Chamber of Commerce Earth Day Cleanup attracts more than 2,200 volunteers

More than 2,200 volunteers in over 100 teams put gloves, hats, and sunscreen and comfortable shoes to collect tons of garbage from Cayman’s beaches, roadsides, and parks for the Chamber’s Annual Earth Day Cleanup on Saturday 22 April.

The Chamber’s Cayman CLEAN programme organises the event every year, with the help of generous sponsors who provide all the trash bags, gloves, T-shirts and tote bags. It’s the biggest voluntary clean-up, and whole families like to join in, having fun while they keep Cayman beautiful. Outstanding Chamber member businesses and the wider community embraced the Earth Day theme, ‘’Conserve our coral reefs’’ by removing unsightly litter and debris. Litter on land can easily find its way into the sea, endangering aquatic wildlife like turtles and fish.

Chamber President Nelson Dilbert said, “The Chamber has been organizing this island-wide clean-up for more than 20 years. Its great because it brings the community together in keep our community clean and litter free. Trash is an eyesore, and we are a tourist destination, and our wildlife is very important to us, so allowing our beautiful islands to stay beautiful is one of the most important things that we do.”

‘’Keeping our islands clean and green is everyone’s responsibility,’ said Chamber CEO Wil Pineau. ‘’We are encouraging all residents who care about the environment and want to make a difference in their communities to take a few hours of their time to remove litter from our streets and communities”.

Minister for Tourism and Ports, the Hon. Kenneth Bryan, congratulated the Chamber of Commerce saying, “I wholeheartedly support the Chamber in its continuing efforts to keep Cayman clean, but I want to encourage the public to remain vigilant beyond Earth Day activities. We must continue monitoring our neighbourhoods and communities in order to maintain a clean and healthy surrounding for all to enjoy. Eliminating the litter culture can only happen when the entire country comes together and takes accountability for our environment.”

Intertrust Group’s Jamie Sauvage said, “It’s my first time doing the cleanup and I thought it was s well organized. It’s nice to get together with a group of colleagues and clean up the beach area. We chose to pick up just north of the Kimpton, around a carpark area that seems to get neglected.”

Karen Ebanks, Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications for Cayman National said, “Cayman National was one of this year’s lead sponsors for the annual Chamber of Commerce Earth Day Clean-Up. With a team of 15 employees and Janet Hislop, CEO, joining the campaign to remove litter from beaches and roadsides, Cayman National is investing time and resources in helping to preserve Cayman’s natural environment.”

This year’s Cleanup is supported by the following corporate partners: 

Major sponsors: Cayman National, Intertrust Group

Event sponsor: RBC and Ministry of Tourism and Ports

Promotional sponsor: Digicel and Pestkil Ltd. 

Tote bag sponsors: Rawlinson & hunter. Cayman Water. Aquilae consulting NCB Cayman Limited, Fosters, Walkers Cayman KPMG Water Authority and Rotary Club of Grand Cayman 

T-shirt Sponsors: Carey Olsen, Marsh, CUC, Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Centre, Public Service Pension Board. Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company, Ampersand life assurance Company. CG Britcay, Cost U Less. Nassau Re. Dart, Mourant Ozannes, Tomlinson Furniture, Creative Tech, Cayman Beautification Committee, Logic Rotary Central. 

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) collected the trash and recycling bags throughout the Cayman Islands.

The Chamber and Cayman CLEAN has organized this annual community cleanup along with corporate and community partners for 25 years. It is also an opportunity for sharing educational information about sustainable environmental and business practices. The Chamber is also sharing tips for reducing your carbon footprint and preserving and protecting marine and natural environments by reducing, reusing, and recycling.