Sustainable Bermuda

I’m just back from a week visiting the beautiful – but densely populated – island of Bermuda. Fortunately, the government has taken steps to preserve what they have. Here are some examples:

• To cut down on traffic and air pollution, each family is permitted one car only, which may not exceed 196 inches in length. The speed limit is 22 mph and gas costs roughly $7.00 a gallon.

• There are no car rentals on the island. Visitors can rent scooters, take taxis or public buses. We had a blast taking a scooter out for a spin. Note: they’re hard to control at low speeds and many streets are very narrow.

• The bus routes go all over the island, are easy to figure out, and the buses are clean and have big windows. The best part: each bus driver has his or her own personal boombox on board, so each bus has its own vibe. Plus, the school children use the local bus routes to get to classes, so it’s a great way to interact with the community.

• Trash cans on the street have a built-in container for glass and can recycling.

• Grocery stores offer paper, not plastic bags, but most people bring their own reusable shopping bags.

• Houses have cisterns beneath them for storing rainwater. The roofs have grooves to channel the water.

People think of Bermuda as a beautiful resort community, but it’s nice to see that they have policies in place that are working to help keep it that way.

Photo by James Terrell, of my daughter’s front walk in Bermuda on a rainy morning.