ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, February 22nd,  2012  --  An American Express Ad says, “We are a part of nature and as we destroy nature we destroy our selves. It’s a selfish thing to want to protect nature.”

Over the next two days the terms “Green Economy,” “Sustainable Development,” and “Environmental Mainstreaming” will likely be bounced around this room faster than Usain Bolt could run the 100m dash. But to come out of this discussion as winners, with a clear way forward, we must first ask ourselves, what does it mean to “Green” our economy?

 I don’t pretend that I can do justice to such an important question in just a few minutes. In a realistic sense, the question is what does “Green Economy,” “Sustainable Development,” and “Environmental Mainstreaming” mean in a practical way for these Virgin Islands.

The changes that will be seen in 1, 5, or 10 years will be the result of discussions like these, and that is ultimately what really matters.

Whether we say “Green Economy,” “Sustainable Development” or “Environmental Mainstreaming” we are essentially talking about the same thing – living in harmony with our environment to ensure that it continues to provide us the resources that we depend on to sustain our lives, our health and our economy.

Perhaps then, our first question should be, in this BVI context are what are these resources that sustain us? Or is it that it allows us to have a vibrant economy, a healthy life style and an envied quality of life? I can’t possibly name all of them, but I’ll be glad to mention a few. What does it really mean without our clean air or uniquely beautiful land and seascapes that attract close to a million visitors each year?

We depend ultimately on our diverse and highly valuable coastal and marine resources. From our salt ponds that serve as important drainage basins in times of floods, to our mangroves that protect our shorelines from crashing hurricane waves, to our beaches, to the reefs that sustain our fisheries and other marine life, and yes even provides the very white sand that make up our beaches.

What about the water we drink and that flows in every tap that ultimately comes from our coastal seas and rainfall? Then, of course, there are the resources that we have not fully harnessed as yet, like the brilliant sunshine and Northeast Trade Winds that could power our homes and businesses and the question of the business of renewable energy.

Perhaps in no other setting than a small island is the connection and dependence between the environment and man so explicit. We depend on finite or limited and fragile resources and we have the capacity to fundamentally impact our environment and the impact we have on our environment eventually has an impact on us. At the heart of the concept of a “Green Economy” is a fundamental understanding and respect for these facts. To believe otherwise is simply a state of denial. The global business community is awakening to this reality and it is time that we here in the Virgin Islands do so also.

Because of this understanding, we also have to recognize that we cannot leave the charge of protecting the environment, our lifeline, to only a few. If you are concerned about BVI’s development, you ought to be concerned about BVI’s environment. And if you are concerned about how you will live tomorrow, next year and how your children will live, you ought to be concerned about our environment.

Unless and until the environment becomes everyone’s business, and is thought about, and seriously considered in every decision we make, we can forget about an environment that will be in any condition to maintain our economy, secure our development or continue to provide the lifestyle that we now enjoy.

There is no tourism without environment, let me repeat myself, there is no tourism without environment. As the Premier so eloquently articulated that it is extremely important that we understand that the point of our environment in our tourism product is integral and inseparable.

As we develop as a country it will become increasingly important that we have a ministry of tourism and environment because there is no tourism without the environment. We have to make fundamental changes in which we think and act about energy, water, waste and how we make decisions about developmental and development practices.

I want to point out a very specific example of that, if you are paying attention to what is happening in Cane Garden Bay, then everyone of you sitting here has to be deeply concerned of what is taking place in Cane Garden Bay. It is an interesting case study to see the interaction of man and his environment and what we can do to the environment and what the environment can ultimately do to us.

As minister responsible for the natural resources of this country and the environment, one of the things that must absolutely be done in Cane Garden Bay is the restoration of the pond. A beach cannot survive without a pond, the pond is the lifeblood of the beach and we are destroying it.

In the Virgin Islands we face a number of practical dilemmas that Going Green can help to solve, such as the energy and climate problem. We are all intimately aware that the cost of electricity and gas continues to rise and energy security remains a serious issue for our islands.

I want to introduce a concept, something that I sincerely believe is a winner for the British Virgin Islands, that we use Anegada as a case study for renewable energy. Anegada is a very fragile ecosystem and it has a small but dynamic population.

We can use Anegada by setting up solar energy, wind or wave energy. We can use Anegada as a case study to see what it really will cost to use a re-used form of energy to produce whatever needs that community can have. Coming out of that study we can modify whatever needs to be modified to see if renewable energy is a winner for the rest of the BVI.

We can set up a solar system on Anegada that will take over the use of the electricity department there to produce energy for Anegada. If we have succeeded at that we can then use the economics of that to show that in fact we have a winner with electricity cost going down dramatically and that we are not impacting the environment.

We can then extend that to Jost Van Dyke modifying the gains and losses, then extend to Virgin Gorda and then ultimately to the entire BVI. The BVI can become a shining example of what a green economy needs and that renewable energy can work in these islands and probably for the rest of the Caribbean.

Climate change is a direct result of humans’ unchecked use of fossil fuels to produce energy. While the Virgin Islands and Caribbean as a whole contribute little to the problem, we are on the frontline of the impacts and must be a part of the global effort to curb this problem.

There is the water issue. Traditionally a dry climate, we have very limited freshwater resources. This situation will intensify as climate changes and our part of the Caribbean is predicted to receive less overall rainfall in the future. While we may be able to avert a crisis situation by depending more on desalination, we must recognize that this comes at a high cost of the energy required to produce that water.

The most important issue in the BVI is that the BVI faces a problem in respect to waste especially waste water. The Virgin Islands is neck deep in a waste crisis. We produce more solid waste than we can handle. At the current rate we will outgrow the combined capacity of the old and new incinerator in just a few short years.

It is extremely important that we be careful, we must be aware. If we are concerned about living in and passing on healthy islands, we have to take strong actions now to rewrite the storyline. To rephrase an ancient proverb, "We will reap exactly what we sow”

There are a number of practical steps that we must take, these will include issues like the way we use our toilets and flush water. Are we going to encourage businesses to provide energy saving waste units or are we going to continue to use units that are disposing 5 gallons of water just like that? Do we continue an excessive volume of unnecessary waste that will quickly filter down to Pockwood Pond?

Do we continue to burn and ultimately pollute the air or do we find ways to reduce waste we produce in the first place and are we ready for recycling? Do we continue to ignore the sun and wind energy at our ready disposal and continue to solely rely on fossil fuels? Do we continue to build in ways that destroy the environment when we could achieve the same ends without the environmental damage by making small investments in protective measures, such as silt fencing, or encouraging alternative development options that would capitalize on environmental features instead?

When I was in the EU Forum, I had a discussion with the Prime Minister of Curacao who is helping to initiate and encourage what he refers to as the ‘White Roof Initiative.’ Studies have been done in Washington that shows if every house in a place like in the Caribbean painted their roofs white it could have tremendous impact on the greening and ultimately reduce the impact of climate change and that doesn’t cost much. That would be a winner for both government and private enterprises.

Government can also play an important role through providing incentives that then drive businesses and individuals to making smarter, greener decisions. We find a perfect example right here in our region in the case of Barbados. Presently, there are over 50,000 solar water heaters installed in Barbados, this represents about 50% of the housing stock.

Cumulative consumer savings as result of this massive “Green” conversion is over $400 million United States dollars to date. This represents serious savings on the country and individual level when we consider that a solar water heater can pay for itself in 1 to 2 years. There were many important factors and actors, but chief among them was the important role the government played through fiscal incentives.

This Government is committed as our Premier just said, to taking the steps, within our capacity, to act as a facilitator and example setter in the greening process.

Businesses have a special role to play, because at the end of the day. You decide which products hit the shelves. The private sector has a special gift of innovation and creation and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour wants to provide you with opportunities and incentives to exercise it to spur this critical green transition. Today, I have already made a commitment on behalf of the Government; I now want to close with a challenge to the business community.

In BVI, June is celebrated annually as Environment Month, coordinated by the Conservation and Fisheries Department. This year the theme is “The Green Economy: Does it include you?” This June the Department is urging (and I am challenging) all businesses to take meaningful action to create this “Green Economy” by making your own “Greening Pledge”.

A “Greening Pledge” would include any action(s) that each business decides to implement in 2012 to help protect the environment. Pledges may include, for example, actions to cut down on your waste production, energy or water use, actions to properly dispose of wastes, actions to help educate consumers about better environmental practices, actions to support environmental work or even your own environmental stewardship project.

What is the incentive? Firstly your bottom line, as you save water, energy, and produce less waste, you save money. Secondly, your brand reputation – by taking the Pledge your business will be awarded with the Department’s official “Greening Seal” and publicly recognised as a Green leader.

The Department will be launching its call for pledges shortly in the media and will be making direct appeals to the business sector. I challenge all business leaders, civic society groups and even individuals to take action on the discussions you will have over the next two days by making our own “Greening Pledge” as a part of that initiative.

While the pathway to a truly green, sustainable future, is a long one, where we fully integrate the environment in all of our decisions, from those made at the House of Assembly, to the meeting rooms of small businesses and the dining tables of homes, it is also one full of opportunity and excitement. As your Minister for Natural Resources and Labour I look forward to leading the way and partnering with you to make this necessary transition to the Green Economy.

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