Saint Lucia to ban the use of Styrofoam and plastic food service containers
Another Caribbean country has announced measures to phase out and ultimately prohibit single-use Styrofoam and plastics. From the St. Lucia Times: Saint Lucia plans to phase-out Styrofoam food service containers and plastics, both plates and cups, beginning December 1, 2018, with a total ban on their importation before the end …
Green Antilles interview: Simera Crawford
Today’s Green Antilles interview is with Simera Crawford. Simera is the executive founder of the Caribbean Environmental Management Bureau, and the mastermind behind BitEgreen, an enterprise that aims to transform waste management in Barbados by using gamification as an incentive to recycling. Please explain to Green Antilles readers what BitEgreen …
High levels of mercury found in Kaituma River, Guyana; testing to begin at other sites soon
The Kaituma River was the principal source of potable water for residents of the Port Kaituma community, up until water testing revealed high levels of mercury contamination: Though surface water is the main source of water supply for the residents of Port Kaituma, Region One, the Guyana Water Incorporated has …
Calls for government agencies to face legal action over recurring landfill fires in Jamaica
Fires at the Riverton landfill in Jamaica have become a routine occurrence, and constitute a major threat to environmental quality, public health, and safety. A recent editorial in the Jamaica Gleaner calls for various government agencies to be held accountable for infringing on citizens’ right to a healthy environment: This newspaper endorses the …
Mercury from illegal gold mining in Venezuela threatens Caribbean ecosystems
An alarming report by Jewel Fraser, writing for Seafood Source: A group of Venezuelan scientists and an investigative journalist told an audience of fellow scientists and journalists that, whereas in 2016 the Venezuelan government created the Orinoco Mining Arc National Strategic Development Zone, with the ostensible objective of inviting international …
Green Antilles link roundup: August 11, 2018
Strengthening Cuban coastal landscape in the face of climate change — The Cuban authorities in the 1990s began to modify the management of coastal areas, which was accelerated with the implementation in 2017 of the first government plan to address climate change, better known as Life Task. Reinventing islands —The …
3MW solar farm officially opened in Saint Lucia
The first utility-scale renewable energy development in Saint Lucia was officially opened August 9, 2018. The opening ceremony was attended by Saint Lucian Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, former US President Bill Clinton, and former President of Costa Rica, José María Figueres. LoopTT reports on former President Clinton’s remarks at the …