Santo Domingo, D. N. On Sunday April 26, the Embassy of the United States of America through its Green Team hosted for the fifth consecutive year its traditional “Green Fest” to commemorate International Earth Day, whose theme this year was “our time to lead”.
Each year, the Embassy of the United States seeks to raise awareness among the public on the importance of preserving the environment and implementing actions that reduce our impact on the planet, through the Green Fest. The opening remarks were made by the Ambassador of the United States of America James W. Brewster, Environment Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez and Botanical Garden Director Ricardo Garcia.
The Botanical Garden opened its doors to more than 70 exhibitors who displayed their products and initiatives including an organic market, healthy food options, artisan crafts made from recyclable materials, a kid’s corner with activities for younger audience, lectures on recycling and activities for the whole family. It concluded with live music by the rock band Miguel Angel Soul and DJ Poteleche.
During his speech Ambassador Brewster expressed how “a great sensitivity on behalf of citizens, the global market and the non-profit organizations sector in creating and supporting environmental initiatives. According to recent studies, the Dominican Republic is ranked in eight place among those countries considered most vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the world. This is due to natural disasters like the erosion of beaches and coral reefs. So I feel very proud the Embassy of the United States is supporting initiatives in the country that reduce our impact on the environment and promote sustainable principles responsible for saving natural resources. Even our new embassy building supports green practices, as it is designed to achieve energy savings of 35 percent, “said the U.S. diplomat.
In addition, Ambassador Brewster awarded two young followers of the Embassy’s social media photo contest “From our Community for the Planet” with an iPad for first prize winner and one iPod to second place winner.
The Green Team and Its Origin
In order to contribute to the preservation of our habitat, employees of the Embassy of the United States of America in Santo Domingo volunteered in creating the Green Team whose mission is to develop ecological activities that involve the diplomatic community. This effort is part of environmental groups in different embassies worldwide.
Among the goals of the Green Team is to promote and raise awareness in the community on recycling and other environmental efforts made in the country. The Green Team is part of the Green Diplomacy Initiative, which develops and implements policies that reduce the environmental impact of the State Department, empower employees to contribute to efforts that foster favorable working environment and ecological issues around the world.
