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.

The CEPEP Cricket Cup

Building Camaraderie, Encouraging Positive Development, 

Promoting Local Sport

Saturday morning sunlight creeps across a parched Edinburgh 500 recreation ground in central Trinidad. 

CEPEP workers pour out of buses, descending on the playing field. They aren’t here in their usual work capacity but have swapped their weedwackers and rakes for bat and ball. This is the annual CEPEP Cricket Cup.

Teams assemble from all over Trinidad to lay down their challenge for medals, trophies and bragging rights. North West, North East, North Central, Central, South East, South West, Marine and Head Office; each region is represented by two teams, one comprised of men and the other, women.

The idea behind the tournament is simple enough, gather CEPEP workers, friends and family in a convivial atmosphere of friendly rivalry. That doesn’t mean that players get to slack off though!

That is CEPEP team spirit!

Pace like fire!

As the MC barks out announcements over the PA system, players shimmy into their uniforms, each with its own distinctive colour. Officials finger-wag their way through tournament regulations with the teams, exuding all the intensity of a Cricket World Cup Final.

Supporters of respective teams have already snapped up the best seating under the tents. Braver souls fill in the bleachers around the field.

Sno-cone men clang their tiny bells and circle the venue, hoping to catch the eye of children whose parents can’t say no. This is a perfect day for some good cricket!

Whether they be supporters in the stands or cricketers on the pitch, they are all players in CEPEP’s mission of reinforcing community bonds and cultivating unity in the organisation.

Such form and grace.

Fostering unity, strengthening community spirit 

The CEPEP Cricket Cup is, in many ways, all about community values. Community...home; that’s the soul of The CEPEP Company Limited.

Yes, environmental protection and enhancement are central to CEPEP’s mandate, but supporting communities is an equally important company ideology. The work done by CEPEP crews, clearing clogged drains or pest-harbouring bush, is an investment in the communities they call home.

The CEPEP Company Limited is about people; bringing opportunities to towns, villages and citizens who don’t benefit from the influence of the national economy. The organisation is, ostensibly, a family of communities. What better way to bring the family together than in a friendly cricket tournament. On the field, Board, Management, Contractors and Workers compete, boosting morale and enhancing relations in the organisation.

Friendly rivalry in the CEPEP family

At the Edinburgh 500 recreation ground, workers representing our towns and villages compete, laugh and unite under the umbrella of the CEPEP family.

At the peak of play, as many as three thousand spectators have come out to trumpet their loyalties, chant slogans or bellow completely unsolicited, amateur umpiring advice!

This year’s CEPEP Cricket Cup will be held in May and will no doubt see challengers trying to wrest the title from last year’s winners as The CEPEP Company Limited once again celebrates the unifying force of spirited competition.

The Green Economy in Trinidad

Dramatically shifting weather patterns and the increased frequency of powerful storms continue to whip up debate about climate change.

For the Caribbean, the symptoms of climate change are particularly menacing. Islands in the region face the threat of sea level rise. In Trinidad and Tobago, there are few places of human habitation that aren’t flood prone. We often find ourselves at the mercy of flash floods after only 30 minutes of rain.

Even as the conversation on climate change rages on, several countries are aggressively trying to develop a ‘green economy’. In China, where there is ever-growing demand for energy to prop up a mushrooming economy and expanding consumer appetites, this emerging superpower is investing in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. On the African continent, Uganda is spreading the gospel of organic farming, dramatically reducing harmful inputs like pesticides.

CEPEP takes on ‘greening’

Here in T&T, we are adopting our own brand of ‘greening’.

The CEPEP Company Limited has long been linked to environmental protection. It’s right there in the name - The Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme. This, however, goes far beyond a name or prevailing perceptions of what CEPEP is or does.

The concept of the green economy, as expressed through CEPEP, can be found in countless communities across Trinidad. A visit to the village of Lopinot in the northern part of the island provides a good example.

The Lopinot Valley is a good example of the green economy at work

This verdant valley is beautified further by the consistent input of CEPEP gangs trimming road verges, pushing back rebellious growth and reducing the hazards of blind corners along a very narrow road.

A battalion of green overall-ed residents descends on the river traversing this scenic community, clearing up the detritus of raucous weekend limes and riverside ‘cook ups’. On sandy river banks, countless bags of garbage are lined up, all collected by CEPEP workers for disposal.

Healthy environment, healthy revenue

Not seeing the green economy in this scenario yet? Well, Lopinot is an important tourist destination, revered not just for its riveting historical sites but the latent eco-tourism potential resident in its forests.

The sweat equity of the CEPEP worker helps to maintain the Lopinot tourism product, and, in so doing, supports the local business community.

CEPEP workers help keep the Lopinot tourism product in tip top shape

Visitors from at home and abroad, eager to sample what Lopinot has to offer, funnel critical support to small businesses in the community. They come, they frolic, buy food and drink. They may even collapse into a bed for a night or two at a guest house. It is this tourism revenue that allows residents to benefit directly from using their most precious resource, the environment, in a sustainable manner.

It is highly unlikely that visitors would find Lopinot a desirable location if they were confronted by hillocks of rubbish and rivers and streams smothered with gleefully discarded bottles.

Lopinot illustrates how CEPEP functions as an investment in development which has at its core environmental conservation. Outsiders may leave the place in a mess but CEPEP is always there to ensure that Lopinot, as an economic commodity inextricably tied to environmental preservation, will always attract fair market value.

As a small island acutely subject to increasingly capricious weather patterns attributed to global warming, we must wean ourselves off petrochemical dependency and diversify our economy. The work of The CEPEP Company Limited is an immensely important component in T&T’s march towards a green economy.