Student calls for clean-up initiative

SAINT Joseph’s Secondary School student Latina Fatiaki has called on Government to introduce an initiative that will compel all citizens to engage in an ongoing nationwide clean-up campaign. The Year 11 student said random clean-up campaigns — including the ones organised for Environment Week and World Oceans Day — had a little impact on the environmental problems caused by indiscriminate littering.

She was among a group of SJSS students who participated in the World Oceans Day celebration at Albert Park in Suva yesterday.

“One day a month should be set aside for cleaning where people are assigned areas to clean depending on where they live,” she said.

“We are a small island nation, but we cause so much harm to our oceans through human activities, especially the careless dumping of rubbish.”

The 16-year-old of Motusa, Rotuma, also called for the inclusion of rural schools, and rural and informal communities in events to do with the environment.