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Sustainable Bermuda

Posted by Marilyn Terrell on January 27, 2009
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frontwalk.JPGI’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.

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Comments

  1. Ben
    January 27, 2009, 11:16 pm

    beautiful photo…. whoever took it must be a master photographer…..

  2. Mrs. T
    January 28, 2009, 6:19 pm

    Thanks Ben! Now you know why he was missing school!

  3. Carolina
    January 28, 2009, 7:37 pm

    Awesome that gov. is taking those steps, I would love to see the recycling cans here in California, since catching rain water wouldn’t be very productive. We’re not getting much rain this winter.

  4. Car Dealers
    February 19, 2009, 4:09 am

    very nice and informative post.

  5. Cabo Hotel
    March 11, 2009, 2:16 pm

    No rental car! Hmm, can you rent a bike daily to get around?

  6. Marilyn
    March 11, 2009, 2:30 pm

    @cabohotel: I wouldn’t recommend using a bike to get around, because the roads are very narrow and curvy and there are no bike lanes or shoulders, and not many sidewalks. The bus is the way to go, unless you want to rent a scooter. Alternatively, there are taxis. If you stay in the city of Hamilton or the laidback, historic town of St. George, you can walk everywhere. There are also commuter ferries from Hamilton to St. George and to the Royal Naval Dockyard, a popular shopping spot and home of the Maritime Museum and Dolphin Quest. Some people ride bikes along the old Railway Trail.

  7. Aanna Jones.
    May 15, 2009, 5:56 am

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  8. seodofollows
    November 4, 2010, 11:07 pm

    eautiful – but densely populated – island of Bermuda. Fortunately, the gov paper bag factory