Click the photo for enlargement. (Photo NASA/Chris Hadfield)

The Bahamas needs to reduce its dependency on oil and explore more environmentally sustainable sources of energy, according to leading environmentalist lawyer Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Speaking at the College of The Bahamas (COB) yesterday, the environmental activist urged Bahamians to protect their natural resources and safeguard their marine life by weaning themselves off oil and onto solar power.

“You have a unique opportunity to adopt solar energy in The Bahamas,” he said. “Solar power is the best, most effective way to produce energy today in The Bahamas. It would create jobs here and the money would stay here. [At present] you are at a competitive disadvantage with every other country because of the amount you are paying for electricity.”

“Solar is the cheapest form of energy you can buy. You ought to have solar panels on every house in The Bahamas.”

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On Sunday 20 January 2013, at approximately 5:06 am, the MT “Butterfly” was moored at BORCO’s Jetty No. 8 receiving bunker (diesel fuel) from the bunker barge “Smit Inesita”, when sometime thereafter oil was discharged into the marine environment. The discharge fell into the water between the tanker and the barge. It was reported that approximately 210 gallons of diesel oil was discharged into the water.

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A new multi-million dollar ad campaign by the Ministry of Tourism will feature several celebrities associated with The Bahamas including former NBA star and actor, Rick Fox, supermodel Shakara Ledard and world-famous illusionist David Copperfield, a resident of The Bahamas.
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The Bahamas’ Ambassador to CARICOM Picewell Forbes (left) presents credentials to the Prime Minister of Barbados Freundel Stuart January 20, 2013. (Photos Bahamas Consul in Barbados)

Prime Minister Perry Christie brings remarks at the unveiling of the John F Kennedy commemorative plaque at Blake Road and West Bay Street. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

Prime Minister Perry Christie attended the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1962 visit of US President John F Kennedy to The Bahamas.

The unveiling ceremony was held January 19, 2013, at the junction of Blake Road and West Bay Street to commemorate the meeting of President Kennedy and then British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Trees have also been planted at the site to mark the occasion.

Also present for the plaque unveiling were: Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of the late president and son of his brother, the late Senator Robert F Kennedy; actress Cheryl Hines; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell; United States Charge’ d’ Affaires John Dinkleman; Cabinet Ministers; Members of the Diplomatic Corp; and other government officials.

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NASSAU — The Baha Mar resort project, the largest in the Caribbean, is moving forward with construction toward a planned December 2014 completion date.

The multi-billion-dollar Baha Mar, which is being financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, is currently being built by a several-thousand-strong force of workers from China. It launched construction in 2011.

“We see ourselves as positioning it as an international brand – so we’re not just looking at Caribbean competition, but offering it as the best on an international basis,” Robert Sands, senior vice president for external affairs at Baha Mar, told Caribbean Journal.

The project, which has dubbed itself the “Bahamian Riviera,” will ultimately offer around 2,200 hotel and residential units spread across four resorts; one, the Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, along with three from major international brands Mondrian, Grand Hyatt and Rosewood.

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This is an excerpt from Caribbean Journal as it appeared on January 21, 2013. For updates or to read the current version of this post in its entirety, please click here.

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Jan. 2013 (IDB) – The Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank (IDB) and the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas signed today a Technical Cooperation Agreement at the occasion of the Second Annual IDB Caribbean Governors’ Meeting being held in Kingston, Jamaica.

President Luis Alberto Moreno signed the Agreement on behalf of the IDB and The Honourable Michael Halkitis, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and The Bahamas Governor for the IDB, signed on behalf of The Bahamas.

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NEW YORK, Jan. 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Louis Bacon, an environmental philanthropist and avid outdoor sportsman, who has advocated for more than twenty years for conservation and protection of natural resources in the United States and abroad, last night received the Audubon Medal at the National Audubon Society Gala Dinner in New York. The National Audubon Society’s prestigious award recognizes outstanding conservation achievements. Mr. Bacon is only the 52nd person in the National Audubon Society’s 108-year history to receive the honor.

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