The Ocean & Us II and Waste Not: Rethinking Waste II Virtual Yard Meeting was nothing short of epic.

What was initially scheduled as a 120-minute meeting, then reduced to 90 minutes to accommodate lunchtime attendees in the Cayman Islands, lasted a record 4.5 hours due to the comprehensive nature of the presentations and the detailed, poignant discussions (note: the Virtual Yard Chat held early August still holds the record for our longest community get together, though it was not a scheduled event but rather, a casual meeting with “marl road” topics, offering its own unique insights into Caymanian society).  Cayman Connection’s Virtual Yard was borne out of the need to unite Cayman people across the globe during the pandemic, and we are in awe that it can continue to fulfill that need today with myriad offerings to suit our diverse network.

As organisers, we are ever conscious of people’s time, especially our guests who are breaking from regularly scheduled work commitments to present to our overseas audience; that being said, guests and attendees did not budge at the 90 minute mark, nor the 120 mark, so, we too, trusted the session needed to take its own course.  Everyone in attendance was invested in learning more about the work being done by environmental stewards for the Cayman Islands, as well as the challenges preventing our country from becoming a leader in this arena.  It was a rich, thought-provoking session which has facilitated the forging of new connections with a view to advancing existing sustainability goals.

Guest speakers included host Eden Hurlston of Amplify Cayman, Hannah Reid from the Ministry of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency, Richard McAree from ReGen, Richard Simms from the Department of Environmental Health, Claire Hughes from Plastic Free Cayman, Katie Ebanks from Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Rob Cobbold from Beach Token, and while not initially scheduled but wholeheartedly welcomed just a day before the event, Mr. Timothy Adam promoting OTEC.  Attendees ranges from students to professionals including representatives from the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, CIGO-UK, Bloom Dream among others.

Edited video packages featuring each of the speakers will be made available to the public in the coming weeks, so connect with us on social to access them.

Warmest regards,
Rita