Providenciales, 05 June 2023 - On May 30th, the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR), celebrated the launch of their ‘Greening Our Schools’ programme at the Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex. Student champions, responsible for ensuring the success of Greening Our Schools within their respective schools and their teachers, were invited to the event for an official introduction to the programme.
Students and teachers were introduced to the programme, its objectives and the significance of the themes the programme promotes namely, water and electricity conservation, biodiversity and waste management; and were treated to an informative delivery by the keynote speaker, Ms. Oshin Whyte – TCI's first female dive master and Executive Officer and Environment Policy Lead within the Governor’s Office.
Greetings were brought by Director of Youth - Mrs. Jasmine Thomas, Director of DECR – Mrs. Lormeka Williams, Director of Education – Mr. Edgar Howell and the Minister of Education, Hon. Rachel Taylor. All expressed how partnership and collaboration among various departments and private sectors are essential for the success of this programme.
A panel discussion, led by Ms. Elisann Delancy, Curriculum Development Officer and project co-lead, saw contributions from panelists and fellow activists of climate change Jeffrey Nicolas (Rotaract), Kneshia Clarke-Forbes (Provo Water Company), Nichoy Bent (Turks and Caicos National Trust), Rachell Salao Roullet (Fortis TCI) and Katharine Hart (Deep Blue Charters’ Marine Biologist).
Students also had the opportunity to speak with professionals in the energy, water, environmental and waste management sectors, to get ideas and fuel curiosity as to how to tackle greening their schools.
The Greening Our Schools programme, set to start in September 2023, aims to develop energy and environmentally literate citizens through service projects, leadership, and activism and to make environmental awareness and action an intrinsic part of the life and ethos of a school. It encompasses four major themes: Waste Management, Electricity Conservation, Water Conservation and Biodiversity. Schools are expected to select one theme and create environmentally friendly solutions that address issues in their schools or the wider community.
Schools can be awarded a "Green Flag' which signifies a ‘green school’, and the coveted prize, the 'Green Ribbon', given to the school with outstanding performance-enhancing sustainability practices among all schools with Green Flag status.
The Department of Education and the DECR would like to thank all our sponsors, Fortis TCI, Provo Water Company, Telecommunication Commission and the Youth Department.
To register your school for the programme before June 30th 2023, reach out to programme leads from the DOE, Ms Elisann Delancy (
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