November 13, 2006
October 23, 2006
Is the Government serious about Sustainable Development?
The Sustainable Development draft plan recently published by the Government of Bermuda includes the following: Protecting and enhancing our environment and natural resources Imagine...
• An island where open space and natural habitats are preserved for current and future generations to enjoy by building in different ways and concentrating on building in a few key areas; redeveloping previously developed sites rather than encroaching on green space
Continue reading "Is the Government serious about Sustainable Development?" »
October 20, 2006
Petition signatures total over 3,000!
Is your signature on the petition? If you signed the sheets of paper outside the BHB meetings at the end of September - you did NOT sign the official petition
The petition to Save The Gardens (online and on paper) now bears over 3,000 signatures but we'd like more! If you haven't signed it yet - click here or visit any of the following places to sign it on paper:
The Phoenix Woodbourne
The Phoenix Drugstore
The Lemon Tree Café
Brighton Nurseries
Aberfeldy Nurseries
Noah’s Ark
Animal & Garden House
Spicelands, Inwood, Hinson Hall Riding Centres
Kit’n’Kaboodle
St John’s Church
St Augustus’ Church
St Monica’s Church
Sousa’s Landscaping
Conrad’s
Marine Locker
Bermuda Bookstore
Rock Island Coffee Shop
PJ's Warehouse
October 19, 2006
Inspirational Gardens
Double Fantasy - the flower that inspired John Lennon
As I was leaving the Botanical Gardens today after we had a press conference there I switched on my ipod, which was set to play random tracks. "Give Peace A Chance" by John Lennon came on and it reminded me that I have something to tell you!
Back in 1980 John Lennon spent a long stay in Bermuda and he was walking in the Botanical Gardens one day when he found the flower "Double Fantasy". This flower suddenly inspired him to write all of the music for this final album, which he also named after the flower! He thought the name was a perfect description of his marriage to Yoko.
October 16, 2006
This Friday is Green Day!
Click on the image for a larger version
You can print the JPEG or download and print the PDF file and pin it up in your office.
Friday is also Breast Cancer Awareness "Denim Day". We certianly don't want to take any focus away from this other important issue and ask that those participating in "Denim Day" try to wear something green along with their denim.
October 05, 2006
Stay Informed
There is new information on the Bermuda Hospitals Board website. Be sure to check it out.
In the related links bar on the right: "Comments from the community" is new. Most of the Summary Information is new and the Public Forum Presentation has just recently been added.
All the hand outs are posted and you can even download the full Estate Master Plan which is the comprehensive report made in September 2005 following the public forums. This presentation is also available as a reference document at the hospital library.
The BHB will be batching the questions received at the public meeting and loading them up on the FAQ section by early next week. Comments from the meeting are already posted.
September 28, 2006
BHB admits they do not know how much the new hospital will cost
The Bermuda Hospitals Board has added a Frequently Asked Questions section on their website regarding the new acute care hospital.
Despite their previous claims that it will cost approximately 500 million BDA dollars and their decision that they will not have enough money to rebuild it on the existing site they are now saying that they do not know how much the new hospital will cost.
Please tell me I am not the only person who has fallen off their chair after reading this!
September 25, 2006
A summary of last week's BHB meetings - Part 2
Stuart Hayward insisted that Sustainable Development should include no building on parkland. He also pointed out that presently the BHB intends to own the green space to be gained from the existing KEMH site and that they would have the opportunity to build on this land in the future.
[please read Part 1 below first] ... Right so where was I? *flicks through notes...* Ah yes! - The BHB admitted that this project could well cost up to 1 billion dollars (I feel like Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movie when I say that).
Someone asked why the Pembroke Marsh site was rejected and one of the architects stated that the marsh goes down 600ft and that in order to build on that site you would either need to put piles into the marsh that extend down to that depth or float the entire construction on top of the marsh. Both options push the price way over the budget. It was stated that the cost of using piles which extended a mere 60ft on one overseas site was 100 million dollars (not sure if that was US or Canadian currency but you get the picture).
Continue reading "A summary of last week's BHB meetings - Part 2" »
September 22, 2006
Next 2 BHB meetings also to be held at the College
Bermuda Hospitals Board today announced that both the remaining open house meeting will take place at the North Hall Auditorium at the Bermuda College to accommodate larger numbers.
Bermuda College, Friday 22 September, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Bermuda College, Saturday 23 September, 10.00am to 11.00am
September 20, 2006
The Green Lung of Paget
Download "The Green Lung of Paget – the Bermuda Botanical Gardens - Why We Must Work Together To Save It" By Val Wallace here
How was a site selected?
In the summer of 2005, Bermuda Hospitals Board presented its vision for sustainable, quality healthcare to the Bermuda community at three town hall meetings. Building a new acute care hospital was a vital part of this vision and three concepts were presented at three different sites: the Arboretum, the Botanical Gardens and the same site as the current acute care hospital, KEMH.These three sites represented a shortlist of a number of other locations that had been reviewed, including Pembroke Marsh and Government house.
Click on the link to read more from the BHB website.
National Trust Response
Check out the latest response from the National Trust
The Trust has also provided some good advice about how to take action:
We believe this issue to be of paramount importance to our community. If you have any concerns regarding the Government’s announcement that the new acute care hospital site will be in the Botanical Gardens please contact the following: The Premier, your local MP, the Minister of Health and Family Services, the Bermuda Hospitals Board, the Sustainable Development Unit, the Sustainable Development Round Table, the Leader of the Opposition and the media.
***E.mail addresses for the Premier and most local MP's can be found here***
What is this website?
This is a weblog which has been set up for the dissemination of information regarding the campaign to save the Botanical Gardens. There are lots of people who want do something and pretty soon there will be a bunch of stuff on this site including ways in which everyone can get involved. Hopefully several people will be posting on this site and I encourage all of you who are reading right now to submit comments.
The Bermuda Hospitals Board are holding meetings, regarding this issue, in the conference room on the first floor of KEMH on:
Thursday, September 21st at 6.30pm, Friday, 22nd at 5.30 pm and Saturday, 23rd at 10 am
If you want to raise your concerns about the Government's decision these meetings will be the perfect opportunity for you to do that.
Please check out this site over the next few days for other ways in which you can get involved.
September 19, 2006
Bermuda's Botanical Gardens are in danger
The Bermuda Government has recently announced that they intend to build the new hospital on 30% of the Botanical Gardens. This will see an end to most of the interesting parts of the gardens including all of the collection houses, a large amount of open space and plenty of old trees from all over the world.
Any plan to build on open space goes against the Sustainable Development Strategy for Bermuda, which the government plans to adopt. It also sets a precedent for disregarding protected land in the future.
Continue reading "Bermuda's Botanical Gardens are in danger" »
An introduction to Bermuda's Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens in Paget is one of Bermuda’s major attractions. It is a mix of park, woodland, greenhouses, agricultural buildings and horticultural collections. It is a Bermuda National Park under the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986.
The 35-acre landscaped park contains hundreds of clearly identified flowers, shrubs and trees, including a vast collection of subtropical fruit, orchids, hibiscus, an aviary, banyan trees and a garden for the blind.
Many trees produce scented flowers that fill the air with perfume.
The Botanical Gardens is the site of the Annual Agricultural Exhibition, when local farmers, school children and amateur exhibitors bring out their produce, flowers, handicraft and baked goods to compete. This 3-day event takes place in late April each year and fun for the whole family.
http://www.bermuda.com/attractions/botanicalgardens/
http://bermuda-online.org/gardens.htm