Barbados Underground (BU) is on record defending government’s mission to roll out a Renewable Energy (RE) program to reduce reliance on fossil fuel energy. Minister Darcy Boyce under whose ministry is responsible has been one of the most INVISIBLE ministers in the Cabinet of Barbados rivalled only by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Minister Dennis Lowe and Minister Steven Blackett. Any project which requires a significant change in behaviour by the users, there must see a champion using the best communication techniques to the need for adoption and change. Instead, there is a view in Barbados that EMERA, Barbados Light & Power parent, is driving the process. A case of the tail wagging the dog?
Here is an excellent resource for those interested in doing research to inform RE decision making – Renewable Energy Focus.com and for those aspiring to pursue post-grad training, navigate to this ink – MSc & PhD Scholarship Opportunities.
The following is a related blog submitted by Pillie.
This link The Netherlands Has Built Something No Other Country Has Done is just an example of how I see UWI ought to be [driving innovation].
My problem is that I see no real innovative initiatives coming from this prestigious learning institution. When will we get there?, so that we can help our country and by extension the rest of the Caribbean. We only seem to collect degrees on regurgitated information.
This too applies to the many doctors who permeate this country. No one is willing to challenge what they are being taught, also it does seem to me that they are researching the old remedies used by our senior citizens in order to take the Caribbean to a whole new level.
This Chikungunya virus has seen an upsurge of Bajans going back to the herbs for relief. I’ve heard of the pawpaw leaves, lavender oil, eucalyptus incense sticks, the drying and burning of cherry tree leaves like mosquito coil and what I’ve used that has been working for me, is drinking lemongrass tea. Bandele Serano researched the pawpaw leaves and discovered that they boiling and drinking of these leaves relieve the pain and swelling in swollen in joints. We need to love ourselves, trust one another and realize that we can find the solutions to sustain ourselves through the local foods we can eat, medicines to heal our ailments and natural resources to produce energy thus not relying on oil.
This will only begin by re-educating ourselves starting from the Nursery and Primary schools. There is the need to introduce home economics at the primary level, agriculture also needs to be dedicated subject so that the children can see food growing and then this food transformed into food and drink. These primary school children will learn the basics and then The Secondary Schools can look at the different methods of growing foods.
Science needs to be more prominent in the Primary Schools so that the children’s appetite can opened to the other possibilities available in science. A yearly science fair and other things can be looked at.
I’m just an ordinary Bajan who wants to see my country continue to take the world by storm by first looking after ourselves, the Caribbean and by extension the world. I love my country. I hope you can see that.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.