Welcome to the SGP Green Reporter Holiday Edition! The year 2022 will be forever etched in the memory of those who experienced it, unforgettable. It was the year the world returned much closer to pre-Covid normal. It was a year, scarred by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and rapid inflation with their associated ripple effects that threatened global food security and worsen inequality. The year when floods in Pakistan gave us a stern reminder that we are living in a climate crisis. A year when the world looked to COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh for the delivery of a loss and damage fund and out of the desert it was birthed. It was the year when The Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados and Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates Group was presented with the 2022 Champion for Global Change award. An honour in recognition of her exemplary leadership in fighting for a just, equitable, and sustainable world, unforgettable. On the behalf of the GEF SGP Barbados and the National Steering Committee, I want to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley on another well-deserved achievement.
In this holiday edition of the SGP Green Reporter, we cherish the good memories of 2022 and look forward to an even better 2023. Therefore, we take this opportunity to reminisce on some of our civil society grantee partners’ achievements that have made 2022 unforgettable for all the right reasons. It gives us joy to highlight what the Organic Growers & Cooperative Society does ‘For the Love of the Environment’ and to take you into ‘De Blue Green Gully’ with Youth Equipped To Achieve. CORALL, Elaine’s Caribbean Crochet, and CEMBI remind us of the importance of collaboration, creativity, and innovation. It is also my pleasure to introduce you to our new grantee partners. When you read this edition, I am sure that you will find that the work of our grantee partners is indeed unforgettable, as I found they are unforgettable too.
On behalf of the GEF SGP Barbados team, a special thank you to all contributors who submitted articles to make this holiday edition possible. We know that you, the reader, will find this edition informative and interesting; so as is our custom share it within your networks, including partners, colleagues, friends, and family.
Happy Holidays & A Prosperous New Year!
The promotion of conservation of plant biodiversity, for food security and health, via platforms of education and research requires intensive public engagement Too often, public outreach does not effectively engage society and stakeholders are left feeling powerless and without intellectual real estate. The BERP has made a commitment to take science to the public in easy to assimilate formats, always empowering participants in activities to lend their voice to the discourse on environmental change, loss of traditional knowledge and grassroots solutions
The importance of partnerships cannot be overestimated as linking hands in problem solving is essential for unravelling the knots or barriers to success. The BERP has adopted strategic design in its outreach programme, targeting both youth and adults.
Outputs of this outreach included:
The interview series Under the Breadfruit Tree, with noted regional and international scientists
The Farmer’s Kitchen, a three-part series that examined the value of underutilized plant species and agriculture
Top: Students at the Westbury Primary School learning, with the Director BERP, about plants by colouring.Healing Roots, the documentary that highlighted the importance of traditional root knowledge in society
The Herbal Spot, a podcast series that roamed across the Caribbean sharing common aspects of biocultural knowledge in Barbados, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica The colouring book Yabisi Guada, that profiles plants of biocultural value and the heritage knowledge that is being leached
The symposium Plants and Planting for the Future, that interrogated the future of plants as agents of healing, for food alternatives and general greening of economies
Recognition of the value of this platform came externally from the Falling Walls Foundation, in Germany, that celebrates science engagement by individuals and organizations
The BERP is currently the only Southern Caribbean organization that is represented on the Falling Walls Global Map of Engagement Biocultural Education & Research Programme I World Engagement Map (falling-walls.com).
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture, in the United States, acknowledged the importance of the PPFTF Symposium in the Caribbean and has awarded a grant for the 2023 edition The National Cultural Foundation, COT Industries, Story Shyft and Lydia Nicole
Designs all partnered in bringing the colouring book, with collages by Llanor Alleyne, to publication, in appreciation of the contribution and impact that it will have on both youth and adults. The NCF is further supporting distribution to Primary Schools Access to our science engagement platform is at our website Biocultural Education and Research Programme
Top & Middle: Junior and adult versions of the biocultural heritage coloring book.
Bottom: Screening of Healing Roots for public engagement and discussion
A friend and I recognised a decade ago that the role of the environmentally friendly farmer was being undervalued and often ignored by both policy makers and the majority of the public. We agreed that it might take a devastating natural disaster to re-evaluate the importance of food security and the sustainability of food supplies.
No one expected that in 2020 we would have a pandemic. Overnight all stores, including supermarkets, were instructed to close. Access to food and food distribution had to be rapidly rearranged and surprisingly but inevitably, farmers were considered essential workers. When others were staying home and restricted by curfews, farmers and their workers were exempted.
Left: Codrington College medicine garden 2019
Right: A young farmer, Uleesia Williams inspects the zuchinni at Nuevo Organic Cash crop farm - 2020
During 2019, a year before the pandemic we embarked on a small role, in a project with the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, the GEF Small Grants Programme, The historic Codrington College, a seminary college and a former plantation, located in rural Barbados and the surrounding community. Our environmental role was to grow organic medicinal herbs, have them validated by the UWI and utilised as value added products by the community. As the pandemic unfolded, our love for the environment had to be balanced with developing five additional acres to grow cash crops in another parish. On one occasion we shared a live feed via the GEF SGP UNDP Facebook, a virtual tour of the cash crop farm, which gained comments from as far away as the United Kingdom.
Young people, previously in tourism, construction and college, approached us to gain employment and get out of home. Parents of these youngsters were calling us to ask if we would take their children to work on the farms. As many as 12 young people had a great experience working on the gardens at Codrington college and the cash crop farm . Some of the profit from the cash crops were used to pay for the in kind contribution needs at the Codrington college project.
It was well written that; The stone that the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone.
"BitEgreen Market" is a behaviour modification system that incentivizes various sustainable actions. This solution manages wasted energy and unhealthy actions not just solid waste, or just one aspect of the Circular, Green or Blue Economy value chain BitEgreen Market Inc seeks to enhance overall operational efficiency of businesses, and integrate environmental preservation and other sustainable livelihood actions into mainstream society via everyday activities. The is done by working with all companies and individuals each playing a part in a manner that incentivizes all via our web platform and app.
After being awarded a full grant by GEF-SGP-UNDP under the Caribbean Environmental Management Bureau c/o TEN Habitat in 2020; BitEgreen Market web platform & app developed by the Caribbean Environmental Management Bureau was selected as one of Barbados’ most innovative cleantech businesses, for development under Export BarbadosBIDC’s Bloom Cleantech Cluster with technical and financial support from UNIDO and GEF. Also, BitEgreen (Barbados) was one of ten (10) projects awarded to partner with Microsoft Corporation Project 15 under GEF-SGP-UNDP “Microsoft and GEF-SGP hope that out of these events, they can further explore ways to scale-up and design innovative solutions to the work that we, and other grantees are leading on.” Recently, BitEgreen was a selected winner of the Digital Impact Advisory Fund by IDB Lab & DAI Global for development of our technological system; and was also selected for the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) Global (2023 cohort) by the Royal Academy of Engineering
In our mission, we innovate through technology to value sustainable actions and reusable & recyclable material; inform on related best practices; and increase productivity and savings for all; – with the additional thrill of gamification. BitEgreen's system is also designed to be accessible to persons with limited access to technology within societies. Our purpose is to enhance sustainability towards one hundred percent (100%)!
The Blue and Green Gully or “DeBaGG”, the acronym it has come to be known by, filled up more quickly than we could have anticipated The location in lush, green, cool Easy Hall, St. John quickly became a haven, a retreat, a community project, a food basket, a playground, an outdoor lab, a students’ saving grace, and many things to many people.
Psychology student Kiros Graham completed his UWI Give Back hours in record time and thoroughly enjoyed it. He helped to remove some of the invasive species locally known as mother-in-law tongue or snake plant, while learning that it is one of the few plants that produce oxygen during the day and night.
Top: YEA! volunteers harvesting bananas.
Left: Kiros Graham (left) with another YEA! volunteer in the DeBAGG.
Centre: YEA! Volunteers at the Youth Climate Action Summit.
Right: A session facilitated at Substance Abuse Foundation
Kiros is one of approximately 200 students of the UWI Cave Hill who were challenged in finding an organization, during CVID-19 restricted times, that would take on volunteers. The open space of DeBaGG kept students safely socially distanced while engaging them in a multiplicity of tasks that related to their multiplicity of interests.
Marsha-Ann Clarke Founder & CEO, Youth Equipped to Achieve!Along with planting and learning, young people were a part of World Environment Day, a Symposium on Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity, a Youth Conference on Climate Change, they developed educational materials on the effects of chemicals in popular household and person care products, they recycled palette wood to make furniture, they repurposed fallen trees for landscaping by creating steps up and down the gully slopes, they created a website to document gully plants, and most fun of all, they feasted on fruits and lemonade during breaks, and often took home plants and healthy treats.
Along with planting and learning, young people were a part of World Environment Day, a Symposium on Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity, a Youth Conference on Climate Change, they developed educational materials on the effects of chemicals in popular household and person care products, they recycled palette wood to make furniture, they repurposed fallen trees for landscaping by creating steps up and down the gully slopes, they created a website to document gully plants, and most fun of all, they feasted on fruits and lemonade during breaks, and often took home plants and healthy treats.
Our partnership with the Substance Abuse Foundation also allowed students to gain experience and volunteer hours by painting. During the process they got to hear authentic experiences and an education on the harmful effects of substance abuse from residents. Kiros was engaged by the resident psychologist on staff and supported founder MarshaAnn Clarke in delivering youth programs for children of the female residents Last but not least, Kiros assisted with building the toolshed that houses the tools and equipment made possible by funding from the GEF Small Grants Programme
The mission of CORALL is to, “Foster the conservation and restoration of coral reef ecosystems in Barbados for the well-being of all” We share our approach with UNDP through facilitation of community-based environmental stewardship.
Recently, our shared approach motivated a meaningful team-building activity with a beautiful outcome!
Together, we created a wall-hanging to illustrate the combined themes of “Ten Islands - One Team”; and, “New Ways of Thinking Blue”.
Creation of the wall-hanging engaged members of CORALL, and participants of a UNDP retreat held in Barbados during September 2022.
The outline of the wall-hanging was first drawn to fit on a canvas that measured 6 feet x 5 feet. After that, the laurels of the UN; the Caribbean island nations; and, the CORALL logo were painted; and, the canvas was taken to Holders Farmers Market where 20 CORALL members and additional volunteers painted the environmental aspects (photo 1).
CORALL volunteers left the outline of the people unpainted, so that the 60 participants of the UNDP retreat could paint their interpretations of themselves and their teams to finish the canvas (photo 2)
All artistry was conducted with enthusiasm and flair, and interpretations of the themes were unique! (photo 3)
The wall-hanging was officially presented by Trustee Emeritus of CORALL, Sir Trevor Carmichael, to Resident Representative for UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Limya Eltayeb. (photo 4). It is now installed at UN House in Barbados for all to admire.
CORALL and UNDP collaborate in a meaningful team-building activity with a beautiful outcome!
Susan Mahon President, Coral Reef Restoration Alliance
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Community Empowerment and Environment Partnership (CEEP) is bringing together crochet artists across Barbados to highlight the impact of climate change on the land and sea environment.
The GEF SGP UNDP CEEP funded the creative “Roofs to Reefs” project administered by Elaine’s Caribbean Crochet through the Barbados Youth Business Trust uses the artform of crochet to spotlight the opportunities available with renewable energy, while educating participants on environmental issues such as marine pollution and coral reef degradation.
GEF SGP National Coordinator Dr. David Bynoe shared that “We selected this project to receive a planning grant as it aligns to our local community empowerment and environmental objectives.
Through the project, female handicrafters and entrepreneurs will gain the knowledge, resources and tools to up-skill in the area of crochet while learning about their individual responsibility in reducing the impact of climate change.”
Elaine’s Caribbean Crochet Founder Nikisha Toppin indicated that the project was developed following research on eco-friendly ways to use crochet. “We know that the artform of crochet is diverse, allowing crocheters to create replicas of any item, whether it is a village with homes, trees, gardens or the recreation of the sea environment with fish, turtles and coral. Submitting the proposal for “Roofs to Reefs” was based on the concept that crochet can be used as a force of nature to help nature.”
She further advised that crocheters who volunteer to create the replicas of the environment will receive tangible resources. “We have invested in online courses for crochet artists to complete short classes with certification. We are also ensuring to have sewing, knitting, and loom tools, as well as yarn available for crocheters to use on personal projects, equipping the female entrepreneur with supplies to help their businesses be financially sustainable.”
The “Ridge to Reefs” crochet project will run from November 2022 through to January 2023, with meetings being held on Saturdays from 3:00pm - 5:00pm in the Conference Room, Building No. 2, Harbour Industrial Estate, Harbour Road, Bridgetown, St. Michael.
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The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), hosted a Project Inception Workshop on November 22nd to engage the new cohort of grantees and recent recipients of the Community Empowerment and Environment Partnership (CEEP). The CEEP is in partnership with the Ministry of Environment & National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy and the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment which was forged in celebration of World Environment Day on June 5th, 2022, to promote inclusive and sustainable development at the community level.
The workshop was held at UN House, and it brought together eleven (11) civil society organisations (CSOs) across Barbados who were selected for the execution of projects in the focal areas of climate change, land degradation, biodiversity and chemicals and waste/POPs (persistent organic pollutants). These organisations include AnchorBridge Environmental Inc, Roland Edwards Scout Group, Nature Fun Ranch, Elaine’s Caribbean Crochet, The Lodge School, The Rotary Club of Barbados South Charitable Trust Inc., Barbados Coalition of Service Industries, Barbados 4-H Foundation, Prison Fellowship Barbados, and Honeycomb Bee Farms.
These organisations will receive grant support up to USD 5,000 from GEF SGP as well as technical assistance and co-financing from the Ministry of Environment & National Beautification, Blue and Green Economy and the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment.
Dr David Bynoe, National Coordinator addressed the importance of developing strong partnerships between government, the private sector, and civil society that foster the building of capacity among community organisations to achieve inclusive and sustainable development at the community level.
Karen Harper
He reiterated the level of technical assistance available from the Ministries involved in the CEEP and encouraged further youth participation in events such as the recently concluded COP 27 in Egypt where more youth voices from Barbados and the region are needed.
Limya Eltayeb, UNDP Resident Representative, expressed great satisfaction with the speed at which Community Empowerment and Environment Partnership has transitioned from being launched to having 11 CSOs selected and awarded with grants.
The Resident Representative warmly welcomed the eleven (11) CSOs to UN House and lauded the progress made since the launch of the CEEP last June 2022 at Pool Woods, St John. She commended all partners for their commitment and investment in community action for climate and the environment, as well as the promotion of sustainable livelihoods. In addition, she noted that, “these projects all build on a strong motivation to serve the community in the area selected” and that the partnership will grow and evolve for the betterment of our communities.
Mr. Cleviston Hunte, Director of Youth Development, Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Community Empowerment stated that this initiative was commendable, especially for young people. He further noted that initiatives like this further complement the Ministry’s work with the National Youth Policy and the actions required to safeguard the future of young people by building their resilience. Additionally, he confirmed the Ministry’s support of the current initiative with technical and financial assistance and where feasible through the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES).
The Workshop addressed the major components of the Memorandum of Agreement including contractual responsibilities, and conditions of grant approval. Guidelines for the effective completion of technical and financial reports were presented. In addition, recordkeeping, procurement, contract components, project monitoring and evaluation procedures were also reviewed and discussed.
Senator Dr Chelston Brathwaite: NS
Donna Wellington: Barbados Banke Specialist
Kerryann Ifill: Barbados Council for with Disabilities
Emmanuel Joseph: Barbados A Media/Communications Focal Point
Dr Marsha Hinds - Women's Advocate
Ron Goodridge: Ministry of Environ
Economy & GEF Operational Focal Po
Tonya Millar: Caribbean Development
Travis Sinckler: Ministry of Environ Officer
Mohammad Nagdee - Cluster Head, S Nations Development Programme
From SGP Barbados