The GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF), through the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project (KHCP), celebrated Play Day Jamaica on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, with an immersive, play based environmental tour for students of the Jessie Ripoll Primary School in Kingston. The experience used movement, storytelling, and hands-on learning to help students understand how everyday actions on land directly affect Kingston Harbour and the marine environment.
Speaking during the visit, GraceKennedy Group CEO Frank James emphasized the importance of engaging children early through interactive learning, noting, “The Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project is a major initiative for GK because the health of the Harbour is vital to our country. When children learn about the environment in fun and engaging ways, those lessons stay with them for life. By starting young, we can build habits that inspire real, lasting change for Kingston Harbour and for Jamaica’s future.”
The tour began at the KHCP deployment site at Barnes Gully in downtown Kingston, where students observed the project’s barrier technology intercepting solid waste before it enters the Harbour. Students were also guided through the waste management journey, learning how intercepted waste is removed, and taken to the project’s Offloading Site where it is sorted for recycling and proper disposal.
To reinforce these lessons, students participated in a series of play and literacy-based activities, including interactive read-aloud sessions, singing, and environmental games. These activities were designed to help children recognise how improperly disposed waste travels from homes to the streets, into the gullies and eventually out to Kingston Harbour.
The activities marked the introduction of the project’s new play-based educational approach, facilitated by Rachael McDonald, Education Specialist, who conceptualised the project’s educational outreach component.
Since 2022, the KHCP has engaged over 3,000 students across multiple schools, encouraging responsible behaviour from an early age. The initiative also includes community led engagements through its Environmental Warden Programme and volunteer beach cleanups that foster wider public awareness and participation.
Reflecting on the approach, GraceKennedy’s General Counsel & Chief Corporate Secretary, Gail Moss Solomon said, “Today underscored GK’s belief that sustainability must be woven into how we live. By incorporating play into learning, we saw first-hand how children can connect curiosity with environmental responsibility. This is exactly what our sustainability mission is about, helping the next generation build habits that protect our communities and strengthen our future.”
James and Moss Solomon both participated in a read aloud of the book, ‘Where Should Our Garbage Go’ by Cathryn O’Sullivan, commissioned by Do Good Jamaica, and later in a special edition of environmental hopscotch. The activity was also supported by GraceKennedy team members and GK Earth365 Ambassadors, who engaged the children throughout the morning’s activities and participated in the hands on learning experience.
Launched in 2022, the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project is focused on reducing plastic and solid waste pollution entering Kingston Harbour. The project is jointly spearheaded by the GraceKennedy Foundation, The Ocean Cleanup, and Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited. Since its inception, the Project has removed over 5.4 million kilogrammes of waste from the Harbour.
