On a night when tornadoes were destroying parts of the Island, Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson told community members about the delicate balance between tourism, international business and a sustainable future.

Mr. Hodgson outlined the specifics of economic, community and ecological development and showed how they often contradicted for the audience at St.

Mary's Church Hall last Thursday night.

He said, lowering costs in order to maintain rates of private profit can contradict the ecological imperative to value and conserve natural resources.

Successful sustainable development depended on bringing economic, community and ecological development into a balance with each other, he continued.

And implementing a sustainable development strategy required negotiation between the primary interest groups involved in the three development processes, he said.

Mr. Hodgson noted the difference in employment types in democratic economies, colonial economies and Bermuda's economy and encouraged Bermudians to understand what happened in the past.

And he pointed to the sway in the balance between tourism and international business over the last 25 years and noted that international business caused the least environmental damage to the Island.

The difference between intensive and extensive investment was examined by Mr.

Hodgson who pushed the need for intensive investment.

Turning to distorted development, the Minister noted the lack of open spaces and suggested organised walks in each parish to show people how the land in their parish was utilised.

Distorted development had also caused child neglect, he continued, as people were forced to work multiple jobs in order to afford the high price of living.

Further results of distorted development included the overstretched prison and social services and housing shortages, he added.