In 1958 my Dominican born Grandmother boarded a ship and left for England. After the sea-sickening 7 day journey she was met by my Grandfather who had left a few months earlier. Ever since the Empire Windrush landed on the British shores with a group of Jamaicans in 1948 this scenario of people from the Caribbean leaving for a new life in England was played out many times over the next few decades. My Grandparents, like many others who left home, were certain that they would only be staying away for a couple of years. However it was only when they retired 38 years later that they returned home to live.

In recent years, the Caribbean has been welcoming home its long lost populace as retirees are deciding return and live out their golden years in their country of birth. Yet they are not the only ones returning. The first and second generation diaspora are also flocking to the Caribbean to make their lives here even though it is a very different environment than they grew up in. Continue reading "Coming in from the Cold – The Return of the Diaspora"

On Sept 19th the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis celebrate their 25th anniversary of independence. Various activities have been occurring throughout the year and are set to intensify further this month. A Ceremonial Parade in commemoration of the Silver Jubilee will be held at the Warner Park Stadium on Friday 19th September at 7:30 A.M. During this Parade, the Federation’s Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas will deliver the Silver Jubilee Independence Message.

I visited the twin islands of St Kitts and Nevis in 2005 for an agricultural training program and stayed in the capital city of Basseterre which is like a small town but is filled with bustling activity. The neatly designed streets were stamped with hallmarks of the islands colonial legacy and the country landscapes were a beautiful testament to the islands original Kalinago name "Liamuiga" which translates to mean ‘fertile lands’.

Continue reading "Happy Anniversary - 25th Independence for St Kitts & Nevis"

I love traveling and I also like encouraging others to come and experience the delights of the Caribbean. However as someone with a passion for living in harmony with nature the negative environmental impacts of travel do not go unnoticed. I am in conflict between my desire to explore and enjoy other parts of the world and my wish to ensure that the world is in a state that my children and great-great grandchildren can live in happily and healthily.

This inner discord was intensified recently when I read in New Scientist that the environmental impacts of air travel are actually worse in tropical climates. The short article clearly explains that certain greenhouse gases are intensified in hotter climes and thus contribute far more to climate change than travel in temperate climates – yikes! Since tourism is the economic backbone of much of the Caribbean a decrease in the industry could lead to negative social impacts such as unemployment and poverty. It’s an issue without an easy solution. Continue reading "Carbon Offsetting for Tropical Travel"