Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 06, 2019 (SKNIS): The Heart of St. Kitts Foundation, which was established in 2016, with the mission to contributing to the lasting legacy of the culture and environmental well-being of St. Kitts, is celebrating its third anniversary with a week of activities centered around the “Plastic Free Legacy” that was adopted from the Ministry of Tourism’s “Plastic Free July” initiative.
The week of activities is from February 23 to March 3 and will feature a Beach Cleanup at Hermitage beach in Cayon on February 23, Thanksgiving Service at the Antioch Baptist Church on February 24, Media Tours on February 26, Plastic Free Day on February 26, Socacise on February 28, Port Zante Outreach Initiative on March 01, and St. Mary’s Nature Trail Hike on March 02.
Events Specialist and Heart of St. Kitts Foundation Coordinator, Tishauna Syder-Jenkins, said that the foundation focuses on coastal and marine habitats, preserving local cultural and heritage sites, supporting community driven initiatives, as well as waste management.
“What we want to highlight with the Heart of St. Kitts is our mission to build awareness for sustainable priorities in the island and provide local funding for projects that will make St. Kitts a more sustainable place to live and experience,” she said, while appearing on Working for You on February 6, 2019.
She added that the Socacise activity will focus on raising money specifically for the Spooner’s Cotton Ginnery Project because the foundation will be providing the signage for the grounds.
The “heart” in the Heart of St. Kitts starts with the people of the Federation and it is vital that more sustainable practices are adapted in order to make it a better place not only for the tourists but locals as well, the tourism official said.
“We have to practice what we preach. We cannot expect the visitors to take part in plastic free activities when we are not doing it. We have to be the example for the visitors,” she said.
The Heart of St. Kitts Foundation was developed as a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism and other tourism enterprises to ensure that development on the island continues to preserve and benefit the environment, culture, heritage, and the livelihoods of residents.