"Living Green" Fair on April 23rd

The Departments of Tourism and Environment will be hosting a fair, “Living Green” in celebration of Earth Day on Friday, April 23rd 2010, on the lawns of the Governor’s House. The objective of “Living Green” is to expose both the private and public to green initiatives and products currently available on island that residents can adopt in their day to day lives at home and in the office. The fair will also incorporate the involvement of Cayman Islands youth with 1:30pm until 2:30pm designated just for the students so that they can learn the many ways of living green in Cayman.

For more information contact Aliya Dunstan (adunstan@caymanislands.ky) at 244-1251.

Plastic bags are killing our marine environment

By: Michael Klein | mklein@cfp.ky
The Journal

All of Cayman’s supermarkets have agreed to discontinue the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags from June and will encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags, reports business journalist Michael Klein.

As the most widely used consumer item, plastic bags have become a huge burden on the environment worldwide. In Cayman, where “Mount Trashmore” has been steadily growing without any recognisable strategy to reduce or eliminate solid waste, non-biodegradable plastic bags have noticeably contributed to an increasing garbage problem.

“The facts and figures speak for themselves in that we are all playing our part in killing our natural environment,” says Woody Foster, managing director of Fosters Food Fair IGA.

“No one really thinks about the few bags that are in their possession when they go shopping, but when you add them all up over the year, over 12 million bags goes a long way in killing the environment that we love so much.”

For this reason, all of Cayman’s supermarkets, including Fosters, Kirk and Hurley’s, have agreed in a concerted effort to discontinue the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags. The move will see the introduction of a fee of 5 cents for each of the biodegradable bags that will replace them. At the same time supermarkets will encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags...read full story.

The Corporate Green Team Network

The Journal

The Corporate Green Team Network started as a volunteer group of individuals from a number of private and public sector companies and organisations in the Cayman Islands. Initially, the group was created in June 2009 as the result of a partnership between Deloitte and the Department of Environment.

“We went to Deloitte with the DoE Sustainability Unit series of guides on sustainability issues in the office space,” says Gina Ebanks-Petrie. The DoE was aware of Deloitte’s internal green efforts but also as a frequent contributor to sustainability issues. “We approached them to see whether they would be interested in sponsoring the guides.”

The outcome of a conversation with Deloitte Chief Operating Officer Alee Fa’amoe was that Deloitte was interested in the issues in general and attracted by the fact that the DoE saw this as part of a bigger plan to get buy-in for on the political level and not just a one-off project, she says. “And that really our goal is to move as a country to a national sustainability strategy.” Both parties have signed a memorandum of understanding to participate in other sustainable development initiatives...read full story.

Protecting our precious assets

By: Kate Pellow
What's Hot: Cayman's Local Guide

Cayman’s environment, especially its oceans, is one of its greatest assets. Yet our everyday lives can have a major impact on this asset.

When it comes to the environment, plastic is a huge pollutant. The problems with plastic arise mainly from our slovenly approach to putting it in the bin and making sure it is recycled once it is no longer needed.

Plastic is cheap to produce, flexible, durable, waterproof, easy to manufacture and it has been used increasingly since the 1950s. Plastic has replaced many traditional resources such as glass, wood and steel and it is used in pretty much everything we come into contact with. Scientists are developing newer, safer plastics and alternatives, such as biodegradable plastics, but certainly not quickly enough to curb the plastic issues facing the environment...read full story.

Cayman BECOME: Plastic Bag Reduction Campaign

As Earth Day 2010 approaches this month, an important initiative is being launched. The Corporate Green Team Network, a group of corporate representatives and some public sector agencies brought together through a partnership between the Department of Environment (DOE) and Deloitte Cayman, have joined forces to promote environmental responsibility through the reduction of plastic bag use in the Cayman Islands. Over 12 million of these bags are disposed of every year in Grand Cayman, which have a negative impact on our valuable marine resources and wildlife. This is why we encourage the community to bring their own bags when they shop, instead of using plastic. The major supermarkets in Grand Cayman - Fosters Food Fair, Hurley's, and Kirk Supermarket - are supporting CGTN's campaign by working with to reduce this type of waste. As part of this effort they will be doing the following:

• The non-degradable plastic carrier bags currently supplied will be replaced by bio-degradable plastic bags.
• As of Wednesday June 9th, a charge will be introduced for these biodegradable bags of 5 cents per bag.
• Reusable bags will continue to be sold in the supermarket stores.

For more information about getting involved with the Cayman BECOME campaign, visit their website.

Cleaning the green way

By: Jan Byrne | jan@cfp.ky
The Observer on Sunday

April is earth month and during April the Observer On Sunday will be looking at ways that you can make changes to your lifestyle to help the environment. This week we look at swapping ordinary household cleaners for green alternatives.

There are two very good reasons why it is better to switch from everyday cleaning products to green household cleaning products. One, is that they contain harmful solvents and chemicals that we breathe in and absorb through our skins,the other is that they are harmful to the environment.

Chris Hew from Hews Janitorial cleaning services, switched to using green products many years ago after realising how much bleach and other chemicals were going into the groundwater and feeding into the oceans and plants.

He was also concerned about the effect harmful chemicals would have on his staff from using them every day...read full story.