Thanks to the efforts of Joy Millington of TeleBarbados and Rebecca Skeete of the FCT Marketing Committee, the FCT are now the proud recipients of Internet and Web Based phone services provided as a sponsorship contribution by TeleBarbados for twelve months from the end of June 2010.

We are thankful to Joy and to Patrick Hinkson for their recognition of the benefits of linking with the FCT and the opportunities such a collaboration can provide to both entities.

For more information on the services available from TeleBarbados give them a call at 620 1000 or visit their website by clicking here at www.telebarbados.com.

Thanks again TeleBarbados!!

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One of two clean ups and preparation days for the opening of the office took place on Saturday, July 17 with Bart helping move some desks and timber to a storage shed kindly offered by Andrew Simpson, Jacqui McDermott (nee Wakeman) creating such wonderful display boards from reused aluminium print plates and preparing the front porch for painting, Christy L’Angel helping out with a coat of varnish on our conference table, Tom Fountain mounting an electrical cord on the wall and fixing up our somewhat TLC needed second hand kitchen table and Wayne Cezair getting into weedwacking in the garden! Great effort by all to do much needed and long overdue work at the centre!

The second day, Saturday July 24, prepared our garden area for our guests with Jodie and David, John and Nicole weeding the tyres, filling the tyres with mulch and generally getting the area tidied up in preparation for the big opening and to just clear up the space. It is looking more and more like a community garden and we now need folks interested in having a plot to help keep the place tidy so your precious crops can grow unencumbered!! ) Contact Lani for more information on the Hudson Community Garden Project at lani@futurecentretrust.org.

Thanks to all of our volunteers who continue to be available for these action based days which helped create our sustainable office! The garden is somewhat left to Mother Nature, and so we have to allow a little leeway on that area!!

To view the new office, please call us on 625 2020 to make a time. The office is generally open Monday to Friday 9.30am thru 3.30pm, however this can change with offsite meetings. Always best to call first!

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During July, we started to receive contributions to the Clean Up Barbados Campaign with the Tourism Development Corporation, Recycling Preparation Inc (RPI), Peter Boos Foundation, SBI Distribution, and Prudential Financial Sales and Services all contributing thus far cash and in kind donations. We need more contributions for media presence, T shirts, bags and gloves for our 1000 strong team this year!!! Please help spread the word! Sponsorship enquiries can be directed to Nicole Garofano at nicole@cleanupbarbados.org.

Participation levels are going well, but again we need more folks to take up roadways and help with our gully areas. Register your participation with Krystal Boyea at krystal@cleanupbarbados.org.

Also received in July was a continuing contribution from Barbados Light and Power Co Ltd. As one of our major sponsors, we are indebted to their support and look forward to helping them celebrate their 100th anniversary next year with a few ‘green’ options now being discussed. Thanks to BL&PC.

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On Wednesday July 14, the FCT was invited to hear Dr Chris Busch – Policy Director for the Centre for Resource Solutions in California, speak of his views of the opportunities and adaptation options at an outreach presentation by the Embassy of the US to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Dr Busch spoke of the areas he has identified opportunities, particularly from a California based example where the state is leading the Green Charge in North America, where alternative energy is being largely embraced.

Dr Busch made reference to the Solar Hot Water Heater industry of Barbados as a great example of the benefits of harnessing our natural energy sources and suggested the region build on this success by entering more into the Photovoltaic creation of electricity.

At the event, Nicole Garofano and Krystal Boyea, were able to meet with Mr Joseph Schaller who holds the post of Deputy Public Affairs Officer for the Embassy, who was very keen to learn more of the Clean Up Barbados Campaign and other programme areas.

We thank the US Embassy for the invitation to attend and look forward to forging a mutually beneficial partnership in the future.

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The Future Centre Trust was invited to provide a booth at the Inaugural Youth Festival undertaken by the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) and its President Mr Jason Francis.

Participating in such an activity was driven by the need to attract a large youth participation to the events of the FCT and the programme areas in general.

Krystal Boyea and Paul DeCoteau helped man the booth, with Nicole Garofano completing the setup and take down.

We thank to BYDC for inviting our participation and we look forward to building on this connection to work to engage a large youth population to be more active in the areas of environmental education, conservation of resources and preservation of our natural environs.

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At a meeting held with the team of SBRC on July 8, Lani Edghill and Nicole Garofano, learned of an opportunity to expand part of the Green Business Programme (GBB) to include the focal area of Waste Management to a selected group of hotels.

There is a great opportunity for more recyclable waste products to be captured clean before they land at the transfer station with other waste, thereby allowing more export of the items and reducing the impact to the landfill.

This project expansion will be very much dependent on Human Resources to enable the investigation required with the various hotels who may be interested in being part of a pilot project.

Discussions have also been held with the BHTA to gather their experience on working with the hotel sector and their various challenges as it relates to the managing of waste.

A project concept has also been lodged for consideration with the incoming students of the Barbados Field Studies Semester Program of McGill University at the Bellairs Research Institute commencing September. We are hopeful that this project holds interest to a small group of students who will assist in the information gathering process of this concept.

Much more work is to take place with this extension, so please make a note to come back and watch for updates.

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