ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, Tuesday, January 19, 2010: In a brief ceremony on Monday January 18, 2010, at the office of the Hon. Minister of Environment, Export Development and Foreign Trade, the President of the Grenada Refrigeration, Air-conditioning and Ventilating Association (GRAVA) was presented with a cheque valued at US $50,000.00, by Hon Minister, Michael Church.
The funds presented have been donated to the Government of Grenada by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). UNDP is providing funding for one of the components of Grenada’s Terminal Phase out Management Plan (TPMP) for CFCs to the tune of US120, 000.00. A total of US $90,000.00 has already been received.
The funds presented would be used by the GRAVA to procure recovery and recycling equipment for use by local technicians in the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning sector in Grenada. The technicians have already received training in the new state of the art equipment that will be distributed to recovery and recycling centres on Wednesday January 27th, 2010.
The main aim of this initiative is to encourage technicians to perform Good Refrigeration Practices so as to prevent the release of Ozone Depleting Substances, namely CFCs in to the atmosphere.
This activity forms part of Grenada’s obligation as a party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, to completely phase out the consumption/imports of CFCs in Grenada by the year 2010 – a result Grenada has achieved since 2006.
The activities of the Montreal Protocol are coordinated by the National Ozone Unit, Energy Division, Ministry of Finance. Project Officer in the National Ozone Unit, Mr. Leslie Smith who was also present at the ceremony, indicated that the equipment provided will be used to establish additional Recovery and Recycling centres across the island to add to the thirteen centres already established.
Minister Church during his brief remarks, reiterated Grenada’s commitment to the Montreal Protocol in ridding the planet of Ozone Depleting Substances in its global effort to protect and enhance the already depleted Ozone Layer.
