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19th May, 2024
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Scotiabank United Way National Day of Caring 2024
A large-scale environmental action event that united corporate volunteers, community members, and environmental advocates in hands-on sustainability initiatives. NDOC 2024 focused on waste transformation, reforestation, and regenerative agriculture, while promoting circular economy principles.
The National Day of Caring (NDOC) 2024 was an event that took place under IAMovement’s Close The Loop Scotiabank Initiative, bringing together corporate volunteers, community members, and environmental advocates to take action towards building a circular economy in Trinidad & Tobago. This initiative was a strategic collaboration between IAMovement and Scotiabank, marking a pivotal step in waste transformation, sustainable agriculture, and environmental restoration. The National Day of Caring 2024 aimed to drive impactful environmental change by unveiling the region’s largest future commercial and industrial-scale composting facility at the Orange Grove agricultural estate in Tacarigua, Trinidad. A key focus was diverting organic waste from landfills to mitigate methane emissions, landfill fires, and water contamination. Additionally, the initiative prioritized large-scale tree planting and Vetiver System (VS) installations to enhance biodiversity and restore degraded lands. Community engagement played a crucial role, with corporate volunteers and local participants receiving education on circular economy principles and sustainable land-use practices.
To ensure maximum engagement, five interactive activity stations were set up:
- Tree Planting – Volunteers planted 150 native fruit and hardwood trees to improve air quality, mitigate climate change, and enhance biodiversity.
- Seedling Preparation – Over 1,000 trees were potted for future land restoration efforts, with a focus on recycling plastic bottles as plant containers.
- Vetiver Installation – Participants learned about the role of vetiver in sustainable land management and helped install 1,000 vetiver slips to combat soil erosion.
- Vetiver Nursery – A dedicated nursery was created, ensuring a steady supply of vetiver plants for future environmental projects.
- Composting – Participants engaged in hands-on composting activities and explored the industrial-scale composting process, gaining insights into organic waste management.
Public workshops and training sessions provided volunteers with knowledge on sustainable practices and circular economy principles. Hundreds of Scotiabank employees actively participated in restoration efforts, reinforcing corporate social responsibility in environmental conservation. Additionally, strong partnerships with local organizations helped lay the groundwork for long-term sustainability and community-led conservation projects, marking the beginning of a movement toward ecological restoration.
With the support of Scotiabank and over 750 participants, the National Day of Caring 2024 at the Close The Loop site resulted in significant environmental contributions:
- 150 fruit trees were planted across the site, and 1,000 saplings were propagated for reforestation
- 50,000 vetiver plants expected to culminate out of the vetiver nursery
- 200 gallons of solid compost is expected to generate 10,000 gallons of liquid extract, which will be used to fertilize 20 acres of land
- 14,000 pieces of single-use plastics were prevented from reaching the nation’s landfills, thanks to Hello Green and Hydrastation
- 10 bags of garbage were collected: 5 compostable waste, 4 general waste, and 1 bag of plastic
The impact of this initiative will continue to be felt for years to come. The systems and infrastructure put in place will not only help divert waste from landfills but will also create greener spaces, restore ecosystems, and support climate adaptation and preparedness. These efforts will generate opportunities for green jobs, empower local communities, and inspire future generations to embrace sustainable practices. IAMovement and its partners remain committed to building on this momentum, proving that when people come together with a shared vision, waste can be transformed into a resource, and sustainability can become a way of life.
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