fp Turks and Caicos

The Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association is gearing up for its annual Earth Day clean-up dubbed TCI Shines, and your help is needed.

On Saturday, April 21, starting at 6:30 a.m., anyone who cares about our environment is being asked to come out and help clean up our island. The event will begin at the Bight Children’s Park at 6:30 a.m., with clean-up crews returning at 9:30 a.m. for light refreshments.

Each year the organization of various hotels, restaurants and tour operators join forces with members of the community to collect debris from around the island of Providenciales in an effort to help make the country shine and to educate and inspire residents to keep our environment clean. Previous successful events have seen hundreds of bags of garbage removed from the environment.

Anyone interested is asked to assemble at the Children’s Park in the Bight at 6:30 a.m. From there the different teams will caravan to assigned zones to begin clean-up.

Volunteers should wear comfortable shoes (tennis shoes recommended, no sandals) cap/bandana, sunglasses, sunscreen and loose clothing.

If you cannot meet the volunteers, you can still participate in the event by simply taking the time to clean around your home, streets, business or your favorite beach.

For zone information, contact the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association at 941-5787 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Do your part everyday!

Caring about our environment should be a daily routine. Try incorporating some of these easy enviro-friendly tips in your daily habits:

• Re-use bags: Stock up on re-usable bags. They are affordable and go a long way. Keep a stash in your car and office. If you forget your re-usables, make sure you minimize your use of plastic bags and pack as many items as possible in each bag.
• Replace Disposables: Wherever possible, replace disposable products with reusable ones such as your razor, food storage containers, batteries, ink cartridges, coffee filters and air conditioner filters.
• Borrow/share with friends: Share things like books, magazines, movies, games and newspapers between friends and neighbors. If you only need something temporarily, ask if a friend or neighbor would loan it to you.
• Mug-to-go: Carry a mug with you wherever you go for take out beverages.
• Grow a garden: Try your green thumb at growing some vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes, basil and onion. Not only will you be eating healthy organic stock but also minimize transport emissions.