KINGSTON, Jamaica — Ahead of World Environment Day 2026, the GraceKennedy Foundation has unveiled plans for its 36th Annual Public Lecture, an event centered on celebrating and unpacking the landmark progress of the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project (KHCP), Jamaica’s pioneering large-scale effort to reverse solid waste pollution in one of the Caribbean’s most ecologically and economically vital coastal ecosystems.
Scheduled for Friday, June 5, 2026, the lecture — branded *Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project: From Vision to Reality* — will dive into how cross-sector strategic alliances, cutting-edge waste interception technology, and evidence-based scientific guidance have turned a long-held conservation ambition into tangible, impactful action. Kingston Harbour stands as a foundational natural and economic asset for the entire Caribbean region, supporting commercial shipping, local fishing livelihoods, and marine biodiversity that sustains coastal communities across the island.
The KHCP is led by the GraceKennedy Foundation in partnership with local environmental group Clean Harbours Jamaica, with core funding provided by The Ocean Cleanup, the globally recognized non-profit specializing in large-scale interception of plastic waste in rivers and oceans. In its first five years of operation, the initiative has already delivered extraordinary results, blocking almost 13 million pounds of plastic and other solid waste from entering the harbour’s waters.
Caroline Mahfood, CEO of the GraceKennedy Foundation, emphasized that the project offers a replicable blueprint for global conservation action. “This initiative proves what is possible when science, private sector leadership, and local community commitment align behind a shared environmental goal,” Mahfood explained. “Our collaboration with The Ocean Cleanup and Clean Harbours Jamaica has demonstrated that measurable, meaningful progress to reverse environmental damage is well within reach. Through this annual lecture, we aim to share not just what the project has delivered for Kingston Harbour, but also a broader, hopeful message: restoring degraded natural resources is absolutely achievable through sustained collaboration and intentional long-term commitment.”
The GraceKennedy Foundation’s annual public lecture series, launched in 1989, has grown into one of the Caribbean’s most respected public platforms for examining pressing regional challenges, from climate change to environmental degradation. The 2026 event marks a full-circle moment for the foundation’s work on Kingston Harbour: it revisits a conversation first opened by the organization’s 2019 lecture, *Clean Kingston Harbour: Pipe Dream or Pot of Gold?*, which was instrumental in raising national awareness of the harbour’s unfolding pollution crisis and building public support for large-scale cleanup action.
The 2026 lecture will be presented by a trio of key stakeholders: GraceKennedy Foundation CEO Caroline Mahfood; Michael McCarthy, Managing Director of Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited; and Professor Mona Webber, holder of the GKF James S. Moss-Solomon Senior Chair in Environment at The University of the West Indies, Mona. A special pre-recorded video message will also be shared by Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, offering a global perspective on the project’s significance for international ocean conservation efforts.
Leading the discussion as moderator will be Professor Michael Taylor, noted climate scientist and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at The University of the West Indies, Mona. In a push to make the event accessible to audiences across Jamaica and around the world, the foundation is opening free virtual attendance via livestream on GraceKennedy’s official YouTube channel. Interested participants can register for access to the livestream at gkflecture2026.eventbrite.com, and additional information about the ongoing work of the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project is available at www.cleankingstonharbour.org.