Plan LEA Kicks Off the 26th Edition of Geography Week 2019

The Funglode Auditorium was the site of the first event for the 26th Edition of Geography Week 2019 where Yvonne Arias, executive director of Grupo Jaragua, held a conference on “Plastic and Other Solid Wastes that Hurt the Environment and Biodiversity”.

For the 26th occasion, Plan LEA, the educational initiative of the Listín Diario, is celebrating Geography Week. The celebration has the main objective of raising awareness amongst schools, families and entire communities about the importance of taking care of our environment through the elimination of plastics and solid waste in streets and coastal areas.

The conference that kicked off Geography Week took place on Wednesday, January 9 at the Auditorium of la Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) headquarters in Santo Domingo. The event was led by Yvonne Arias, the executive director of Grupo Jaragua.

The environmentalist led the workshop entitled “Plastic and Other Solid Waste that Hurt the Environment and Biodiversity,” which was directed towards professionals in the areas of social and natural sciences from various regions of the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Education (Minerd).

The opening remarks were given by Catherine Florentino, a representative of Funglode, and Javiel Elena, from Minerd.

Rosario Vásquez, head of Plan LEA, also spoke during the event. Vásquez explained to participants the importance of this educational initiative and the extraordinary impact it has had since its creation in 1993. Furthermore, she emphasized the activities that will coincide with the 2019 version of Geography Week.
At this first meeting, Arias shared some images from around the globe that showcased the grave environmental degradation that has resulted from plastic and solid waste pollution.

The event included participation from the Ministry of Education, Propagas, Funglode, the Chair of the Geography and History Department at the University of Michigan and Grupo Jaragua.

About Geography Week Educational Materials
The topics that will be covered in Geography Week 2019 will be included in a workbook.

The texts will be used to provide the educational community with updated and useful materials to share and incorporate fundamental concepts and attitudes on the importance of understanding geography.