Semester I of the 2023/2024 academic year is well underway, and I am pleased to see the campus is alive and vital as it has ever been, filled with students, staff, and visitors. Our campus grounds – the massive green spaces and the architecture, are among UWI St Augustine's greatest assets. It gives me enormous pleasure to see the campus community, especially the students, enjoying them again after the long closure caused by the pandemic.
It has been well over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were ended, not that long ago. Yet, for an ordeal that lasted so long and had such a detrimental effect on society, the pandemic seems to have rapidly faded from the public consciousness. Understandably so, most people do not want to dwell on traumatic experiences.
However, the pandemic was also a great epiphany. It forced many of us to question the frailty of existence, the way we conducted our lives and the orientation of our society. Is there a better way? Remember the much parroted phrase “the new normal”? It would appear, unfortunately, that what’s old is new again, at least in terms of how we view our environment and focus on sustainability.
The University of the West Indies, as the premier institution of higher education in the Caribbean, has been at the forefront of not only climate science and the science of biodiversity, but is also internationally renowned for research and expertise in food and agriculture, and other fields that deal with humanity’s relationship (and impact) on the natural world.
As Campus Principal, I have made both sustainability and food security priority areas of focus for the St Augustine campus. This includes initiatives piloted from the Office of the Campus Principal as well as supporting the work of our faculties, departments, and special units.
I have directed the campus administration to move away from single-use plastics at campus events and replace them with bio-degradable items. The campus is also in the process of looking at replacing outgoing air conditioning units with more fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies. Recycling and other green options are also on the table.
Presently, the campus is exploring the means to fund these green solutions, since in the long run they will be both cost-effective and far more sustainable.
In addition, the campus’s Environmental Committee has been asked to assist with these initiatives, as well as to inculcate a culture of sustainability and conservation on campus.
UWI’s academics are at the forefront of research and even international policy on climate and related matters. Most recently, John Agard, Emeritus Professor of Tropical Island Ecology, one of the university’s most revered climate scientists, and Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan, one of the main architects of Trinidad and Tobago’s new “cocoa revolution” (itself committed to reducing the carbon footprint and enhancing sustainability), received the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT), the republic’s highest national award, for their work and positive contributions. Clement Imbert, Emeritus Professor of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, a highly revered engineer and member of the campus community, also received the ORTT for his invaluable work in the development of the steelpan and the discipline of engineering.
This issue of UWI TODAY highlights just two of the several environmental/green initiatives from the campus. Our Faculty of Engineering recently hosted a Hydrogen Symposium in partnership with the University of Trinidad and Tobago and featuring energy experts from the private sector. The symposium focused on “green hydrogen” and the use of hydrogen as a sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources.
This month, the campus community was also very pleased to see the return of the techAGRI Expo, the Faculty of Food and Agriculture’s signature event. TechAGRI serves many purposes. It is a business event that brings together farmers, manufacturers, and agri-entrepreneurs. It is an exhibition of the products, services, and technologies available in the sector. The expo is also aimed at advocacy to expose people to the opportunities available in agriculture, and inspire them to take part in this crucial industry. After the long pandemic hiatus, it is a happy occasion to see techAGRI’s return.
This October is also the official month of the establishment of The UWI. October 4, 1948 marks the establishment of this university 75 years ago. October 12 is Founder’s Day, which marks the creation of the St Augustine campus in 1960 when the West Indies Federation formally handed over the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) to the University College of the West Indies (UCWI) at Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain.
The university has dedicated the entire year to commemorative activities both on this campus and the other regional campuses. This year is a year of Caribbean celebration for The UWI and, we all hope, the entire community of islands that the university has served for seven and a half decades.
The UWI will continue to do so, for the next 75 years and beyond, driven by the ideal that the only “normal” is progress.
