The Tribune

AFTER receiving major endorsements from well- known sports heroes like Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, Jonquel Jones and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Ministry of the Environment has added yet another high-profile sports superstar to its popular Be A Hero campaign, basketball phenom and Grand Bahama native Chavanno “Buddy” Hield.

Hield, who has made a name for himself as an NBA superstar with the Sacramento Kings, is the latest to join the campaign designed to encourage young Bahamians to tap into their inner heroes and create a cleaner, greener, safer space around their school or in their community.

Over the past several weeks, billboards bearing the faces of some of the country’s national heroes from all walks of society have been erected across Nassau, with each proclaiming his or her support of the initiative and why they endorse keeping the island clean.

The Hero campaign is the second phase of the Ministry of Environment’s clean-up programme for New Providence and is being spearheaded by the Minister himself - Romauld Ferreira - along with Barefoot Marketing and Diane Phillips & Associates.

“We’re so excited to have Buddy on board as we spread the message that it’s cool to care about our environment,” said Ferreira, MP for Marathon and an environmental lawyer by profession.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support of our national heroes and are grateful to add Buddy to the Hero Team.”

Since launching the #BeAHero campaign in October, schools around New Providence have flocked to participate, creating their own cleaning projects or events to join the promotion and to become Hero’s too.

“Our programme targets all primary and middle school students in the capital asking them to share their project via social media,” said Sally Chisholm, the director of environmental health. “The 10 best projects and the students behind the projects will have their photos replace the national heroes currently promoting the campaign and they will become the faces and local heroes.”

“The feedback has been amazing” said Diane Philips, president of Diane Philips & Associates.

“Students and teachers have both responded well to the programme, and we have been pleasantly surprised to find that many schools already had environmental projects taking place on their campuses.”

The campaign is fully sponsored by corporate Bahamas, including AML Foods, Atlantis, Bahamas Hot Mix, Bahamas Waste, Bahamas Wholesale Agencies, Commonwealth Brewery Limited, Kelly’s, McDonald’s, Seaside Media, Solomon’s, The Sign Man, Tribune Media Group in addition to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Education.

Sponsors are also participating with the heroes in school assemblies as part of the ongoing effort to clean up the island.

For those schools, students or teachers wanting to join in, they can call the ministry to set up a school visit or go to the group’s social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and SnapChat.