Environmental expo draws large student crowd

From environment-friendly products and animal displays to interactive demonstrations on environmental protection, yesterday’s Environmental Expo drew between 750 and 800 students and 20 public and private exhibitors.

“We have a bigger crowd of students this year compared to previous years and we are happy about that,” Olivia Tebuteb, coordinator for the 2009 Environmental Expo, said.

The Environmental Expo kicked off the Environmental Awareness Month activities in April.

Tebuteb, of the Division of Environmental Quality, also welcomed new exhibitors this year, including Joeten Enterprises and Tan Holdings Corp., for showcasing their environment friendly products and recycling efforts.

“I have to give credit to these two new exhibitors. Joeten Enterprises had their environment-friendly cleaning solutions, and Tan Holdings had their recyclable bags and other recyclable materials, and recycling bins. Those were just some of the environment-friendly products on display,” Tebuteb said.

Ellen delos Santos, a sales and marketing representative from No Ka Oi Termite & Pest Control (Saipan) Inc., said their product on display can eliminate an entire colony of termites without harming people and the environment.

Among the crowd drawers were the interactive demonstrations by DEQ, the Coastal Resources Management, the Division of Fish and Wildlife and other government agencies that have been annual participants to the exhibit.

Brooke Nevitt, an education and outreach coordinator at CRM, for example, told students of the importance of protecting coral reefs, and that the rare yellow crowned butterfly fish is found only in the Marianas.

“I learned that we should not harvest clams and we should not hurt coral reefs or they will get extinct,” said 10-year-old Karen Fajardo, a 5th grader at Joshua Generation International Academy.

Another Joshua Generation International Academy fifth grader, 10-year-old Serafina Rogoyawa, said even though the turtles on display at the Environmental Expo were not real, she said she enjoyed looking at them. His schoolmates Amy Rose Cabanting, 8, and Gregory Miller, 11, loved the turtle displays.

Eleven-year-old John Joshua Valiente, a 5th grader, said he’s amazed at the live brown tree snakes at the exhibit. “I learned how to make a trap,” he said. “I also learned that each bird is unique.”

Fourth grader Efren Evan, 9, particularly enjoyed looking at the mounted crocodile on display.

Besides Joshua Generation International Academy, other schools that visited the Environmental Expo were San Antonio Elementary School, San Vicente Elementary School, Garapan Elementary School, Oleai Elementary School, Koblerville Elementary School, and Mount Carmel School.

DEQ will hold a second environmental expo on April 21 at the Kagman Community Center.

Other Environmental Awareness Month activities include an islandwide cleanup on April 17, a lagoon and scuba cleanup on April 24, an essay competition, Cook-A-Rainbow, and a recycling contest.