Image: via UNEP Young Champions website
Innovation

UNEP Young Champions of the Earth finalists announced: no Caribbean environmentalists on the shortlist

The United Nations Environment Programme recently announced the 35 regional finalists shortlisted for the 2020 Young Champions of the Earth award. Not for the first time, there are no Caribbean finalists for the award, which “aims to identify, support and celebrate outstanding individuals aged between 18 and 30 with big …

Wind turbines. Image: Robert R. Gigliotti
Energy

BLOOM Cleantech Cluster Barbados

The BLOOM Cleantech Cluster Barbados is inviting applications to its business incubation and pre-incubation programmes, with a focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. BLOOM is a national, sustainable energy and climate technology cluster based in Barbados, with a regional and international focus.  BLOOM coordinates and provides business advisory services …

Soil. Image: CIAT
Agriculture

How permaculture in the Caribbean can help mitigate climate change

Maintaining and improving soil health is an integral aspect of sustainable agriculture. Not only are healthy soils more productive, they also help to mitigate climate change by absorbing greenhouses gases from the atmosphere. As Daphne Ewing-Chow, writing for Forbes, explains, this is why regenerative agriculture, which reverses land degradation and …

Barbados beach. Image: Ben Geach.
Oceans

Coral reefs worth billions to the Caribbean tourism industry

According to a recent study by the Nature Conservancy, coral reefs contribute over US$7.9 billion annually to the Caribbean economy through tourism. This represents 23% of all tourism expenditures and more than 10% of the region’s GDP. The study, which was supported by JetBlue, the World Travel and Tourism Council, …

Dr. Sonia Peter. Image: courtesy Dr. Sonia Peter.
Interview

Green Antilles interview: Dr. Sonia Peter

Today’s Green Antilles interview is with Dr. Sonia Peter of Barbados. Dr. Peter is a natural products chemist with an interest in ethnobotany and plant conservation. She studies the fascinating library of natural agents produced by plants, the tradition of our use of plants for medicine and the potential for …

Kemar Codrington and Mikhail Eversley of OASIS Laboratory. Image: courtesy OASIS Laboratory
Innovation
3

Green Antilles interview: OASIS Laboratory

Today’s Green Antilles interview is with the entrepreneurial team of young scientists behind OASIS Laboratory. OASIS Laboratory is a Barbadian company manufacturing botanical, eco-friendly personal care products made with natural ingredients like breadfruit, tamarind, cinnamon, lemongrass, and sargassum seaweed.  The innovators behind OASIS Laboratory are Kemar Codrington (pictured above, left) …

Eagle Beach, Aruba. Image: Chris Ford
General

Green Antilles link roundup: January 6, 2019

Aruba’s Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is the Caribbean’s first carbon-neutral resort — The resort has been a pioneer in sustainability in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. From organizing beach cleanups in the very early years, to installing energy efficient appliances and supporting turtle conservation programs, the resort knows the value …