Rather than writing directly to Mrs. McCaulay, I am posting something here because I believe her responses are needed for all people in Treasure Beach to see, not only us.

Without discussing the merits of the actual Green Globe program, virtually everyone in Treasure Beach declined to apply for membership. Personally speaking, we did so because we felt it was meant for large hotels and was inappropriate for our villas (meaning Green Globe certification, not "going green").

What I am seeking is a list of specific suggestions which could be implemented by the community. In addition to the list of "don'ts," I am looking for viable alternatives. For instance, I know we should not burn any trash; but what do we do with the huge piles of branches remaining from pruning plants? We should use as few plastic bottles as possible, but what do we do when guests insist on us procuring cases of bottled water (which are only packaged in plastic bottles)? How are we supposed to dispose of such dangerous waste as fluorescent light bulbs (which contain mercury)?

Are there things to do which are the most important, and other things which are not as vital?

Thank you in advance for any guidance you are willing to provide.

I would love this information too. We avoided GreenGlobebecause it was very expensive and it didn't seem it would do us much good.

I would like to know if Miss McCauley feels Green Globe is an organization we should join. Could she explain the pros and cons.

I am not so much in favour of Green Globe because (a) a hotel that causes a huge amount of damage in its construction phase and was built in an ecologically sensitive area can still get Green Globe certified afterwards. (b) Green Globe doesn't seem to worry too much about the quality of sewage treatment. (c) The little sign about hanging up your towels and so forth is often not observed by the hotel staff. So I think Green Globe certification can be misleading.

And as for Karen's other question about the alternatives, what SHOULD be done (as opposed to what should NOT be done) - this is tough, because very often there are not good alternatives in Ja. So it would be great if I could say - recycle the plastic. But there isn't a good recycling programme for Jamaica, and certainly not in TB.

I believe, however, that if people start pushing for certain things, like recycling, they they might happen. If we just throw up our hands in resignation, I know for sure they will never happen.

So here are some ideas for some solutions:

Waste. Definitely separate the biodegradables and compost. This is easy and will make your garden look great. Give your guests alternatives like fresh fruit juice - no containers. If bottled water is a must, any chance of using those big containers that can be returned and refilled? I don't know if this is feasible in TB. What about installing a reverse osmosis system - probably safer than bottled water.

As for woody bits of garden waste that cannot be composted, TB could buy a wood chipper. I don't think they are expensive - at least not unless you are chipping up huge tree trunks. People could then take their woody garden waste to the wood chipping place and get back the chips as mulch - good in a dry area like TB.

I saw community composting and chipping in Seattle - where it is cold and wet and the compost works way slower than here. It really can be done and could even employ a few people.

Cans and all plastic except PET and HDPE have to go to a landfill. There are PET (clear soda bottles) and HDPE (like a Tru Juice bottle) recycling programmes in Jamaica - to get a pick up in TB is going to be a question of volume. Glass the same. So there could be what is called in the US a transfer station in TB, where waste is sorted, the stuff that has to be landfilled goes to the landfill, and the stuff that can be recycled or composted is recycled or composted. It's hard to make money at this, because Jamaica's volumes are small, but perhaps folks might be prepared to pay a little bit for this service.

There is no proper disposal in Ja for fluorescent bulbs - so what I always tell people about that is to leave them on the lawns of Ja house, along with car batteries and other items of hazardous waste. I am only half joking. Unless it becomes impossible for the GOJ to ignore waste issues, they will continue to play "out of sight out of mind."

Energy. It makes economic and environmental sense to save energy, so use energy saver bulbs, I was telling Jason that there are now the state of the art solar airconditioners in Jamaica, I don't know about the price, but I also know there is grant money around for such things. Use solar water heating. Train household staff to turn off lights when not in use. I don't know if this is done in TB, but in lots of places on the north coast, the turn down procedure for a villa or hotel room is to turn on the TV and the air conditioner even though no one is in the room. Don't do stuff like that.

Water. Install water saving devices - there are many of them. Slowly change out old toilets (which use a lot of water for flushing) to water saver models. I'm going to see what I can find out about dry systems - they never used to work very well, but I gather strides have been made as the world starts to run out of water. Usual thing about not washing sheets and towels every day - nobody does this at home, do they?

Sewage. Nobody on the coast should have a soakaway pit. The sewage issue needs a discussion, because a decision has to be taken as to whether TB is going to go the route of the central sewage system or if each house should have its own system. Can't solve this here.

Construction. Build small and energy efficient and water efficient. Insulate. Angle the house right, so it catches breezes. Be serious about not letting silt get into the sea. The construction phase of many coastal developments causes catastrophic harm.

Buffer. If you make an area impervious, either because of a car park or a roof, make sure you leave vegetation around the area to absorb the excess runoff. Really think about and study drainage - so much trouble is caused by ignoring natural drainage patterns.

Phew. That's what I can think of for now. If you have other questions, ask them and I will try to answer them. I think TB should pioneer its own "Green Globe" programme which raises the bar a whole heap higher than Green Globe.

Last bit of preaching :-) - it is a mistake to to think that because we can't do everything, we should do nothing.

Diana

We avoided Green Globe as it was a 'for profit' organization. You pay a lot of money...fill out reams of forms, they give you a sticker and then they never follow up. It seemed to me that they sold people on the idea that if they had this certification, your business would increase. I just didn't trust them. We didn't need Green Globe to tell us what we were already doing.

For our part at Lyric we make sure to compost vegetable matter, we use our gray water for the garden, solar water heater for hot water and no pesticides or air conditioning. We are looking at investing in a wood chipper/shredder for the garden waste so that we cut out the burning. Personally I always walk with a scandal bag when I go on the beach and pick up the rubbish that might have washed up. Every little bit counts. The most important thing is 'talking' though. It's up to us to educate our friends, family, staff members and even strangers about the importance of the environment.

With all due respect...how 'green' is it to get on a plane and fly thousands of miles to Jamaica for a vacation?

The last post by Tyusedney is exactly the type of argument used to get folks to do nothing. In other words - until we are all squeaky green, then no point in worrying about our waste or our use of energy or our destruction of nature. Is it practical for an island to declare that all air travel is out? I doubt it. But it IS practical for an island to decide on trying to lower the environmental impacts of commerical activity and daily life.

Diana

You are right, Mr. G-man. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Mrs. McCaulay has been handling environmental protection for almost 20 years. She is an expert in her field. While I doubt she was able to get to know the entire ecosystem of Treasure Beach in less than a day, she was able to make a fast assessment exactly because she is an expert. There is more she should see in Treasure Beach. When she does, her recommendations will have even more meaning.

That’s what a good doctor does. He or she relies on the patient for input. Then, combined with this and his expert knowledge, the doctor can recommend a proper course of treatment. Even people who are smart about their bodies rely on medical advice. Doctors themselves go to another physician when they are ill.

My guess is she is looking for different members of the community to work with her and offer their insights and suggestions. You sound like you know what you are doing and could be of assistance to her. She has only two eyes and two ears. Why not send her an email and offer to meet with her when she’s next in Treasure Beach? Why not volunteer to head a committee of concerned citizens who aren’t afraid to challenge some unhealthy practices that happen every day?

The value she adds is someone needs to get the ball rolling to do something. We must stop some practices and begin others, no matter how difficult it may be. If you think we are okay with the current situation, drive into Fort Charles and look at the pile of burned appliances on the south side of the road. Tell us if you think it’s fine for your baby or grandmother to breathe in the fumes from the poison that’s sprayed to kill mosquitoes. Tell us if you don’t care that many people hardly ever have water. Tell us you don’t care what kind of garbage gets poured into the sea and kills the fish.

If we sit back and do nothing, we will soon have a mess on our hands that we cannot fix even with the assistance of Diana McCaulay.

The time to act is now. Today.

very green...don't be scracastic Tyusedney...can you tell how green it is to drive everywhere

Why not use Miss McCaulays's resources to help make Treasure Beach as green as possible? As opposed to Green Globe certification -- expensive, maybe not very meaningful, and must be renewed every year -- requiring additional money, I'm thinking JET might be willing to give good suggestions to each and every guesthouse or villa or hotel that took the time to ask.

Like Annabelle and Lyric, we decided not to go for GG certification. Our reasons were the same as hers. Also, if you look at the list of GG-certified properties in Jamaica, they are very unlike anything we have in Treasure Beach. With almost no exceptions, they are various locations of Beaches, Couples, and Sandals resorts. There are NO GG-certified properties in Treasure Beach. (Check out their website if you doubt me.)

One annoying aspect to the whole Green Globe push is that BREDS received a grant from USAID a few years ago to learn about Green Globe and how its practices could be implemented in the community. When property owners asked for a list of practices and guidelines we could follow, no answers were shared. (Check out the archives of TB.net because I am not making this up.)

Let's use JET's resources to improve our community. In the few days she's been posting on this site, I have learned more about how to go green that I ever did from Green Globe.

The solution to the world's environmental problems ultimately rests in the abolishment of the monetary system. The Babylon system, engineered so that third world countries are destroyed while the ruling class live in luxury, relies on people to consume material things and product, creating profit and power for corporations, and death for nature.

Humanity needs to transcend to a new consciousness. Who was it that sung "are you ready to start a revolution?"

The people who recorded that song made a lot of money.

Money is green.

Being serious, it is high time we took a good look at Treasure Beach and do what we can to not only save it but improve it. In addition to what Miss McCaulay and the people from JET can teach us, we need to figure out how to get more clean water on a constant basis. We need to put out more containers for trash. We need to figure out how to recycle the most dangerous items rather than burning or dumping them.

If we could set up committees and these people would continue to pursue solutions to our most pressing issues, this would be an excellent start. Too often, we raise a fuss because of an event like the seaplane and then a month later all seems to be forgotten.

Money is a tool.

The manipulation of this tool has become the domain of specialists. They are called: accountants, stockbrokers, money managers etc.

The tool enables trade, saving etc. The tool is not at fault. It seems this tool was being utilised carelessly, selfishly and irresponsibly.

Most of us workers are neither recessed or depressed. We would like to know where our blood, sweat and tears dissapeared to.

What ARE the most dangerous items which you think should be recycled?

The list of hazardous wastes is quite long. Some common ones are compact flourescent light bulbs, refrigerators, auto batteries, air conditioners, computers, televisions,and household cleaning products.

At a meeting of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) they showed a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20 year old.

The contest was titled 'u @ 50'.

This video won second place.

When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause.

So simple and yet so brilliant.

Take a minute and watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA