions and some good activities coming out as long term initiatives,” Ms. Varlack said.

The parade line up starts at 3 p.m. at the Wickhams Cay Festival grounds for a 3:30 p.m. start.  The designated parade route is from the festival grounds onto the James Walter Francis Drive to Waterfront Drive, turning left on Admin Drive and ends at the Noel Lloyd/ Positive Action Movement Park.

The Willard Wheatley, Alexandrina Maduro and Enid Scatliffe Primary and Pre-Primary Schools, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Band, the Solid Waste Department, the B.V.I. Fishing Complex, the Advent Heart Beats, and the B.V.I Diabetes Association are among some participants in this year’s parade.

Immediately after the parade, the Growing Green Fair will commence at the park where displays will showcase green alternatives.

“It will hopefully share a lot of information that people did not know already about the environment and where they can go to find what they are looking for whether it is household cleaners, safe septic systems, alternative energy systems or ways to build a greener safer way for the environment,” Ms. Varlack said.

On display will be exhibitions from Road Town Wholesale Trading Limited and their green works line of products, Bio Safe Treatment and Septic Solutions, Shabazz Juices, Nature’s Way, OBM International, science projects from the BVI science fair and entries from Callaloo Poets.  Children can also get their faces painted with animals or nature type illustrations.

Both the arade for the Planet and the Growing Green Fair provide an opportunity to partner with the local community by bringing persons from all sectors of the society together to participate in the events, while marking the importance of the environment.

Environment Month continues with a Sunrise Service on June 14 at the western end of the Brandywine Bay Beach at 5 a.m., an Apprentice for the Day programme to run from June 22-26 and the grand finale, the Fisherman’s Day Celebration to be held on July 3 at the Long Bay Beach, Beef Island.

Persons or groups interested in learning more about Environment Month and its activities may visit the Conservation and Fisheries Department website at www.bvidef.org or telephone 494-3701 ext. 5555.