The winners were:

In the 6-8 age catergory

1st place - Zan Valere

2nd  place - Alexis Williams

3rd place - Christian Burrowes 

Special mention -Samuel Downer

In the 9-11 age category

1st place - Zende Clarke

2nd place - Lauryn Small

3rd place - Danyka Chandler 

Special Mention -Akobi Forde

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all who entered!  We sincerely hope to run this competition again next year!!!

Our sincerest thanks also go out to our main Sponsor Scotia Bank and other sponsors CITA Radio, The Nation Newspaper, Adventureland Tours, Promotech Inc and Caves of Barbados!!!

Have you thought about trying to get the neighbourhood together to recycle but weren’t sure where to start? Does your school wish to raise funds and be at the forefront of the Green School movement in Barbados, but you lack information and don’t know where to begin?

The CoRe Network and the Future Centre Trust can help set you up, if you qualify. A limited number of schools and community groups will be selected, so if you are interested, download the application form from http://www.scribd.com/doc/139124821/CoRE-Network-Application-Form-for-Communities , fill it out and send it in by May 17th, 2013.

For further information or to submit applications, email: recycling@futurecentretrust.org

Funds for this project kindly provided by the Coca Cola Foundation.

On Monday April 22, Earth Day is celebrated throughout the world. The aim of this celebration is to  inspire awareness and appreciation for nature in its multiple forms. 

It is a day to experience in a sensual way the beauty and diversity of the varied forms of life in our nation. To do this we must pause, go outdoors and use our senses to notice the air we breathe, the plants that beautify our surroundings, the soil that enables these plants to grow, the animals that accompany us in our journey through life and the water that enable us to thrive.

It is also a day to reflect upon the damage to this beauty and diversity which humans are causing –the pollution of the air and ocean and the degradation of the soil. We think too of harm we cause our reefs, the threat to our sea eggs, the waste of precious drinking water, the threat to our wild life through the destruction of their habitat.

Finally, it is a day when we try to make tough decisions on how to minimize and eliminate the harm that we cause to the rest of nature. On Earth Day we remember that we are so interdependent on and interconnected with all life forms that we humans will not be able to flourish unless planet Earth also flourishes.

Written by

Anthony H. Dickson

April 16, 2013

So we hope to see you then!!!!

Great news everyone! We have extended the deadline for entries for our poster competition until FRIDAY APRIL 19!!! So if You haven’t entered yet you still have a chance.  Check out the following link for all the relevant information!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/129556624/Future-Centre-Trust-EARTH-DAY-POSTER-COMPETITION-Rules-and-Guidelines-Final

Want to submit an entry??? Call ahead to our office 6252020 and ensure one of our team members is there to collect it.
Thanks to our main sponsor Scotia Bank and Prize sponsors Harrison’s Cave, Adventureland Tours and Promotech Inc for making this all possible!

Stay tuned for an upcoming post on what we are doing on Earth Day!

The Green Business Barbados program has been in existence for the past 3 years. Throughout this time the program has seen growth and now boasts the enrollment of 15 Green Businesses in the program.

In October 2012 the program received a grant from the Inter American Development Bank to further develop it into a certification. This grant is a welcomed boost to the program and will be a great addition to its expansion. The grant will span over two years and will involve a number of developments including development of the certification requirements and training materials, the training of new Green Business Certifiers and the development of green financial products for micro and small businesses.

Dr Ariana Marshall Green Business Barbados Coordinator

In order to take this program forward into its new developments The Future Centre Trust has recruited a new Green Business Barbados Coordinator.  It is with great pleasure that the FCT announces the appointment of Dr. Ariana J Marshall to this post.

Dr. Marshall has worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s, Office of Environmental Education. Within this agency, she worked as an environmental educator and project coordinator for an environmental capacity building mini-grant program, administered throughout the south eastern U.S.

Her doctoral degree in Environmental Science, with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Risk Management, was obtained from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU).  For her dissertation project she explored the role of public engagement in coastal planning to address climate change impacts.

While completing her degree, she worked on the FAMU Environment and Sustainability Council to organize community initiatives and a strategic plan. At FAMU, she also worked with the South Eastern Green Network as their “Green Up Your Campus” coordinator and collaboratively organized regional summits. As a result of this work, she was invited to become a Green For All Fellow to further engage African Americans towards simultaneously improving the environmental quality and the economic viability of underrepresented communities, within the restructuring of a green economy.

This wealth of knowledge and experience will certainly inform Dr Marshall as she seeks to take Green Business Barbados forward in the coming years.

“We are thrilled to have Dr Marshall join the FCT team and are excited to see what new strides she will make with our GBB program.  This is a very opportune time for this program with the Green Economy being a priority in the minds of both public and private sector leaders and organisations.  The FCT will continue to work at being a pioneering organisation in our nation and the region in the area of sustainable development.”

Cherice Gibson

Executive Director

]]> http://futurecentretrust.org/main/archives/2361/feed 0 http://futurecentretrust.org/main/archives/2356 http://futurecentretrust.org/main/archives/2356#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:46:31 +0000 Cherice Gibson http://futurecentretrust.org/main/?p=2356

This Saturday, April 6th, meet us at Bath Playground at 6:45 a.m. and help us clean up all the litter at Congor Bay.   After being alerted of the horrible state of this area by one of our keen Facebook friends we are going out to tackle the mess! We really need a big group for this as it is a big job and a difficult location.

Wear some sturdy shoes and dress for the weather (hats, sunscreen etc). We will be providing bags and disposable gloves. You may want to bring garden gloves instead, feel free!  Also remember to bring a water bottle or two and it might be handy to wear a light knapsack to carry your personal items and refreshments.

If you are available to come and help send your contact details to recycling@futurecentretrust.org , contact Vicky at 8366186 or follow the ongoing posts on our Clean Up Barbados Facebook page.

Let’s work together to keep our island clean!

The CoRe Network is very pleased to announce that 3 rural schools have embarked on our latest recycling education and collection program.  In December of 2012 we opened recycling centres at A. Dacosta Edwards Primary School, St. Joseph Primary and Mt. Tabor Primary.

One of the enthusiastic students standing proudly with her bag!

 Lockable sheds (8 x 6 ft) were built at each school and outfitted with bins labeled “Plastics” and “Metal Cans”. Since 90% of  children at these schools walk or take public transportation to school it was necessary to look at this very carefully at what items they would collected in the planning stages.  Through the kind sponsorship of the U.S. Embassy we developed and purchased carry bags that the children can take home, fill with recyclable items, and carry back to school.

At present, this system seems to be working very well – the bags are very bright and motivational and remind the children to bring recycling in for sorting and storage on specified days.

Principals see the program (which includes a full education element) as very beneficial, not only to collect much needed funds for projects, but as an educational tool for children and their families with regards to personal solid waste management.

The Future Centre Trust is indebted to the Peter Moore’s Barbados Trust for their confidence in supporting this innovative program and hopes to roll out program in a number of other government schools come September 2013.

The Future Trees program is pleased to announce we will be offering a selection of shade and fruit trees for individuals to purchase as part of our planting initiative around the Sir Garfield Sibers Gymnasium at Wildey.  Our corporate program continues to allow us to plant the quantities of trees needed along the ABC highway and other major routes.  However we have made some changes to the individual purchase component.  Should you be interested in learning more about how you can help plant much needed trees in Barbados, please contact info@futurecentretrust.org

The Future Centre Trust launched its newest addition to the Bri and Luk Climate Change Learning Series on Tuesday 2^nd April 2013 at the Milton Lynch Primary School.   Bri and Luk –  The Great Adventure: An Animated Tale, is a fun animated story which compliments the existing resources under this project area.   The United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean has been the major sponsor for this venture.  With their support and that of the British High Commission to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean this new initiative has been accomplished.

The Bri and Luk Climate Change teaching series at present consists of; One factual book (Book 1) a Story Book (Book 2 ) and a Puppet Show, all of which focus on educating children on the basics of climate change adaptation with the help of nine character friends.

The animation depicts highlights of Book 2 (the storybook) and addresses the issues of global climate change through a fun and relatable way.  Children have responded extremely well to the developments in the series thus far and we at the FCT believe that this animation will act as an additional tool to educate children.  The FCT continues to work on developing projects and initiatives which educate and equip persons to address the issues associated with climate change and other environmental concerns.

We at the FCT wishes to express sincere gratitude for the support received in this project area.  Thanks are extended to the United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, The British High Commission to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Crucial Productions and The Media Resource Department of the Ministry of Education and West Toonz, who have all contributed to the successful production of this resource tool.

We have begun conducting Story Time Sessions in schools using Bri and Luk Book 2 andwill continue to do so coupled with screenings of the Animated Tale.  The Future of Bri and Luk is very bright, this series has lots of potential for growth and the FCT anticipates many more exciting developments in the future.

The next step involves the distribution of copies of the Animated Tale to Primary Schools and making  it available online

What’s next you ask? Well, we continue to seek additional funding to bring the Mobile Learning Centre to reality and there is consideration being put toward the development of further animation, a comic strip, interactive games or a third book!  All ideas at this stage, however with support and our usual gusto the FCT will bring something new to birth!