Environmental conference set for June 26-28

by Krystal Paco

Guam - Dozens of environmental specialists from around the Pacific are set to meet this week. "It's a really great conference because it includes a lot of really invigorating speakers who help us create a vision for what the environment could look like and this conference also gives managers a chance to talk to each other and see what is working in other islands and what we can incorporate here in Guam. Also, to showcase some of Guam's success stories with the environment," said Tammy Jo Anderson Taft.  

It's about learning from each other. After all, according to Taft, the Guam Environmental Protection Agency's spokesperson, as island nations, we're faced with similar environmental dilemmas. She explained, "One of the biggest things we'll be talking about is waste and how to handle waste and with all islands you're dealing with a limited amount of space and we're all dealing with waste that doesn't biodegrade. Another topic is drinking water because that's a real concern for a lot of island nations that are dealing with climate change. Guam is really lucky that we have a large freshwater lens and other island nations don't have that so this kind of conference really brings together different perspectives on kind of some of the same issues."

The conference will also display some of Guam's success stories. Taft says locally, we're making great progress with environmental conservation, including efforts with the i-Recycle Program, the bottle bill, and Mission: Zero Bags, which seeks to limit the number of plastic bags that make it into the landfill.

She said, "We really encourage if you're a teacher that's out of school and interested in learning more about the environment this is a really good conference to attend. If you work for an environmental company or a non-profit and this is of interest to you we'd also recommend that you attend."

The conference runs from June 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency Guam. Register online at epa.guam.gov. A $40 registration fee includes lunch for all three days.

For more information, call the Guam EPA at 300-4751.