Littering: An Ongoing Problem

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has a litter collection team that cleans up central George Town daily and tackles public roads on a monthly basis, throughout the districts. Despite their efforts, littering remains a big problem.

"It is everyone's responsibility to keep the environment clean," said DEH Director Roydell Carter. "We are therefore asking the public's cooperation in keeping our country clean."...see full story.

Market at The Grounds: Field to Table?

The "field to table" trend is fast becoming part of a sustainable lifestyle, emphasizing local connections to the food we eat every day. Island economies such as Grand Cayman are ideal proving grounds for this trend with the ever-increasing costs of importing fresh produce and meat.

Market at The Grounds, held each Saturday morning between 7:00 and 12:00 noon in Lower Valley, is celebrating its two year anniversary this month. An initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, the market is designed to provide "an outlet for all things Caymanian" with seasonal local produce and specialty meats...see full story.

If you've checked out the market, weigh in with your comments.

Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Review

The new issue of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Review, available online, focuses on the environment including the develop of a National Energy Policy that addresses carbon emissions and bio-fuels, waste-to-energy, and strategies pertaining to renewable energy. This issue also includes a directory of green products and service providers.

Boston Gears Up to Launch America’s Biggest Bike Sharing Program

by Yuka Yoneda
August 17, 2009
Inhabit

We all know how wonderful bikes are for the environment, but if you’ve been reluctant to make the switch because of the hassle that storing a bike presents, we’ve got exciting news for you! …If you’re in Boston, that is. Lucky Bostonians will soon have no excuse when it comes to choosing biking over cars. The city has announced plans to implement a brand new urban bike sharing system as early as next summer which, when complete, will be the largest in America.

The new system will be very similar to infrastructure already in place in cities like Montreal and Paris. Riders can pick up bikes at one of the 290 stations with a swipe of a credit card, ride it wherever they need to go, and dock it at the station closest to their destination - no heavy locks and chains necessary. In Montreal, people can pay abut $78 per year or $5 per day to participate, which is quite a bit more economical than owning a car. A Canadian company, the Public Bike System Company which operates a program called Bixi, was selected to bring a network of bike-sharing stations to Boston, with the option to eventually expand into neighboring Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline...see full story.

The Carbon Case for Downloading Music

By Kate Galbraith
August 17, 2009, 12:24 pm
New York Times, Green Inc.

A new study has found that downloading music is substantially better from an emissions perspective than buying compact discs.

The study, which was funded by both Microsoft and Intel and authored by two academics at Carnegie Mellon University and a third affiliated with Stanford University, found that buying an album digitally reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 40 to 80 percent relative to a “best-case” CD-purchasing scenario...see full story.

Cayman’s Sam Spade of homes

By: Basia Pioro
The Observer
Published on August 16, 2009

Crawling around in a hot and dirty attic - it’s not the kind of detective work a film noir buff might deem terribly exciting.

And while it may lack the glamour of rescuing a stolen relic from the clutches of some celluloid villain, when the ripped up insulation, cracked ducts, mouldy bathrooms, and hidden air leaks that he’s hunting are revealed, Jorge Vera’s eureka moment is just as satisfying.

After all, he’s the Sam Spade of homes in Cayman.

Vera’s company, Smart Energy Management, conducts home energy audits to uncover small problems that, once resolved, can go a long way toward energy cost savings and reducing a home’s carbon footprint...see full story.