March 2010

Plant a tree
Published: 20 Mar 2010

In an effort to remind communities of the importance of forests and the benefits they receive from them, March 21 is set aside internationally to celebrate World Forestry Day. This concept originated at the 23rd General Assembly of the European Confederation of Agriculture in 1971, and since then, countries around the world have set up programmes and policies aimed at the sustainable management of forest resources to provide for their social, economic, ecological and cultural needs. In observing World Forestry Day today, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) would like to encourage the people of Trinidad and Tobago to take time to appreciate the value of our forest resources. Historically, forests have played important social and cultural roles in the lives of many people, especially those of indigenous communities.

Dear Editor,

WASA general manager, communications, Ellen Lewis reportedly said on Monday March 15th: ’In the context of seeking to ensure the security of the country’s water supplies there are companies, particularly in the bottled water industry that may have wells which WASA may consider it necessary at this time to suspend the production from, in order to protect the aquifers.’

In a separate tv interview with a major water distributor this week, its CEO boasted that 'when surface water supply is short like now, due to the dry season, there is no shortfall of water down there (in the water aquifer). Whatever you experience on top, we do not feel the effects in our wells until six months later. When the effects of this dry season is felt, we simply drill our wells deeper and get the water ".

Published: 18 Mar 2010

Troy Hadeed got tired of the smoke emanating from the use of diesel. Hadeed, 30, who already owns a successful and environmentally-conscious business: Mystic Hemp, selling clothes and other products made of organic ingredients like hemp, has converted his SsangYong Musso pick-up truck’s diesel engine to run on a dual tank—one for diesel, one for vegetable oil. Painted boldly on the left fender are the words: “Powered by waste vegetable oil.” For the last five months, Hadeed has been driving around in his truck fuelled by used vegetable oils he collects from popcorn fryers at MovieTowne and Spalkers restaurant in Cascade. Carlton Savannah hotel in St Ann’s is soon to come on board.

Clément Imbert
Saturday, March 13th 2010

In a previous article, I referred to the change in use of the term ’wrought iron’, which was originally the name of a material but over time, came to refer to certain products which were at one time made with this material but have for some time been made with other materials.

There is, therefore, the curious situation of aluminium wrought-iron products. Another hold-over name from historical technological origin is the ’tin can’. It is popularly called a ’tin’ or a ’can’ (depending on whether one uses the British or American term), which we all know as an air-tight container made from thin, metal sheets for packaging goods such as food, beverages, paint and other consumables, with which we are all familiar.