Expansion of the programme was announced last Wednesday at Bagnall’s Point, Pelican Village, Bridgetown, where FCT chairman Vivian-Anne Gittens said a technical cooperation agreement between the organization and the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Multilateral Investment Fund had enabled a strengthening of the initiative.

“The GBB programme trains businesses in Barbados on energy efficiency, water efficiency, and waste reduction, and works with them to reduce the environmental impacts. GBB then markets certified businesses through green advertising and branding,” she said. “This IDB/Multilateral Investment Fund project will strengthen the Green Business Barbados programme by linking it to an internationally recognised certification scheme, by exploring independent verification, by developing new financing mechanisms, and by creating a comprehensive marketing program. The project will then implement the new programme with 20 SMEs.”

GBB coordinator Dr Ariana Marshall said there were “several new options for businesses which are both already on the path to becoming green and businesses which are willing to begin the process of reducing their operational costs through environmental efficiency and sustainability”. It was pointed out that “although the GBB programme will continue to facilitate sustainability within businesses of more than 25 employees, the Inter-American Development Bank has specifically invested in GBB expansion for the facilitation of sustainability within smaller business enterprises”. The 15 GBB “pioneers” involved in the programme were C.L. Gibbs and Company Ltd, The British High Commission; Harris Paints Ltd; KPMG; The Maas Clinic; Verdun House; ICBL; The Nation; Structural Systems; Barbados Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management; Royal Bank of Canada Insurance; Rostrevor Hotel, Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited and Studio Blue Architects. (SC)