Opening Remarks by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Hon. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Pose Salesa Schuster for National Environment Campaign, Website and Drilling Rig Launching – 12 April 2024
Heads and Representatives of the Government Ministries, Corporations, NGO’s, Members of the Diplomatic Corp, and Development Partners of the Ministry.
I am honoured to be here today as we mark a significant step forward in launching our National Environment Campaign, the newly designed website and our drilling rig.
Samoa is our beautiful Pacific Island country. We take great pride in our land and culture but this ever-changing world is destroying our home – our paradise. It’s time to take responsibility in protecting and safeguarding our environment. We created the Samoa CARES to educate our people about better environmental practices. The Samoa CARES Campaign is the acronym for Climate Adaptation, Resilience and Enhancement of Samoa.
Samoa CARES includes two main components. One is a media campaign explaining behaviours and how to change attitudes and actions. The next portion is a joint venture with the Peace Corps teacher volunteer program that incorporates environmental education into local schools.
Our primary focus during the initial phase is to STOP LITTERING. Addressing the problem of littering requires proactive solutions that promote responsible behavior and effective waste management. Samoa CARES provide relevant knowledge about the environmental costs of littering, addresses some of the major problems and provides solution. We will air approximately 30 educational talk shows about the damaging effects of burning and littering, how to recycle, reuse and repurpose, plus experts in the solar energy and wind industry. In addition, we have a TV and radio media campaign planned to air over 500 commercials and a billboard at the Apia bus station.
Communication to Samoa’s youth may be the most important target audience in years to come. They will be the politicians, government employees at MNRE, media, academia – every member of society. Teaching them about climate change and the environment will create a lifelong knowledge of best practices. They key is to educate all Samoans on how littering is dangerous for them, their family, and destroys precious resources.
Children don’t have a long history of “bad habits” so with hands on education they may be the best stewards of a cleaner, healthier Samoa. The Peace Corps teacher program allows volunteers to create monthly activities such as taking the students out into the environment to learn about animals and rivers or create trash and recycle contests. MNRE has allocated funds to provide prizes or support for educational material.
The message behind Samoa CARES is simply littering is bad and there are ways to stop it. But everyone needs to do their part.
“We do it because we care.”
MNRE is also proud to announce the launch of our newly re-designed website. We are a large group with many services and put great effort into organizing the content. Our mission is to make the brand new website more personalised, faster, easier to navigate, and more user-friendly. We have created a clean, modern design and improved site navigation to help our users find precisely what they are looking for and better represent who we are as a ministry.
The new website boasts a clean design and intuitive and consistent site-wide navigation to help you easily find your way around. It’s important for us to make information regarding our contact information, forms, events, current events, and services easily accessible to our internal staff and the public. We will continue to develop and improve the website.
We’re proud of the new website and hope you are too. Have a scroll through our new website – we would love to hear your thoughts. Please also check out our social media channels for more updates!
Today we also celebrate the launching of a new Drilling Rig
The Meteorology Division of MNRE is the sole provider of geotechnical services in Samoa, offering a comprehensive range of services from borehole drilling to laboratory testing and analysis. These services are crucial for assessing ground conditions, ensuring site suitability for development, and informing design and construction processes.
Geotechnical investigations not only support project development but also play a vital role in environmental risk management and human safety throughout a project’s lifecycle. By providing essential data for budgeting, design optimization, and risk mitigation, these services contribute significantly to the success of construction and civil engineering projects.
Over the years, MNRE has established a strong track record in delivering geotechnical services, contributing to various prominent projects across Samoa. Recent successes include key infrastructure projects like the Chinese Embassy Complex, bridges, emergency operation centers, and school buildings.
Recognising the urgent need for equipment modernization, MNRE has procured a new Drilling Rig to replace the outdated one purchased in 2006. This new rig, acquired through allocated budget funds, represents a significant upgrade in capability and performance. Sourced from Henan Runbay Machinery Co. Ltd in China, the new rig promises increased power and efficiency.
The acquisition of the new Drilling Rig marks a milestone for MNRE and the government of Samoa. With enhanced productivity, efficiency, and quality, this new equipment will bolster the delivery of high-quality geotechnical services, ensuring smoother project execution and better outcomes for the nation.
Faafetai
Soifua.
