Open Jaw :: On The Town ::

With Theresa Storm
08MAY08

Dr. David Suzuki

Canada's David Suzuki Steals The Caribbean Eco Show

Way to impress the Caribbean tourism folks, Dr. David Suzuki! Although a renowned environmental icon here in his Canadian homeland, most of the 350+ delegates attending the 10th Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism didn't have a clue who he was.

But they sure do now. Dr. Suzuki held the standing room only, sweating audience (the a/c took an ill-timed vacation) rapt throughout his keynote presentation "Sustaining the Caribbean Coast," the region's tourism bread and butter and this year's conference theme.

Not shy on words – or opinions – he opened the conference in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, to a standing ovation. The four Canucks present were proud as peacocks as fellow delegates praised Suzuki, a tad envious that we claim him as ours.

Unfortunately, he didn't speak equally glowingly about Canada's sustainability record, noting, "If all people in the world lived like Canadians, we'd need four more planets."

Ouch.

The good news? There are solutions, he says. Minimize our footprint on the Earth before it is too late.

Escaping the overheated ballroom for the tropical evening poolside at Beaches' French Village, Suzuki mingled with T&C Premier Michael Misick, the CTO's secretary general Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, heads of state, directors of tourism and other Caribbean tourism notables at the swish welcome cocktail party.

Frothy rum drinks, ice-cold Turks Head beer, and conch fritters, the national dish – fitting, seeing as the world's only conch farm is right here on Provo -- went down easily, while dancers performed a traditional salt dance.