Earth Day celebration comes alive with EV motorcade and tree planting

The eDrive Project, an initiative of the JPS Foundation in collaboration with IDB Lab, made sure that Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, was ‘green’ with excitement in Jamaica. To commemorate the day, electric vehicle owners, representatives from business enterprises in the e-mobility space and EV enthusiasts, led by popular media personality Paula-Anne Porter Jones, cruised from Premier Plaza in an EV motorcade to Hope Gardens to plant trees.

Coleen Palmer Wright, eDrive Project lead, noted in a release, “We thought it a great idea to link both the benefits of EVs and planting trees to drive home the message that we must care for our environment so that it can continue to care for us. One of the largest sources of air pollution is transportation. Emissions from cars and trucks are not only bad for our planet, but they’re also bad for our health. Air pollutants from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles cause asthma, bronchitis, cancer, and premature death. Increasing the use of EVs is a great green alternative for transportation. Trees help improve air and water quality, help capture carbon dioxide and provide ecosystems for local wildlife and much more.” The eDrive project’s primary aim is to create an enabling environment for a sustainable electric mobility ecosystem. The Project’s two-in-one effort to celebrate Earth Day, therefore, reiterates the significant benefits of reducing CO2 emissions.

“When we reached out to Hope Botanical Gardens, they unhesitatingly joined hands with us. We all know and love Hope Botanical Gardens, as it is the largest public green space in the Kingston metropolitan region and is home to Jamaica’s most popular collection of endemic and exotic botanical collections. We wanted to support Hope Garden’s efforts to replenish Palm Drive, the driveway from the main gate of Hope Gardens, with more palm trees,” Palmer Wright further outlined.

Demonstrating a shared vision of lowering emissions in Jamaica and a commitment to help solve the global climate crisis, the tree planting exercise was supported by Flash Motors, Stewart’s Motors, ATL Motors, used car dealers JETCON, EVERGO Jamaica, Plug-In Jamaica, The Electric Vehicle Association of Jamaica, all of which had EVs in the motorcade.

The convoy of EVs, with various brands on display such as the BYD Yuan Plus, BYD Han, Nissan Leaf, Audi Etron, iBMW, Hyundai Kona and Tesla, saw many commuters along the roadways, stopping to take photographs, fascinated by the versatility of the EV models.

At Hope Gardens, the EV drivers and enthusiasts put their planting skills to work. Participating were the CEO of EVERGO Jamaica, Wayne McKenzie, Andrew Jackson of JETCON, ATL Motors’ Ariella Oliver, and Tamara Harding, Flash Motors’ ambassador.