The Green Your Business conference was held on Tuesday, March 22 at the Mona Visitors Lodge, UWI, presented by Shelly-Ann Dunkley and E.C.C.O Magazine, Jamaica’s leading eco-friendly lifestyle publication.  The theme of the conference was “Green Your Biz 2011: Creating ECO-nomic Solutions”.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear all the speakers but of those I did hear I thought that Hugh Cresser, Consultant in Sustainable Tourism and Barbara Walker from Mocking Bird Hill Hotel gave great presentations.  Ms. Walker especially outlined the myriad ways that Mocking Bird Hotel in Portland has been employing environmentally friendly practices for years – everything from making their own bread, pasta and jams to having no TVs, A/C or mini- bars in the rooms.

Ms. Walker suggested that the first step in going “green” is a change of mindset – a change from what is easy to what is environmentally responsible. She suggested that we rid our lives of plastic, needless packaging, Styrofoam as much as possible, and focus on reusing as well as recycling the things we use in everyday life.

The inaugural conference also featured several local organisations that are leading the way in corporate and social responsibility, including sponsors JPS and Digicel, both of whom had large booths which showcased their environmentally friendly practices and projects. Other sponsors included Exquisite Wicker (makers of eco-friendly wicker furniture and accessories), Appliance Traders Ltd, Island Outpost, JPS, and Ecowells (manufacturers of soil conditioner compost).