Clean Islands International, Inc.

MISSION STATEMENT:

Clean Islands International, Inc. is "a non-profit non-governmental organization with international members who are dedicated to providing educational and technical assistance to island communities for the preservation and beautification of indigenous natural environments and the sustainable development of proper solid waste handling practices".

FOUNDED: April 9, 1992, Abaco, The Bahamas.

PURPOSE: Clean Islands International's purpose is to cultivate individual and community environmental awareness by supporting active participation of individual residents, organizations and businesses in planning, developing and implementing solid waste management programs, including litter prevention, recycling and composting.

FOCUS: Clean Islands International's focus is to promote cooperation in the development of positive resolutions of environmental issues and to provide assistance in developing and presenting environmental awareness projects and educational activities to benefit island communities.

 Clean Islands International has two focus areas: Education and Technical Assistance

Education:  

As an active participant in the United Nations Global Youth Environmental Forum in 1992 (UN, New York City, New York), 1993 (Boulder, Colorado), 1994 (Washington, D.C.) and 1995 (San Franciso, California), special emphasis is on those activities which are developed for and/or by young people to enhance interest in education through environmental projects.

In 1995, Clean Islands was recognized by Friends of the United Nations, with a "We The Peoples, 50 Communities Award" for their involvement in the United Nations Environment Programme Global Youth Forum and the Clean Islands "Share Our Care, Be Aware" international sister school project which featured schools from Abaco, The Bahamas; New Brunswick, Canada; and Maryland USA.

Clean Islands International continues its efforts initiated with the United Nations to provide environmental and education to Caribbean Youth through programs such as the "Wider Caribbean Environmental Youth Program" which has been offered at VIERS since 1999 and summer eco-camps for U.S. Virgin Islands students.

In November 1997, Clean Islands International was selected by the University of the Virgin Islands to operate VIERS: The Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station , located on St. John U.S. Virgin Islands. This remote field station provides unique learning opportunities for students and researchers.

In 1994, Clean Islands International produced a two hour video, entitled “Environmental Lessons for Island Communities” for distribution to 100 schools in the US Virgin Islands under USEPA funding. Four half hour lessons explore many of the interrelated environmental issues facing island communities. Students and educators from the US Virgin Islands are featured as they teach each other about their islands' fragile ecosystems and how to respect and preserve them. With additional support from RCCL's Ocean Fund in 1998, 1,000 copies of the video and a workbook were distributed to schools throughout the Caribbean.

 

Photo of Abaco Environmental Summit Participants at Hope Town School, Elbow Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas, May 1997.

Technical Assistance:

In the past 16 years, Clean Islands International has offered fourteen conferences with the generous support of many other organizations. Our first conference, the Island Waste Management Conference was held in Nassau, January 1994. The conference theme was "Positive Solutions for Island Issues". Our next conference was cosponsored with Monroe County, Florida Department of Public Works and was titled "Clean Marinas and Commercial Recycling Symposium." This event was held in Key West, Florida, June 1995. 

Our second regional conference was held after a season of over 20 named hurricanes. The Caribbean Waste Management Conference was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 1995. The theme of this conference was "Pollution Vulnerability in Island States" and ReCaribe: The Wider Caribbean Solid Waste and Recycling Alliance was established by resolution of the delegates.

Since 1995, Clean Islands has presented the "ReCaribe: Wider Caribbean Waste Management Conference". This annual conference was held in Trinidad (1997), Florida Keys (1998), Curacao (1999), Martinique (2000), St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (2001), Bayahibe, Dominican Republic (2002), Tobago (2003), St. Vincent (2004), Curacao (2005), Antigua (2006), St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands (2007). With continued partnership with the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), ReCaribe 2008: 14th Caribbean Waste Management Conference will be offered in Grenada, June 23-27, 2008 in conjunction with CEHI’s 4^rd Caribbean Environmental Forum and Exhibition. 

Clean Islands has also actively participated in many other forums in the past 16 years, including:

Clean Islands was an Official NGO at the UN GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPINGSTATES which met in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 25 April - 6 May 1994.

Clean Islands International actively participated in the Third International Conference on Marine Debris, held in Miami, May 1994.

Clean Islands International actively participated in the First Caribbean Environmental Forum, held in conjunction with the 11th CWWA Conference in St. Lucia, October 2002 and the 2^nd Caribbean Environmental Forum, held in Trinidad in June 2004.

Clean Islands International is a non-profit non-governmental U.S. I.R.S. 501(c)(3) organization, exclusively organized for charitable, educational and scientific purposes. Clean Islands is also registered as a non-profit organization in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Donations are tax deductible as laws allow.

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