The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

Tribune Education Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Bahamas Reef Environmental Educational Foundation (BREEF) held its annual Eco-Schools Bahamas (ESB) Coordinators Workshop for educators from around the country.

Eco Schools Bahamas is part of a global sustainable school programme active in over 79 countries. BREEF’s has been running the ESB programme since 2009 and currently operates on six islands with 19 government and 26 private schools.

The workshop allows educators to network, share experiences, and gain valuable information to inspire students toward positive actions to adapt to and combat climate change through their respective programmes.

More than 40 educators and participants from Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Long Island, and New Providence attended the workshop. The two-day workshop culminated with a snorkel at BREEF’s Coral Reef Sculpture Garden in Clifton Heritage Park

Prime Minister Philip Davis delivered the keynote address and noted that as The Bahamas celebrates 50 years of independence, BREEF is also celebrating 30 years of conservation, recognizing the impact that BREEF has had in the country throughout the years.

He said: “BREEF’s comprehensive approach to protecting our environment – from offering policy recommendations to engaging in hands-on restoration work and collaborating with the international community – has proven invaluable to conservation efforts.

“I commend you for helping to preserve our natural environment for generations of Bahamians to come”

Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, executive director of BREEF said that the organisation has reached every school in the country and aims to create a nation of people that appreciates and protects our oceans. She said: “Our vision at BREEF is for a nation where all people appreciate the value of our oceans and everyone takes action to protect them.

“Over the years, we’ve reached every school across the country, we’ve had teachers from every school participate in in-water training, and we have been working tirelessly to get our entire community involved in conservation.”