VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBH #0147/01 0692111
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 102111Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY NASSAU
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6189

UNCLAS NASSAU 000147 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, OES/ENRC, OES/IHA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV ENRG EFIS PGOV CASC KPAO BF
SUBJECT:  ISLAND SCHOOL FOCUSES GCOB ON ENERGY, FOOD, ENVIRONMENT 
FOR 10 YEARS 
 
REF:  08 Nassau 623 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  A U.S. privately sponsored secondary school 
specializing in environmental and marine studies celebrated ten 
year's of conservation and education in The Bahamas in February. 
The school is an open-air laboratory for practical renewable energy, 
sustainable food production, and marine research projects. 
U.S.-based journalists, scientists, and educators joined with 
alumni, parents, and former teachers, as well as high-ranking GCOB 
officials, for two roundtables on environment, education, and 
sustainable national development.  Social and cultural outreach 
events aimed at the local community focused on Bahamian-American 
collaboration in environmental protection, renewable energy 
innovation, and cultural exchange.  Post seeks to assist the Island 
School with increasing its national profile and outreach in Nassau 
and New Providence in these areas in line with overall public 
diplomacy goals.  Post will continue to work closely with the Island 
School on hurricane preparedness and other consular issues.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------------- 
SHOWCASES PRACTICAL PROJECTS 
---------------------------- 
¶2.  (U) The Island School is a research-based semester abroad 
program for high school sophomores and juniors concentrating on 
projects in marine resource management and sustainable development 
(www.islandschool.org ).  Its mission is education, research, and 
conservation in an innovative, experiential-learning setting in a 
relatively remote and untouched part of South Eleuthera.  The Island 
School serves U.S. citizens, while an affiliated, private Deep Creek 
Middle School - also funded by U.S. donors - offers unique 
educational opportunities to local Bahamians as well.  A third 
entity, the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI), is dedicated to 
research, sustainable design, and environmental outreach.  The 
U.S.-sponsored secondary school celebrated its ten-year anniversary 
in The Bahamas February 13-15. 
 
¶3.  (U) The Island School "practices what it preaches" with regard 
to sustainable systems, relying heavily on renewable energy from 
solar and wind sources, using bio-diesel for vehicles, collecting 
rainwater in underground cisterns, and running an innovative project 
in aquaponics - a combination of fish-farming and hydroponics - for 
self-sufficiency in food production.  The school harvests the 
invasive, non-native casuarinas pine tree for buildings, furniture, 
and other uses, and includes locally-available materials in unique, 
environmentally-designed school buildings, which do not rely on air 
conditioning.  The CEI also conducts marine research projects on 
reef health, offshore aquaculture, sea urchins, and sharks. 
 
----------------------------- 
U.S. GUESTS HIGHLIGHT POLICY, 
ENVIRONMENT, RESEARCH 
----------------------------- 
¶4.  (U) U.S.-based journalists, scientists, and educators joined 
with alumni, parents, and former teachers, high-ranking Bahamian 
officials, journalists, and the local community for two roundtables 
focusing on conservation policy, ocean health, environmental 
education, and sustainable development.  A long-time New York Times 
writer and editor provided an overview of U.S. environmental policy 
since the Nixon administration, highlighting positives and 
negatives.  A noted marine researcher and National Geographic 
Explorer shared her views of the importance of conservation and 
marine research for the future health of the planet, given the 
relative lack of knowledge of the oceans, well-known problems with 
collapsing fish stocks, and potential for severe environmental 
deterioration due to climate change.  Minister of Environment Earl 
Deveaux and Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest 
congratulated the school on its ten-year anniversary and reviewed 
GCOB environmental policy in creating marine protected areas and 
conserving marine stocks, such as the grouper, which are important 
to the Bahamian diet and economy. 
 
¶5.  (U) A second roundtabe focused on the importance of deep-ocean 
research and general education at all levels of society tofoster 
conservation and ocean protection, which re critical not only or a 
small-island developig state such as The Bahamas, but for the 
entire orld environment.  A senior U.S. scientist elaboratd on the 
idea of Planet Earth as a "life-supportsystem" for humanity - an 
inter-linked structure requiring constant attention, care and 
maintenance.  She pointed out that "Spaceship Earth" is largely 
dependent on the (mostly un-researched) oceans, which represent some 
90% of the biosphere and are demonstrably vulnerable to negative 
human intervention.  She stressed the potential for catastrophic 
system failure whether due to climate change or other human actions, 
such as indiscriminate or rapacious fishing methods. 
 
------------------------- 
BAHAMIANS -- DEVELOPMENT, 
EDUCATION, VALUES 
------------------------- 
¶6.  (U) Other speakers, including the President of the College of 
 
The Bahamas and the President of the Senate, raised the question of 
what values should be employed in national development or 
environmental sustainability in The Bahamas.  They called for 
increased education across-the-board in science and marine studies, 
in which The Bahamas has certain obvious geographic and other 
comparative advantages.  They also pointed to local history as proof 
of the potential for environmental degradation, whether in the 
destruction of native marine resources, trees and plants, and even 
people.  Referring to the Island School's ten years of diverse and 
innovate efforts, the President of the Senate spoke of The Bahamas' 
potential to be a laboratory not only for similar island states, but 
for global environment and energy policy.  Rather than simply a 
"canary in a coal mine", The Bahamas could be an example to the 
world. 
 
¶7.  (U) Three days of social and cultural outreach events aimed at 
the local community focused on Bahamian-American collaboration in 
education, environmental protection, renewable energy innovation, 
and cultural exchange.  Numerous U.S. guests interacted with 
hundreds of Bahamians from the local villages and throughout South 
Eleuthera in art, music, and social programs, including a fun walk 
and street fair with many local food and craft booths.  The events 
were covered by TV and print media, although not with the immediacy 
of news and not in the depth or detail which the Island School's 
multiple areas of focus would seem to merit. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶8.  (U) Given the intersection of energy, environment, and food 
production, and the GCOB's rising awareness of the different impacts 
of each on the national economy (reftel), Post seeks to assist the 
Island School with increasing its national profile and outreach in 
Nassau and New Providence.  Post may be able to assist in the areas 
of education, environmental protection, renewable energy innovation, 
and cultural exchange in line with overall public diplomacy and 
commercial goals.  Post will continue to work closely with the 
Island School administration, which participates in our warden 
system, on hurricane preparedness and other consular issues. 
 
ZUNIGA-BROWN