Clean Sweep: Sustainability Push On GB

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GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS – Cherish Russell is an Environmental Inspector at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, and for more than a year, she’s been the face and voice behind the “Keep Grand Bahama Clean” campaign.

But keeping the island pristine hasn’t been easy.

Cherish Russell – Environmental Inspector, GBPA
“We’re seeing garbage in places we haven’t seen it before. We’re seeing it, it’s almost as if by magic. You clean up one spot, and the next day it’s there again. So it woke me up to say, how can we combat this issue, and quickly?”

It’s a challenge that’s been decades in the making, and one the campaign tackles head-on, from community clean-ups to education initiatives in the classroom. Russell believes that real change begins with the next generation.

Cherish Russell – Environmental Inspector, GBPA
“Different science projects, we’ve given to the students to do, different initiatives such as make reusable items or make items from garbage. So they’ve made dresses, they’ve made hats, they’ve made different artifacts.”

And it’s not just about creativity, it’s about helping students connect the dots between what’s thrown away and what we depend on to survive.

Cherish Russell – Environmental Inspector, GBPA
“I spoke to a grade 10 class last week, and they weren’t aware of the fact that we get our water from underneath us. So that hit home for them, because if you litter above the land, it somehow ends up in our water system and maybe even into our homes, making us sick.”

That message is starting to stick, with projects like canal sweeps, coastal clean-ups, and even curbside removal of bulky waste like mattresses and appliances gaining momentum.

As major developments like Celebration Key and a revamped Grand Lucayan move forward, Russell says sustainability must go hand-in-hand with growth. She adds that GBPA is already working with developers to ensure proper waste mitigation.

Cherish Russell – Environmental Inspector, GBPA
“If they are willing to facilitate anything new, we welcome that as well, and so we offer them guidelines that they should follow, that we want them to follow, to not aid the problem in growing.”