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number 1 and 2 plastics. The facility will also provide composting areas on all three Islands for horticulture/yard waste, and there will be a reuse centre where people can deposit functional (but unwanted) goods and furniture. There is also an educational aspect to the project: a significant amount of work needs to be done to educate the public so that current habits are changed, and more environmentally-friendly recycling practices are encouraged across the three Islands. Until then, the landfill will continue to expand laterally after the height capacity has been reached, with hopes of closing following the design, construction and commissioning of a fully up-and-running sustainable waste management system.
BEING GREEN
SUSTAINABLE EATING
A significant factor of sustainable living includes making the right choices when it comes to food. In Cayman, much of our food is imported, and a considerable amount of energy, fuel and water is used in the entire process of growing, distributing, storing and cooking our food. Although choosing local produce is a great way to offset this energy from being used, in Cayman we do not always have the option to do that. Consciously eliminating food waste, however, can have the same desired effect of indirectly slowing down global warming and deforestation. Saving food also saves money, and by reducing the amount of food that you throw away, you are also reducing packaging waste that will end up in the landfill. There are several ways to reduce food waste:
> Check your pantry and fridge before you do your grocery shopping so you know what food you already have. > Meal prepping is a great way to eliminate waste. > Learn how to store your food properly as this can help it stay fresh for longer. > If you can’t use it right now, freeze it for later!
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Choose Local While it is unlikely that Cayman will ever stop relying on imported food, the local agribusiness is flourishing. A wide variety of fresh produce can be bought at the Hamlin Stephenson Market at the Cricket Grounds next to the cricket pitch in George Town (Monday–Saturdays from 7.30am–6pm) and from the Camana Bay Farmers Market on Wednesdays. During high season the market, located on the Paseo, offers farm produce and locally created artisanal goods and runs from 10am until 7pm. In summer, the town’s harvest market is located under the solar array across from Jessie’s Juice Bar, offers farm-fresh goods from 10am to 4pm. Also, Cayman Farm & Garden (Patrick Panton) sells a variety of fresh fruit, leafy greens, vegetables, fresh chicken, eggs and seafood from his farm in Bodden Town. He is always at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays but he also has a thriving business doing home deliveries. He can also be found at the Camana Bay Farmers Market. Email: patrick.caymanfarmandgarden@gmail. com and ask to be put on his mailing list, then when you are ready to order you email him on orders.caymanfarmandgarden@ gmail.com. You can also call him on (345) 526 4231 or visit www.facebook. com/caymanfarmandgarden for more information. Bluff Farms, located in Cayman Brac, provides the finest pedigree goat breeds, raised outdoors in the most ideal environment on the Bluff. Their lean and fresh meat is readily available to purchase at an affordable price at the farm in Cayman Brac and in Grand Cayman, for delivery/in-store pick up at 209 Cannon Place. Email: sales@blufffarms.com or call (345) 926 3665. Refer to the Food & Drink chapter for more information on locally produced goods. Grow Your Own Following the success of the green iguana cull, gardens Island-wide are flourishing as they are no longer losing flowers and foliage to these pests. There is a whole range of fruit and vegetables you can grow including tomatoes, leafy greens, herbs,
eggplants, melons, bananas, mangoes and much more. The ideal growing season is November–April when it’s cooler and drier, however, you will need to water the plants regularly and look out for pests. You can pick up seeds or baby plants from any of the local nurseries, plus soil, organic pesticides and gardening tools. See the Shopping chapter for a list of garden centres. Shopping Green When grocery shopping, make sure to buy the products with the least packaging, choose glass or other alternatives to plastic, and take canvas bags instead of paying 5¢ for a plastic bag. Alternatively, shop at Hurley’s where they have ditched single-use plastic bags altogether after discovering they were distributing 800,000 a year. They now offer reusable, recyclable and biodegradable paper bags in their place. Most of the supermarkets sell organic food and some, like Kirk Market and Foster’s sell a wide selection of both locally grown and imported organic produce, as well as organic meats, frozen food, gluten-free and luxury food. On the drink-front, Flowers Bottled Water ( S E E AD PA G E 140) produces delicious, filtered, chlorine-free water that they sell in large 5-gallon bottles which you can buy in most petrol stations or have delivered directly to your home or office. You can further reduce your plastic pollution by installing a Koola bottle-less water cooler. It acts like a mini water purification plant, connecting to your building’s water supply and filtering out chlorine, lead, phosphates and bacteria. For those who like to drink beer, White Tip Lager is a joint venture with the Department of Environment and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation with a portion of the profits being donated to shark conservation work in Cayman’s waters. Another local brewery, 19-81 Brewing Co., produces three quality craft beers as well as other limited-edition beers produced in collaboration with local farmers. For more information see the Local and Specialty Beer section in our Food & Drink chapter.
