By Darraine Luton—
Disappointed by the way people have been treating the environment, legendary reggae band, Third World, is lending its voice to the cause of proper solid waste disposal.
The group, through the Alligator Head Foundation, is seeking to help keep Jamaica’s oceans clean and vibrant. The aim is to prevent over fishing and to dissuade people from disposing styrofoam and plastics in such a way that they would end up in the sea.
“They are not biodegradable, so if we don’t manage it properly, you will find that we will have more plastic bottles in the ocean than fish in 20 years’ time,” Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore, a foundation member of the band told The Sunday Gleaner.
Coore noted that the band has consistently advocated for the preservation of the environment, particularly as it relates to the sea.
“People must get engaged in thinking about the future and thinking about their country. When I look at Kingston Harbor after it rains and see the amount of plastic bottles in it, it does not make me feel good as a Jamaican. There is no patriotism there from my standpoint. The patriotism is when people resist and desist from making that easy,” Coore said.
He told The Sunday Gleaner, that recycling, especially plastics, is the way to go. He said too that Third World is expected to carry the Alligator Head Foundation’s message through music. That message, he contends, is conveyed in the single, Melt With Everyone, as well as the band’s latest single, Eyes Are Up On You.
“We feed off the ocean, not just fish, but things like seaweed for tablets. The ocean really gives us a lot, so we want to do what we can musically, to give back,” Coore said.
Tony ‘Ruption’ Williams, feels that it is important that schools place greater emphasis on proper solid waste disposal.
“There has to be a more conscious effort, because I don’t think people get it,” said the drummer, while bemoaning the fact that people still throw garbage from their car windows and leave their waste at the beach.
BE CAREFUL
In Eyes Are Up On You, which is produced by Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley, Third World urges people to be careful, as their actions are under constant scrutiny. Although the song is not necessarily linked to the environment, Coore says it is important for persons to be constantly careful with their actions.
In June, the band performed at the first ever United Nations Oceans Conference in New York. The conference, which was called for by the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), finds solutions to various environmental problems before it’s too late.
Come next month, on October 10, which is World Charity Day, Third World will join scores of entertainers around the world, who will be using their talents to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment.
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