"If we can get (children) to respect the environment at an early age, that will stay with them through their lifetime," says Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) Gift Shop manager John McGill.

Mr. McGill was quoted in the quarterly magazine of the International Museum

Store Association, `Museum Store'. The BZS Gift Shop, located in the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo (BAMZ), took a starring role in a recent article in the Spring, 2001, issue of the magazine.

The article, which also features the Cayman Islands National Museum and is titled `Museum Stores in the Topics', begins: "Tourists come and go, and to many of them a tropical island may only be a vacation destination.

"Those who venture beyond the beach, however, will find celebrations of the island's unique environment and heritage in island museum stores."

Both stores are glowingly described in detail in the report, which highlights the challenges faced by Mr. McGill.

These challenges are extensive, especially considering the high cost of importing merchandise into Bermuda, a shop that has only 420 square feet, and the mission of the BAMZ and the BZS to educate the public about environmental issues.

Yet Mr. McGill seems to do a good job as the article praises the shop as an educational resource, citing especially the inclusion of many books for sale.

Mr. McGill is quoted in the article as saying: "As an avid reader myself, I appreciate the value of books as a means of reaching the children.

"This works well with the mission of the BZS, which is to inspire appreciation

and care of Island environments."