Hagen-Portmore Climate Change Park unveiled

Sheldon Williams, Gleaner Writer

Beautification and clearing work was carried out at the site earmarked for the Hagen-Portmore Climate Change Park in the Portmore municipality yesterday, as part of the national Labour Day activities.

The future home for the park is now a large open lot covered with dirt and shrubbery.

Volunteers from various groups and organisations, and residents were out in numbers from as early as 8 a.m., giving a helping hand to the initiative, which they believe will be beneficial to Portmore and the wider nation.

Benches and solar lights were installed, while they planted 125 trees, including blue mahoe, lignum vitae and pink poui. The area was also levelled and cleared.

Dahlia Harris, chair of the National Labour Day Committee and principal director of culture in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, explained that the park would be developed as part of a four-year project aimed at raising awareness about climate change.

"There are a number of initiatives that are happening, and the park is just one of them.The Portmore municipality and Hagen in Germany are in partnership.The city of Hagen, through the German Embassy here, will fund it. The hope is that they will put in walking trails, an amphitheatre, a climate-change observatory, and there will be an area to showcase the indigenous animals of Portmore," she explained.

Clover Moore, manager, public relations and corporate affairs at the Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) which had a team present, explained that it was fitting for the company to participate because of the proximity of its Portmore branch to the location.

"I was talking to Dahlia and she mentioned that there would a project here, and VMBS is right there. It's in our backyard, so it's only fitting for us to support it."