3 weeks ago
7
The GraceKennedy Foundation is celebrating international exposure after two appearances on the CBS television series The Visioneers with Zay Harding drew more than 2.6 million viewers across the United States.
The episodes, which highlighted the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project (KHCP), aired during Season 2 of the educational and informational programming block CBS WKND on Saturday mornings. The Foundation was featured in the season premiere, From Plastic to Power, which aired October 4, 2025, and again in Episode 4, The School of the Sea, which aired October 25, 2025. Both episodes were later rebroadcast, resulting in a cumulative audience of more than 2.6 million viewers across four national broadcasts.
The From Plastic to Power episode opened with an in-depth segment on the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project, a collaborative initiative funded by international nonprofit organization The Ocean Cleanup, in partnership with the GraceKennedy Foundation and local marine waste management company Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited.
The project aims to significantly reduce domestic solid waste flowing into Kingston Harbour — the seventh deepest natural harbour in the world — which has faced decades of severe pollution.
During the feature, viewers were introduced to the innovative floating barriers known as “Interceptors™,” deployed at nine of the most polluted gullies feeding into Kingston Harbour. The technology is designed to trap waste before it reaches the harbour.
The second episode, The School of the Sea, again spotlighted the GraceKennedy Foundation, this time focusing on the educational and community outreach aspects of the cleanup initiative. The segment highlighted the project’s engagement with schools, community groups, private sector partners, and government agencies to raise environmental awareness.
Both episodes were also promoted heavily to Jamaican and Caribbean audiences throughout the United States.
GraceKennedy Foundation CEO Caroline Mahfood welcomed the exposure, noting the significance of the project reaching international audiences.
“The GraceKennedy Foundation is extremely proud that the hard work of the foundation has now been seen by over 2 million viewers on national broadcast television throughout the USA, including our own people. Anecdotally and through social media, we know that many made a deliberate effort to watch both episodes in which we were featured. We are honoured and grateful for the viewing support of the Caribbean diaspora,” Mahfood said.
Since forming the partnership four years ago with The Ocean Cleanup and Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited, the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project has removed more than 5 million kilograms of waste from Kingston Harbour. The debris collected has included plastics, motor vehicles, mattresses, refrigerators, washing machines and other discarded appliances.
The initiative has also reached more than 3,800 children and youth through school presentations and tours of the project’s offloading site. Additionally, the GraceKennedy Foundation, in partnership with The Ocean Cleanup, has raised close to J$1 billion in support of the cleanup effort.
The Visioneers with Zay Harding is produced by Hearst Media Production Group in partnership with the VoLo Foundation. The 30-minute weekly series is hosted by international explorer and veteran adventure presenter Zay Harding and focuses on innovative environmental solutions led by scientists, engineers, and communities worldwide.
The show premiered in April 2025, with its first season concluding in September of that year. Season 2 expanded its coverage beyond the United States to include international destinations such as Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Kenya, and the United Kingdom — with Jamaica and the GraceKennedy Foundation featured twice during the season.
English (US) ·