Name: Davida Morris

Job: Greenrock Schools Programme Manager

Age: 35

Schooling:

The Berkeley Institute 1992-1997; Bermuda College 1997-2000; St Mary’s University 2000-2003 — BA Psychology and Sociology; London School of Economics — MSc Health, Community and Development

Brief career history:

I’ve always had a desire to help people so it’s not surprising that I began my career counselling young people at the Brangman Home and continued my counselling career at the Women’s Treatment Centre with women who suffered from substance misuse. It was after being appointed to the Senate that I decided to move into programme management. I wanted to extend my reach to help more individuals. It was then that I decided to return to school to obtain my Master’s degree.

After completing my MSc in Health, Community and Development at LSE I stayed in London working for different charities creating and running personal development programmes for young people.

It was a very enjoyable experience as young people and their improvement are my passion. It is the knowledge gained from these varied programmes especially, that I bring to my new role as School Programme Manager for Greenrock.

Tell us more about your passion for the environment?

I’ve always been a nature person and am definitely a water baby. I love swimming in or sitting by the ocean and listening and watching the waves. The first time I returned home from university made me realise how gorgeous Bermuda is and what a privilege it is to live in such a beautiful island. I feel like we take for granted the natural beauty that we have and I want to protect and preserve it. I want to give back to the Earth that has given us everything.

I have a natural curiosity about nature and how the world works. I watch the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, etc. I’ve always liked the shows about animals in their natural environment and how the planet works. Of late I’ve been drawn to how the world has changed over time. One can’t honestly look at our lifestyles and the technological progress we’ve made in the last hundred plus years and believe we’ve had no impact on the Earth. While man’s technological accomplishments are a source of pride I wouldn’t want for them to rob future generations of the ability to create and explore.

I look at the way weather patterns have changed, how extreme weather is the new norm but what I don’t hear as much is people connecting the things we do to the environment to the changing weather patterns. I find it shocking that there are people who still don’t believe that climate change is real and it saddens me that corporate interests are superseding people’s right to live in a healthy environment. I don’t like the idea of leaving my future or the future of generations after me to powers outside of my control especially when they don’t seem to have our best interests at heart.

I am grateful that there are persons who use technology as a means to live in harmony with the planet. Solar panels and electric powered cars must become the norm and be more accessible. I want to see more technological advances that work in harmony with the planet and if I can help to inspire a young person to create something that will help heal the Earth or even change their lifestyle so they cause less strain on the planet all the better.

There are many problems in the world that need resolving and I believe in doing one’s part to help resolve them, but all will be moot if we cannot protect and heal the planet.

As a past chairwoman of Progressive Minds and as the youngest senator in Bermuda tell us about your environmental action plan for the young people of Bermuda.

The younger generation is the receiver of the world the older generation has created. Unfortunately our younger generation unlike past generations is receiving a world well worse for wear. As a person who has always believed in the ability of young people to lead and provide direction to the older generation in certain areas I want the Eco-Schools programme to be a tool to educate and inspire the next generation to help resolve problems they did not create. I want them to use the knowledge they receive to instigate change in the behaviours of the older generation while ensuring future generations have an increased respect for our natural environments and a desire to live in balance and harmony with the Earth. The fact of the matter is we cannot keep taking from the planet and expect that the resources we have are infinite. They are not. Just as one can’t withdraw from their bank account infinitely neither can we take from the Earth.

My main aim is to ensure that all future generations are environmentally aware and feel a responsibility to share the knowledge they receive through the programme with their family and friends in order to provoke positive behavioural change. I’ve always believed in each one teach one and this is another way we can share and come together with the added bonus of cross generational conversation. The younger generation has much to teach the older generation if they are willing to listen.

One of the things I love about the Eco-School programme is that it puts student in the centre of everything that occurs. The students conduct the audits, the students run the meetings, they choose how they want to share and involve the information with the community. This means that while they are learning about environmentalism and how to apply these things to their lives they are also taking on leadership roles which is something that energises and excites me.

There is a pressing need for people to really examine their behaviours and change their habits. I think it’s hard for people to see that sometimes because the warning signs can be sporadic or there is conflicting information or the information is put together in a way that the layman cannot understand. The fact of the matter is the time to act on the environment was years ago and we need to catch up. By spreading the Eco-Schools programme to all schools at all levels across the island by 2019 with the majority flying a green flag but all having at least a green seed award we can definitely begin to make changes in thoughts and ultimately actions.

What environmental areas will you be working with in your new role as Schools Programme Manager at Greenrock?

The Eco-Schools programme focuses on eight different pathways being transport, healthy living, waste and litter minimisation, school grounds, biodiversity, water, sustainable food and energy and resource efficiency. Each school is able to pick whichever pathway they choose but energy and resource efficiency got a lot of attention in the last school year due to West Pembroke being able to save the government 15 per cent on its energy bill. I suspect many of the schools this year will be looking to follow suit for those real savings. What I want everyone participating in the programme to understand is that while there are cost savings that can be made, lifestyle changes underlie everything.

The pathway I am most looking forward to developing in schools is Biodiversity. I’m looking forward to learning about Bermuda’s flora and fauna and hopefully get a chance to be very hands on, putting my own hands in the earth and developing a green thumb.

What can people reading this article do to get involved?

One of the seven steps students are required to perform in order to complete a pathway is to inform and involve the community. One cannot expect to change the world if they keep all they know to their selves. Our students may choose to share their knowledge in creative ways such as a walk-a-thon (Healthy Living) Ride-share programme (Transport) or tree planting (Biodiversity).

So I ask the community to support the students in all their activities. Whether it’s reading a newsletter, participating in or attending an event, community participation is welcomed and wanted. I want parents to ask their children questions, find out what they have learnt and why it’s important. I want people to look for ways they can incorporate what students have learnt into their lives.

Equally important to information sharing is support of Greenrock. Whether through donations of money or time Greenrock needs the community support to continue to provide this much needed programme. I am very open to hearing from the public, especially schools that we are not in as yet including home schools. Ideally we would like to see every school in Bermuda as an Eco-School, however that takes resources. So the more support we have from the community the more schools we are able to be involved in.

Which are the current Eco-Schools and what are their areas of environmental focus?

At the end of the 2015-2016 school year we were in 15 schools, and they had completed or were in the process of completing the following pathways:

Somersfield Academy — Grounds, Waste, Energy

Stepping Stones Preschool — Health, Waste, Grounds

West Pembroke Primary — Waste, Energy, Water

Bermuda College — Waste, Grounds

Elliot Primary — Biodiversity, Sustainable Food

Prospect Primary — Biodiversity, Grounds

Warwick Academy — Waste, Energy

Heron Bay Primary — Waste

Lyceum Preschool — Grounds

Dalton E Tucker — Water

Purvis Primary — Waste, Biodiversity

Victor Scott Primary — Waste, Energy

Sandys Middle School — Biodiversity

Kaleidoscope Arts — Grounds

Whitney Middle School — Sustainable Food

We’re looking to bring the total number of Eco-Schools to 20 by the end of the 2016-2017 school year.