From left: Half Pint, Heidi Clarke of Sandals Foundation, Stephen Newland of Rootz Underground, with three Environmental Club students at Louise Bennett-Coverley Primary and Junior High School. - Contributed

Lasco, Rootz Underground, legendary international recording artiste Half Pint, and friends, officially launched a national environmental awareness programme consisting of a school tour and competition, dubbed the Lasco-Rootz Releaf Environmental Awareness Programme (REAP) on National Tree Planting Day, Friday, October 5, 2012.

The project is slated to engage 50 schools across Jamaica and was launched at Louise Bennett-Coverley Primary and Junior High School in Gordon Town, St Andrew.

Lasco Distributors Limited is the title sponsor for the programme and their team was on hand at the school, sampling their delicious products. Other musicians present to support the project at the launch were Raw Deal, Simon (the lead singer from Sky Grass Band), Makeda Beckford and Timeka Marshall, an artiste out of Guyana.

Since the launch, schools have been visited in most parishes. All 50 school visits will be completed by October 18, 2012. The Forestry Department and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority support the project by providing the trees to be planted at all schools.

Nanda Dukharan, of Lasco, and Half Pint planting trees with Environmental Club students at Louise Bennett-Coverley Primary and Junior High School. - Contributed photos