Helping the environment of Cayman one cup at a time

Cayman Net News

Illy coffee technician Ian Anderson walked into the Brew House Cafe and walked out a few minutes later with two trash bags filled with empty aluminium coffee containers. He threw the bags in his van, drove to another cafe and repeated the process, all in an effort to encourage recycling in Cayman.

“I’ve lived on the island so many years I just see that we just have to go and be proactive when it comes to recycling,” said Martin Richter, who started the recycling program last year in conjunction with Illy — an espresso and coffee accessory company.

Delivery drivers like Mr Anderson pick up empty aluminium containers from the retailers, collect them and drop off them off to be recycled...read the full story.

dms Broadcasting joins green campaign

Cayman Net News

As environmental awareness takes center stage, dms Broadcasting station X107.1 is lending its voice to “Cayman Become’s” first green initiative – the plastic bag reduction campaign that runs through July.

“X107.1 is proud to be a sponsor of this initiative,” said X107.1 DJ and Programming Director Matt Nasby. “It is core to our business philosophy to lend our voice to causes that better Cayman and protect the future of our island.”

“Ensuring that the message is received by as many listeners as possible, we are featuring these community service announcements across all four of our dms Broadcasting stations.”

As a sponsor, X107.1 will promote a “greener mindset” for its listeners through a variety of ways, including guest speakers and community service announcements, such as “5 Things You Should Know” and “Completely Cayman.”

With more than 12 million plastic bags being disposed of each year in Grand Cayman, there is a rising concern about solid waste, Mr Nasby said, particularly because of the negative impact this will have on valuable marine resources and wildlife.

Read the full story here.

How to make a difference - Climate change and energy - How to make a solar water heater from plastic water bottles

Retired mechanic Jose Alano invented a simple, cheap, energy saving rooftop solar water heater which is benefiting thousands of people. Here's how it's done...

José Alano is a model of creativity in tackling environmental problems in Brazil. In 2002, the retired mechanic transformed a pile of plastic bottles and cartons into a solar water heater. Since then, thousands of people in southern Brazil have benefited from Alano's invention, saving money while reducing waste.

The idea came from the lack of recycling collection services in his small home town of Tubarão. Refusing to throw plastic bottle, carton and other recyclable waste into the landfill, José Alano soon realised he had a problem: a room full of rubbish.

Read the whole story here.

Today's Editorial for May 11: Gov't must lead green movement

Caymanian Compass

In an interesting outcome to a recent caycompass.com online poll, over two-thirds of the respondents said they conserved, but they knew they could be greener.

If one accepts the principle that acknowledgement is the first step in solving a problem, it seems the Cayman Islands populace would like to get greener. The problem is, the Cayman Islands Government isn’t on the same page.

As one of the poll respondents pointed out, nearly all of Cayman’s green initiatives are driven by the private sector, not the government. When it comes the being green, the government is no better than a pale shade of lime.

The country has a disgraceful landfill situation, with a towering mountain of trash dominating the George Town landscape. Pollutants leaching from the dump are poisoning the waters of one of Cayman’s most precious resources, the North Sound.

Although successive governments have commissioned expensive reports, paid for trips to multiple places abroad to learn about waste management, all we’ve heard is talk...read full story.

Cayman wants to be green

Caymanian Compass

The vast majority of respondents in last week’s caycompass.com online poll say that when it comes to being green, they conserve but admit they could be “greener”.

Of the 297 respondents, 204 - or 68 per cent - when asked how green they were, answered that they conserved energy, but could do more for the environment.

One respondent boasted that he was greener than most of his neighbours, while another said: “I am very conservative, not wasteful. Re-use!”

One respondent echoed a sentiment often repeated in Cayman. “It would be helpful if there were more options here for recycling.”

Nine of the respondents, or 3 per cent of those who took part, gave themselves a pat on the back, saying “They don’t come any greener than me”, while 26 people, or 9 per cent of respondents, insisted they were not green at all and don’t plan on turning green...read full story.

Dragon Bay cleans up

Caymanian Compass

An Earth Day clean-up sponsored by Dragon Bay developer Michael Ryan ensured that bags of litter were removed from the North Sound coastline.

Items removed included numerous plastic bags and bottles, as well as shoes, car tires, car parts, and countless Styrofoam food containers.

Over 60 volunteers, including Dragon Bay and Ritz-Carlton staff as well as their families and friends, spread out over an area encompassing the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman resort, the North Sound Club and Safe Haven.

Leading up to the clean-up, Ryan implemented a programme of activities to encourage eco-friendly practices throughout the 360-acre resort community...read full story.