The FCT Board and Committees wish everyone a happy and safe Kadooment weekend of festivities or relaxation as the case may be! Enjoy this festive time of year and here’s hoping for some new energy for the remainder of this busy 2010 calender year!

Share on Facebook

Also on July 30, Nicole Garofano met with Mr Ryan Blackett, Director of Cruise Product of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) to discuss the need for sustainable tourism products and the part which the BTA can take in assisting to develop a green tourism product for the benefit of cruise passengers specifically.

Mr Blackett was very keen to hear of the past attempts by the FCT and the currently renewed project to accept recyclable waste items from ships for contribution to our locally created waste rather than sending it for incineration or allowing other markets to receive much needed income from such a market. This undertaking would require buy in from many stakeholders including the Barbados Port Authority, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and other areas. Presently such waste is regarded as Hazardous Waste if the materials leave the port confines, however should a processing plant be included in the expansion project for the Bridgetown Port, this issue may be addressed as the waste would not be entering Barbadian shores technically. Present efforts are continuing to be explored with such a project contributing greatly to the waste brokerage market available from the Caribbean to international ports.

Mr Blackett also agreed with the benefits of providing a sustainable tourism product to entice visitors off ships to explore Barbados and to provide unique ‘green’ experiences which will of course assist their on shore spending.

Much can be achieved through collaboration of statutory bodies such as the BTA, NGO’s such as the FCT and by extension, membership bodies such as the BHTA, in developing an environmentally aware tourism industry which recognises the need for adaptation of our local product – particularly as it relates to the impacts of climate change – for the benefit of tourists and our residents.

The FCT looks forward to hearing more from the BTA as it relates to Green Tourism lessons from abroad and how they may be adapted locally with education and action based programmes to assist in ensuring success.

Share on Facebook

On Friday July 30, Nicole Garofano met with Mariama Brancker of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) to further discuss the collaboration opportunities with the Clean Up The World Internationally sanctioned Clean Up Barbados day and the Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Clean Up (ICC Clean Up) to be held within a week of each other on September 18 and September 25, respectively.

After much discussion, Clean Up Barbados will propose to its beach going clean up teams to assist in the data collection process CYEN, Environmental Protection Department and the Sunshine Optimists, have been completing over many years for the ICC Clean Up to gather more information which would assist the global gathering of data as it relates to marine debris on our shores.

CYEN will run a separate training session for the benefit of its new board members and participants and those Clean Up Barbados site supervisors who will be taking on our beach areas this year early in September. Participants will be advised of the confirmed training date in due course.

Thank you to CYEN for offering to share your knowledge in this important process. We hope Clean Up Barbados will contribute much needed information to this data collection survey on this clean up day and in the future.

Share on Facebook

On Thursday July 29, Nicole Garofano of the FCT met with an inspiring young man by the name of Jason Blunte (BSc. Hons) who was the recipient of the top award in a recently run competition by the US Embassy focused on the development of business plans.

Jason chose Recycling as his focus point for his plan thanks to a recognised need within his community for a local recycling collection point.

After seeing this information in a local newspaper, Nicole promptly contacted Jason (thanks to Jessica Bensley for helping me find him!), and asked where synergies might exist to the FCT Recycling Collection Point project funded by TD Reinsurance in the last quarter of 2009.

After discussing Jason’s aims and sharing the knowledge learned through the FCT experience, Nicole invited Jason to be involved in the next phase of the FCT recycling project, which is an application to Coca-Cola International for funding to build fifteen more units island wide – similar to those constructed for The Codrington School, The Hope Sanctuary and the assistance which was given to St Cyprian’s School.

Jason was interested to be kept updated with the funding and likewise the FCT would provide as much information as possible to Jason’s venture for his local community.

Congratulations on your win Jason and we look forward to hearing more from you in the near future!

Share on Facebook

On Wednesday July 28, the FCT assisted the members of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) in providing a unique learning experience for their monthly field trip.

Ms Davina Layne, Membership Coordinator and Environmental Officer of the BHTA, was looking for a field trip option for the month of July which was a little different to what had already been undertaken for the year, which included a visit to the SBRC Waste Transfer Station, a presentation by the Barbados Light and Power and other informative and relative events.

During a meeting where a number of topics were discussed, including the use of reusable bags by those hotels who particularly have kitchenette rooms for the benefit of visitors and our landfills to waste sorting at selected hotels for a pilot project, Nicole Garofano suggested a visit to the home of Andrea and Grahame Reeves-Law, otherwise known as the EcoLodge. This was to be supplemented by a tour of the processing plant of B’s Recycling in Cane Garden in St Thomas.

Andrea and Grahame chose, a number of years ago, to build a house that was completely ‘off-the-grid” in both water and electricity supply. What they have now is a beautiful hardwood octagonal home overlooking the east coast of Barbados which happily runs off solar power, (wind turbine also from time to time) a Biodiesel run generator as needed, composting toilet and uses rainwater harvesting technology for their water supplies. Andrea and Grahame also recycle almost all of their waste and compost what they can to their garden.

From a hotel perspective, there are certainly aspects of this type of living which could be employed when retrofitting properties. Composting toilets and waterless urinals may not be used in every room of a large hotel, however there are certainly some areas which may benefit. Additionally the installation of Photovoltaic panels (PV) in some hotels is now being researched by Loretto Duffy-Mayers of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association through their CHENACT project. Rainwater harvesting for irrigation of grounds and the washing down of various tiled or cemented traffic ways are also of benefit to the precious water availability we have in Barbados.

Andrea and Grahame are an example of living which although may seem a little too country for some, is in fact a 21st century working lifestyle which this couple love and happily reside in every day of their lives.

Some of the members of the group were able to see the processing plant of B’s Recycling – Barbados’ largest waste broker. Troy Johnson of B’s Recycling took the group on a tour of the facility explaining the various machines and their use in the waste brokerage cycle. B’s takes all of its processed waste and ships off the overseas markets creating valuable jobs and foreign exchange for the country. All of this of course, while taking some of the 1500 tonnes of waste which would otherwise enter our landfill zone every day, to a new life as new products!

Thank you to the BHTA for inviting the FCT to assist in this tour and to Andrea and Grahame for their hospitality and patience! Also to Troy of B’s Recycling for taking the group on a tour and explaining the benefits of recycling in Barbados.

Share on Facebook

On July 27, the Board and Committee Members of the FCT were proud to cut the ribbon on the new smaller, more sustainable Resource Centre at Little Edgehill, St Thomas (next door to where we were for so many years!).

The British High Commissioner for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr Paul Brummell, made a presentation to the FCT to honour this auspicious occasion and was joined by many other contributing sponsors and volunteers who assisted in the creation of the space.

A list of these contributions is as follows:
Individuals include:

• Chris Hudson
• Andrew Simpson
• Lani Edghill
• Robert Nicholls
• Wayne Cezair
• Keith Laurie
• Rae Milne
• Jacqui Wakeman
• Christy L’Angel
• Bart Sims
• Marina Laurie
• Nicole Garofano
• Vicky Merrick
• Roger Edghill
• Gillian Cambers
• Harold Hoyte
• Tom Fountain
• Jamal Yearwood

Organisations include:

• Courts

Ask us about our low energy use FRIDGE

• Gibbs Underground Bins

Ask us about their RECYCLING options

• Haltec Repairs

Ask us about their PRINTER REPAIRS

• Harris Paints

Ask us about their NO VOC range used here

• Interpretations Decor and Design

Ask about their DESIGN services

• Julianne Gill Design

Ask us about her INTERIOR DESIGN and ART PORTFOLIO

• Seamless Gutter Co and Powder Coating Inc

Ask us about their SANDBLASTING and POWDER COATING

• Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre (SBRC)

Ask us about their RECYCLING and WASTE Management Facility

• TeleBarbados

Ask us about their PHONE and INTERNET service provided here

• Virgo Communications

Ask us about their ADVERTISING EXCELLENCE

Thank you also to the contributors to the evening which included:

• SuperCentre Ltd for their tent
• Vicky and Greg Merrick for their smaller tent
• Our neighbours – CK Electrical and Gill and Warren Associates for allowing us to use the parking area for our event this evening
• CCC for the use of their carpark
• Our Board Members for your liquid refreshments
• Jodie Boland and Jacqui Wakeman for their food and drink contributions
• Derek Went for his time in providing more of the food contributions
• Eliana (for her help and photographic skills shown here!!), Wayne, Ian, John, Jodie, David, Bart, Christy, Jacqui, Krystal, Lani and everyone who helped prepare the centre for its grand opening!

The Centre is open for visitors from Monday – Friday 9.30am to 3.30pm. Please feel free to call us on our TeleBarbados phone number 625 2020 to arrange an appointment.

Some pics from the event:

Share on Facebook