Sunday, July 26, 2015

CEPEP pursues Business Partnerships


The CEPEP Company Limited, at its core, has always been about environmental protection and beautification.

CEPEP receives subventions from the government to deliver on its mandate but the organization has been looking to the private sector for inspiration. It is angling for revenue through new business partnerships.

Creating revenue streams for the company
Although state-funded, CEPEP is determined to earn its keep. The organisation has reshaped its structure to better serve communities. A major part of this drive includes business partnerships. Deploying skills which have always benefitted our towns and villages, CEPEP is now marketing that expertise in several niche areas.

Contributing to culture
When the music and mirth of the Carnival season have faded, revellers are perhaps scarcely aware that following fast on their heels is another section, dressed in green. In Carnival venues nationwide, whether it’s stick fighting at Skinner Park or the National Junior Panorama Finals at the Queen’s Park Savannah, the detritus of this annual festival doesn’t linger for very long.

The CEPEP Company Limited partners with the National Carnival Commission each year, securing contracts to keep venues ready for the deluge of people. This is just one way CEPEP’s new business-minded approach supports T&T’s diverse tourism offerings.

CEPEP crews keep cultural venues ever-ready for spectators


Beautifying a natural wonder
The La Brea Pitch Lake in South West Trinidad is one of the most significant natural wonders found on these islands. This remarkable geological feature attracts thousands of visitors each year.

In order to keep the site in pristine condition for tourists, The CEPEP Company Limited shook hands on a deal with Lake Asphalt to maintain the periphery of the Pitch Lake. Now, there’s no waist-high grass or snarled bramble on the footpath to the lake, only manicured surroundings punctuated by fruit trees. 

On the job at the world famous La Brea Pitch Lake


Making our highways safe and beautiful
CEPEP’s services are also reflected in areas we all travel every day but perhaps take for granted.

Unruly overgrowth along our highway medians and shoulders is not only unsightly, but affects visibility, particularly during the fiery dry season. Thanks to a partnership between the Ministry of Works and CEPEP, resilient grasses are regularly trimmed by CEPEP crews. The company’s Highway Beautification Programme makes our highways more appealing and reduces the hazards of roadside bush fires. 

CEPEP's highway crews keeping our roads safe and beautiful


Contributing to health care
In keeping with the organisation’s mantra, “CEPEP Does More”, the company jumped on the opportunity to provide improvement works at health centres and hospitals in the North West and North Central regions.

CEPEP crews worked on 46 health centres, the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, the Port of Spain General Hospital and the Caura Hospital. At these facilities, CEPEP upgraded walkways to improve wheelchair accessibility, expanded car parks, painted buildings and spruced up patient waiting rooms, bathrooms and kitchenettes.

These improvements, among many others, have created a more user-friendly and comfortable atmosphere for patients, contributing to the overall enhancement of health care delivery. 

The CEPEP touch adds to the delivery of health care


Battling beverage containers in the environment
Given CEPEP’s commitment to environmental protection and enhancement, a project to rid the environment of long-lived beverage containers was a natural fit.

CEPEP collaborated with several institutions, including the Environmental Management Authority, the Solid Waste Management Company and the Institute of Marine Affairs on this important initiative. The CEPEP Company Limited provided the labour, gathering vast amounts of beverage containers cluttering our environment. These waste materials were transported to designated sites for sorting. The company is particularly pleased to have had its business aspirations dovetail with its guiding principles of environmental conservation. 

Working to combat the scourge of beverage containers in the environment

A forward looking organisation
While The CEPEP Company Limited remains reliant on the state for funding, it continues to look ahead with a heavy emphasis on reducing its dependency on the taxpayer. Heavy equipment rental, as well as home and commercial landscaping services have also been added to the growing list of initiatives which bring revenue into the company. The company’s business outlook demonstrates the versatility of the CEPEP product.

Our fleet of heavy equipment available for commercial use

CEPEP continues to develop a model of self-sufficiency. This entrepreneurial spirit represents a first for social programmes in Trinidad and Tobago.

Ever mindful of its commitment to communities, The CEPEP Company Limited stays true to its goal of becoming the number one environmental services company in the country. Now running parallel to that goal is the promotion of business partnerships that make for a more viable, robust organisation.

Monday, July 13, 2015

CEPEP partners with Lake Asphalt


Thousands of visitors are drawn to the mystery of the Pitch Lake

Heat rising from the black surface of the Pitch Lake distorts the image of tourists shuffling over the spongy asphalt. A modest-sized group shields themselves from the fierce sun above with parasols which offer no protection against the hot air radiated from below.

This natural phenomenon has always attracted visitors from far and wide. It is a source of pride in our citizens to boast of an incredible geological feature right here in Trinidad.

Treasuring a local, natural wonder
It’s a pride shared by The CEPEP Company Limited. Now in partnership with Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago to regularly maintain the periphery of the La Brea Pitch Lake, CEPEP crews keep the site in pristine condition for visitors flocking to this natural wonder of the world.

An estimated 20,000 people make the pilgrimage to the Pitch Lake each year to learn the fascinating history of this dynamic, ever changing environment.

A group of locals embarks on a guided tour of the Pitch Lake
CEPEP crews work their way along the perimeter, taming bush that sprouts up along the paths walked by visitors.

When groups of tourists break for lunch at the Pitch Lake Visitors’ Centre, it now overlooks a beautifully manicured site, thanks to hard working CEPEP teams.

The mystery of the lake
This expanse of heaving and belching natural asphalt has captivated man for centuries.

It was known to the Amerindians long before its ‘discovery’ by English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in the late 1500s.

Estimated to be 250 feet deep at the centre of the 100 acre lake, this cauldron of geologic forces is believed to hold 10 million tonnes of pitch. The versatile resource is used as road surfacing material and even as protective coatings for vehicles. 

CEPEP workers keep the surroundings of the Pitch Lake clean

CEPEP pitches in to make La Brea world class
With growing global demand for cultural tourism, the La Brea Pitch Lake is one of many cultural assets that make T&T a diverse destination for any traveller.

CEPEP crews ensure that visitors to the site see only the Pitch Lake and not unruly overgrowth encroaching the area.

The CEPEP Company Limited, like the Pitch Lake, is always on the move, continuing its evolution, delivering more to the people of this country.