Bimini Eco-Movement

Two initiatives collaborate to target Bimini’s youth as earth’s environmental stewards.

BIMINI, The Bahamas – The Bimini Eco-Movement has been joined by the Bimini Quebec Project to help incite ongoing revitalization efforts on the Bahamian island.

The Bimini Eco-Movement, launched on Earth Day, April 22, 2010, teaches children the importance of protecting the environment.  The Bimini Quebec Project, which commenced during the same time frame as the Bimini Eco-Movement, is a Canadian-based initiative designed to increase the interest of tourists and improve conditions for Biminites.

According to Bertrand Myre, a Quebecois and former mayor who heads the Bimini Quebec Project, “The Bimini Quebec Project was launched after a group of Quebecois visited Bimini and fell instantly in love. We met with government and school officials in January to detail our initiative and sent two groups of students from Quebec to Bimini in March and May to work on our first home re-facing.”

Organizers of both movements realize the importance and need for a recycling program on Bimini, as well as the long term impact involvement in the initiatives by Biminite youth will have on the island’s future.  The two groups are now working together to develop a comprehensive recycling plan, with short-term and long-term strategies, which will be presented to the island’s Chief Counsel Commissioner and later to government officials in Nassau.

The second goal of the two groups is focused on Bimini’s youth. The Bimini Quebec Project will bring two groups of 14-to-16 year old Canadian students to the island, where they will join the children of Bimini in beautification and environmental activities, including beach and road clean-ups, re-facing island homes, and the building of the recycling center. 

“We truly believe that the number one way to get across to children is to learn from their peers,” explained Lucy Lopez, one of the organizers of the Bimini Eco-Movement.  Her co-chair, Danielle Dunfee added, “Working with children from another country, one that both recognizes and understands the importance of conservation and environmental practices, will be a wonderful way to impress upon our Bimini youth the importance of their actions and these initiatives.”

Other combined strategies include building a dormitory for the Bimini Quebec Project, and the development of summer camp programs and peer-to-peer exercises that motivate Biminite children to set pledges to maintain and sustain the island’s environment. 

Bimini Bay Resort is supporting both initiatives and will donate building materials and paint, as well as housing for the Quebecois while their dormitory is construction.

Before and After

Bimini Quebec Crew

About the Island of Bimini -- The island of Bimini is located 48 miles east of South Florida, where the Gulf Stream meets the Great Bahama Bank. Bimini is heralded for its infamous flats fishing, offshore fishing and diving. Discovered in the 1500’s by Ponce de Leon in his quest for the Fountain of Youth, this colorful island’s abundance of unspoiled island views and emerald waters continues to attract yachting and water-sport enthusiasts searching for a relaxing haven that offers something for the entire family.

About the Bimini Eco-Project – The Bimini Eco-Project is a clean-up and educational program dedicated to teaching the children of Bimini the importance of conservation and protecting their environment. Launched on Earth Day, April 22, with a pep rally and environmental awareness games, the initiative includes after-school programs and summer camps, designed to motivate children to set pledges for the island’s environment. The pledges are “green” projects to maintain, clean or develop an eco-movement on the island. Organized by Bimini Bay Resort employees Lucy Lopez and Danielle Dunfee, the pair are working in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Health Services and Bimini’s Council Commissioner to enroll all the island’s primary schools in the Bimini Eco-Movement.

About the Bimini Quebec Project – The Bimini Quebec Project was launched in January 2010 by Bertrand Myre, a Quebecois and former mayor, after he visited and fell in love with the island of Bimini. Designed to increase the interest of tourists and improve conditions for Biminites, the initiative involves bringing Canadian youth to Bimini to complete tasks and is a project of “La Station Vaudreuil,” a non-profit, Canadian registered organization, that has worked with Le Cirque du Soleil since 2003. With two groups of Quebec students sent to Bimini in March and May, the initiative re-faced its first Bimini house on King’s Highway earlier this year. The Bimini Quebec Project is building a 900 square-foot, 12 bed dormitory on Bimini, to house student groups who will travel to the island to work on beautification, environmental and Bimini-youth focused projects.