ECO GREEN GUYANA - PROVIDING SOLUTIONS FOR COASTAL AND INLAND EROSION
Eco Green Guyana is managed by Mario Amres, a member of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In 1996, his brother, the late Anthony Amres, started the first mobile concrete business in Guyana (Readymix Concrete). This was after his brother witnessed seeing the bucket brigades of concrete being pulled up in multistoried structures. Mario noted it was not all smooth sailing and acceptance of the product took time. He conveyed that it took two years before they got their first order because clients were not accustomed to flowing concrete that contained concrete chemicals.
Mario indicated that after working with his family businesses over the years, late last year (2019) he decided to start his own business to exemplify his personal passion for the environment, one that he hopes will have a lasting effect on his home country, Guyana. Hence, the birth of Eco Green Guyana. Mario’s beginnings goes back to when he was the Marketing Director of G.E.B Security Services Inc. Back then he advised, “I handled our marketing, PR campaigns, clients relations, and new client contracts, as the first private security company here established in 1967.” Mario is very proud of his father who is considered the pioneer of private security services in Guyana. For him, it was always important to maintain very high standards in the industry and also be innovative, by introducing such technology to the industry as CCTV cameras, wireless alarms, GPS, and remote monitoring. In a very reflective mode, Mario noted that what he is most proud of with G. E. B Security Services Inc is that in 2010, following an analysis they had done, it was found that over 10,000 Guyanese had been employed over the years. For him, providing an honest pay for that amount of Guyanese meant far more than the technical aspect. He reminisced that G.E.B. in those days was the acronym for Guyana Employment Bureau. Mario said, “we first started as an employment agency however due to the overwhelming response for watchmen as they were called at the time, my father decided to fill the need, so he went to London for training and the rest is history.” As it relates to eco-tourism, Mario is proud to relay that in the 1980’s his father, Maurice Amres, introduced the Timberhead Resort. This resort was marketed as Guyana’s first nature resort. Over the years notable visits were made by the Royal family including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, and Princess Magaret, and several celebrities as Mick Jagger and Eddy Grant amongst others.
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GREEN GUYANA - ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Fast forward and Mario advised that over the last 10 years, he has represented Tencate Geosynthetics and introduced Geosynthetics which includes Geotextiles, Geocomposites, Geotubes, Geogrids. These materials, he related are now being embraced in Guyana. Mario explained that due to the family’s existing Readymix business, he introduced concrete chemicals for the engineering of concrete finishes especially for industrial and commercial use as a value added step which allows more longevity. With Eco Green Guyana, in his words, “I have added new leading global brands that will help us to deliver new Green Solutions that are proven. Our Tencate Geotubes is not only for coastal and inland erosion control, but also for
