KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Christine Todd-Whitman

Published On:Friday, February 26, 2010

EXPLORING how to make Eleuthera a model of sustainable development not only for the Bahamas, but throughout the world, was the main topic at the 2010 sustainability conference hosted by the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) last weekend.

Government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette, Speaker of the House of Assembly Alvin Smith and Minister of Education Desmond Bannister, attended the conference at which former governor of New Jersey and former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

Christine Todd-Whitman was the keynote speaker.

Each government official took time to share thoughts on how Eleuthera can become a model for sustainable development.

During her keynote address, Governor Todd-Whitman recognised the challenges the Bahamas faces as it works toward a sustainable future.

"The rewards of early commitment to sustainability are not perhaps as tangible today as we would like them to be, and they're hard to prove," she said.

"But you can't wait until that evidence is out there to start to take action. By then it's too late when you're talking about sustainability. You have to move forward sooner."

Governor Todd-Whitman was also quick to point out that since New Jersey and Eleuthera have many similarities, she felt comfortable sharing her experiences.

Both places have a 110-mile Atlantic coastline, both heavily depend on tourism, and both places are centres of innovation. Mr Symonette challenged conference participants to be proactive in solving problems of sustainability in the Bahamas.

"The government is challenged in producing a lot of the answers you want," he said.

"So sometimes it is helpful for you to come to the government with the solution to the problem, not ask the government to develop the solution."

During the afternoon panel discussion, participants examined CEI's Charter for Sustainable Development of the Bahamas and made suggestions on how these principles could best be put into action.

Panellists included Shaun Ingraham, Eleuthera community member; Joy Jibrilu, director of Investments for the Bahamas Investment Authority; Mike Hartman, an eco-developer in the Bahamas and Costa Rica; Eric Carey, executive director of Bahamas National Trust, and Michael Northrop, Sustainable Development Programme director of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

CEI will continue to solicit input on the charter at www.greenbahamas.wordpress.com.