Environmental Initiatives

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES

CORALL Reef Restoration Alliance

The aim of the Coral Reef Restoration Alliance (CORALL) is to restore and conserve the coral reefs of Barbados. They have established fragment nurseries of brain and elkhorn corals along the west coast, which trained volunteers monitor until they are ready for out planting. CORALL has strong membership and volunteer programs. Tourists and locals alike can join and get involved with this critical conservation work. They also work with communities in education and in the “Ridge to Reef” approach, illustrating how what we do on land affects the sea. Get more information on Facebook – CORALLBarbados or online www.corallbarbados.org.

Eco Rebel Barbados

Eco Rebel Barbados has several projects focusing on waste management and sustainable living. They work with communities to help clean up their surroundings, and their brightly painted garbage cans can be spotted island-wide. Get more information on Facebook – ecorebelbarbados.

Future Centre Trust

The Future Centre Trust focuses on sustainable living, and offers Green Business Barbados Certification to local businesses, and also organizes the annual Clean Up Barbados in September, when hundreds of volunteers clean up thousands of pounds of garbage from our beaches, gullies and roadways. The FCT is also working on establishing the Barbados Trailway, which will be a paved path for walkers, joggers and cyclists, along the old railway line that cuts across the countryside to the east coast of the island. Get more information – www.futurecentretrust.org.

One Tree for Every Bajan – Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research Education and Design (WIRRED)

Barbados is particularly vulnerable to climate change and that’s why building climate resilient communities is critical to WIRRED’s mission. But they can’t do this alone, and need everyone to build a vibrant, healthy future for all.

The One Tree for Every Bajan Program offers Bajan’s an opportunity to help improve their environment, build habitat, increase biodiversity, sequester carbon and build climate resilience. By partnering with One Tree for Every Bajan, you show your support for the many people in the community working to build a better tomorrow. Through the One Tree for Every Bajan program, launched in January 2019, WIRRED’s made a commitment to engage communities to co-create a better future for people and the planet. 

Their goal is to:

●       Promote a culture of environmentally conscious volunteerism,

●       Create a movement of environmental stewardship in Barbados (inclusive of vulnerable groups),

●       Effectively leverage partnerships toward the long-term goal of planting One Tree for Every Bajan, and

●       Do their part in working towards the Government of Barbados’ 2030 net zero climate mitigation target goal and planting 1 million trees starting 2020.

Understanding that environmental stewardship is everyone's concern and encouraged by the resounding response to the call to action, they’re expanding the program to include public and community spaces all over Barbados. In identifying locations outside of Walkers Reserve they will be looking for three (3) enabling factors: 1) irrigation (water- lots of it!), 2) protection from animals and other threats and 3) periodic supervision to ensure that their plants get the care they need. They’re not only working towards building awareness for trees, and the vital role they play in their future, but making every attempt to ensure that the trees thrive, and they’re excited for you to be a part of this movement.

There are lots of simple ways for you to get involved in building a climate-resilient Barbados:

●       Donate to support their work

●       Gift a Tree

●       Volunteer at Walker’s Reserve

●       Sign up for the One Tree for Every Bajan App

●       Follow them on Instagram at @onetreeonebajan and share your tree planting story. Tag them and they’ll share your story with the world! #1tree1bajan

●       Connect: Get in touch today to make an impact by emailing them at onetree@wirred.org

●       Join the Movement - Are you already planting trees? Do you have plans to plant trees? You can join the movement by tagging and using their hashtags and they can in turn promote you as a One Tree Hero on their media platforms.

The project started in September 2016 with catalyzing corporate social responsibility, academic and community resources to join WIRRED in the much-needed work of restoring the fragile dune ecosystem of Walkers Beach, the largest nesting site for the giant, endangered Leatherback Turtle on the East Coast, St. Andrew.In the first phase of the Walkers Beach Dune Restoration Project they collaborated with Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University, Barbados Sea Turtle Project, National Conservation Commission, Zero Waste, Coastal Zone Management Unit, UNDP, Slow Fish Barbados and the Caribbean Permaculture Research Institute (CPRI) to develop a sound scientific methodology for restoration. Through the collective effort of WIRRED and their project partners, including the public, they intend to plant the indigenous trees which have specific adaptations to the beach environment and are needed to restore the fragile dune ecosystem of Walkers Beach.

The Barbados Government

The Barbados Government has set an extremely ambitious goal of stopping the use of fossil fuels and by 2030, and becoming the first carbon-neutral island nation in the world. Already Barbados is the Caribbean leader in electric vehicles. Indeed, there are over 500 electric vehicles in use, and there are 50 publicly accessible charging stations island-wide. The Barbados Transport Board recently added 59 electric buses to its fleet, and the goal is to have 127 electric buses by 2028 (the entire fleet). The Barbados Light & Power has also installed a large solar farm, and several private companies sell electricity produced by photovoltaics back to grid. Already on a sunny day 30% of the electricity is produced by photovoltaics. The Barbados Light and Power also has plans in place for a wind farm to further reduce the dependence on fossil fuel.

The Barbados Government is also attempting to plant 1,000,000 trees island-wide in 2020.