Rootz Underground lead singer Stephen Newland and the REAP team in Little London, Westmoreland. - Contributed
Students put a tree into the soil under the supervision of adults involved in REAP.
Rootz Underground
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Mel Cooke, Gleaner WriterRootz Underground band has been consistently advocating agriculture through its music, from the track Farming on its 2008 debut album Movement through to last year's Rootz Garden concert series at Hope Gardens, St Andrew.
The opening event in the series on Saturday, February 4, featured Toots and the Maytals, Ra Deal, Dubtonic Kru, Prophecy, Iba Mahr and Droop Lion. The entire series was linked to the band's Rootz Releaf project, which included a school tree-planting programme.
There was also a project in which Rootz Underground, in conjunction with the [color:c46e=blue !important][color:c46e=blue !important]Costa [color:c46e=blue !important]Rica-based La Reserva Forest Foundation, encouraged the band's fans worldwide to plant trees, take pictures of them, and do the required tags for Global Positioning System visibility.
However, the latest phase of their ongoing project to have persons put down literal roots is all home based and does not involve the participation of those professionally involved in the business of music.
The REAP - Releaf Environmental Awareness Programme, done in conjunction with LASCO - was started in primary and all-age schools islandwide last October and comes to full fruition on May 14 with an awards ceremony.
Rootz Underground lead singer Stephen Newland said the students were encouraged to plant fruit and timber trees, among them acacia, mahogany, cherry and mango. Each institution was asked to plant a minimum of 50 trees, as well as do an anti-litter drive and clean-up. In addition, there was recycling and compounding for a vegetable and flower garden, as well as a drive for energy conservation and usage.
In addition, there is a talent component for 'Jamaica, Land of Wood and Water, 50 Years and Beyond'.
CLEANING UP THE COMMUNITY
At a conservative estimate, Newland said, "We have cleaned up about 50,000 plastic bottles. This is not only in schools, as they went out into the community as well. So they cleaned up the school and had these bags and cleaned up the community."