Cayman Net NewsCayman residents can have their say on the newest version of the National Conservation Bill.
Environment Minister Mark Scotland wants to bring the bill to the Legislative Assembly before year’s end.
“I believe that we need comprehensive conservation legislation to adequately protect Cayman’s future,” Mr. Scotland said. “I also hold that the environment is an issue that affects everyone, and therefore it is vital to gauge public opinion on the matter.
The Department of Environment has started public consultations with key stakeholder meetings and the launch of an explanatory guide to the proposed National Conservation Law.
In addition, district meetings will start the week of 5 July. The department will announce times and venues as soon as possible. Read whole story here.
We have learned there is no threat of oil from the Gulf of Mexico leak washing ashore in the Cayman Islands.
However, this does not mean there is no threat at all to Cayman; scientists believe the Caribbean marine ecosystem could indeed be affected by the Gulf oil spill.
It is known, for instance, that one of the turtles that lays its eggs on Cayman’s beaches has migrated to an area in the Gulf. More significantly, it is thought that ocean-dwelling fish are part of a marine ecosystem interlinked with the Gulf. How that could affect Cayman is anyone’s guess, but the point is that the world’s environment crosses man-made borders of countries. Everything is ultimately linked.
The phrase ‘think globally, act locally’ has been used to encourage worldwide activism on a number of fronts, including the environment. The idea is that environmental issues are everyone’s problem, so everyone should do their part. It has been argued that Cayman is so small, anything it does to address things like its carbon footprint are negligible on a global scale. But just like one vote doesn’t usually win an election anywhere, politicians are ultimately elected by individual voters nonetheless. Every little bit does help, or hurt, depending on the action.
By: Alan Markoff | alan@cfp.kyCaymanian Compass
More the 71 per cent of the 482 respondents to last week’s caycompass.com online poll said they will take their own shopping bags when grocery stores start charging for plastic bags. Cayman’s major supermarkets started charging five cents per bag on Wednesday.
In total, 343 people - 71.2 per cent - said they would take their own bags to the store instead of paying the five cents.
“Of course, there will be the inevitable times I forget, so I’ll probably end up buying about 50 of the reusable ones - or just not use a bag, depending on what it is,” said one person. Read the full story here.
9 June 2010
The Caymanian Compass
Starting today, supermarkets will be implementing a new 5 cent charge for plastic bags as part of the Cayman BECOME campaign to encourage the Cayman Islands public to bring their own reusable bags when they shop.
To prepare for the big day, cashiers and baggers have received training from the Cayman BECOME education and training committee.
“We are aiming to adapt the interaction between cashier and customer for when the charge is introduced,” said Senior Sustainable Development Officer at the Department of Environment Joni Kirkconnell, one of the trainers.
She said cashiers are now being urged to ask customers directly if they have their own bags with them and if not they will ask whether the customer needs a bag and wishes to purchase a reusable bag, or purchase plastic bags. “This should not only make people think about bringing their own bags in the future, but it will also make cashiers more aware of how many plastic bags they are providing, and customers more aware of how many plastic bags they are using,” said Ms Kirkconnell. Read the whole story here.
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Join us on Saturday, June 12th between 10am-12 noon at Kirk Supermarket, Hurley's, and all Fosters stores to get a free reusable grocery bag from the Cayman BECOME campaign. Starting on June 9th, all of the stores will begin charging 5 cents for every plastic bag used. Each of the stores sell their own reusable bags in addition to the limited supply of Cayman BECOME bags that will be available on June 12th. For more information on Cayman BECOME, visit their website.
Cruise ship companies needs to take responsibility for the waste it produces Imagine walking down the street just as the crew of an airplane flying overhead decides to dump sewage from the plane's toilets. Not a pleasant thought. Fortunately, airlines aren't allowed to do this.
But cruise ships do it all the time — and not just with sewage, but with food waste, oily bilge water, and solid waste as well. As an article on the nonprofit news website DC Bureau notes, cruise ship companies that rely on "pristine oceans, beautiful coral reefs and marine life" and "that advertise excursions to untouched ocean scenery are threatening these very same natural resources with their standard practice of flushing harmful toxins, mostly as sewage and food waste, into the ocean."
Although some cruise ship companies have made improvements in waste-water treatment, the industry still has a long way to go. And even though sewage is subject to some regulations, food-waste dumping is not regulated. Considering that a cruise ship can serve from 10,000 to 25,000 meals a day, that's a lot of leftover scraps and waste that are ground up and dumped into often-fragile ocean ecosystems. This waste becomes acidic as it decomposes, increasing nutrients that starve the ocean of oxygen and contribute to the creation of dead zones. Read more...
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By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola