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To see the Railway Trail from a new perspective, join Myles Darrell for a bike ride on Sunday.
He will lead the way to Dockyard from Waterville, the Bermuda National Trust’s headquarters in Paget, as part of an initiative launched last month by Greenrock.
As head of natural heritage at the trust, and with a deep love for people, Mr Darrell was a fitting partner in its efforts to encourage the community to “experience the immense value of our natural environment”.
“That's the thing for me. It's meeting more Bermudians and hearing what makes them tick and get excited, and what they think is important to preserve, and what culture and heritage means to them,” he said.
“We kind of have formed our culture around the natural environment, and we impact the natural environment and so I want to see people and learn how it is that we can work together to preserve and protect what's so important to me.”
As such, he was thrilled when Eugene Dean, the chairman of the board of Greenrock, invited him to share “a little bit of knowledge about some of our spaces”.
Sunday’s ride is expected to take about four hours. Stops along the way will make it a relatively easy journey.
Mr Darrell said: “It is a slow ride and it's reasonable for people of all ages. The other good thing is that you don't have to join us all the way to Royal Naval Dockyard – you could stop at any point and turn back. And we will be staying mostly on the Railway Trail, so it is a very safe environment.”
He anticipates that pitstops with snacks and stories about the spaces will add to the enjoyment.
“There is no rush. Even though we could probably ride there in an hour and a half or less, we're going to take our time and enjoy the company of one another.”
At Rebecca Middleton Nature Reserve, Sherwin Nature Reserve and Gilbert Nature Reserve, Mr Darrell will talk about the conservation work that is ongoing.
“I'll share a little bit about the heritage of some of the spaces, not just the nature reserves, but things like tribe roads. And I’ll share a little bit about some of the places and people that have been part of our heritage, including some of the Railway Trail stops,” he said.
“Most of us remember the sad story of Rebecca Middleton. It really played such a strong role in our heritage so I’ll share a bit about the history of the space and its donation by the Cook family; a little bit about our community and how we felt and what transpired, and what we can do to kind of appropriately remember people like Rebecca Middleton.”
Sherwin Nature Reserve also has a sad backstory as the site of the tragic stabbing death of teenager Malcolm Outerbridge. However, it is home to some of Bermuda's “unique and special” native and endemic species.
“[They are] only found here in Bermuda. We're not seeing this anywhere else and I think that often people forget that. Especially when you’re thinking about unique endemic species like our cedar and our olive wood and palmetto – and even down to our snails and various other creatures – we need to understand that this isn't something you're going to get to see anywhere else and by engaging in processes like this, we can all become better ambassadors of our island,” he said.
“So there'll be an opportunity to learn about native and endemic species, flora and fauna, all together, and also what it is the trust is doing and why it's so important to have these spaces available to the public.”
An added benefit is the healing that comes from being in nature, something fewer and fewer people seem to find the time to do, Mr Darrell said.
“I think what people realise is that, when you do get out there there's something special going on all the time. We can all be engaged in a National Geographic moment – those things aren't happening in the office, and they're not happening while you're staring at the screen. You have to get out and be part of it. And so we're hoping that it motivates families, particularly, to come and share with loved ones and realise that it's a great way to come together.”
• Myles Darrell’s Railway Trail ride with Greenrock will leave from Waterville at 9am on Sunday for Dockyard. Participation is free for Greenrock members; $25 for non-members. For more information visit greenrock.org or call 747-7625.
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If you have a couple hours to spare on Sunday, consider using the time to help make Bermuda “cleaner, greener, and more beautiful”.
Keep Bermuda Beautiful is looking for hands to support its efforts to beautify part of South Road, Southampton near Horseshoe Bay Beach. The event is in partnership with a Greenrock initiative aimed at helping people “experience the immense value our natural environment willingly provides”.
It’s the first community clean-up after the heat of summer, said Angelita Smith, KBB’s executive director.
“We have a community clean-up that we do ten months out of the year. We take a break during the summer and in October, we have our annual coastal clean-up,” she said
“So we are starting back [with] our community monthly clean-ups and that’s taking place in the Southampton area. We do a different parish every month.”
It’s a great chance to get outside, meet new people and do something that will benefit the entire community, Ms Smith added.
“KBB hosts clean-ups year-round across all nine parishes of Bermuda, offering an excellent opportunity for residents to give back while supporting our shared vision of a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful island,” she said.
“This initiative is especially valuable for students, who can earn community service hours.
“We provide all necessary clean-up materials, including trash and recycling bags, disposable gloves, and litter grabbers, and we co-ordinate waste collection with the help of Paul Wilmot and his team at Wilmot’s Trucking, whom we greatly appreciate for their continued support.”
The event is the third in a series of weekly environmental activities organised by Greenrock. The charity’s members and the general public have so far had the chance to explore sustainable farming and wild food foraging in greater depth.
“Through these activities, we aim to teach sustainable practices, raise awareness about biodiversity, and encourage respect for the natural world,” Greenrock said of the programme. “These initiatives are open to all ages, so we welcome schools, businesses, families and community organisations to sign up as members and register for the activities you’ll enjoy.”
Being part of a group of people committed to bettering their island home is one of the reasons why Ms Smith decided to switch careers three months ago.
“This role has allowed me to align my passion with purpose. While my corporate career offered challenges and growth, I discovered that my greatest fulfilment comes from serving a cause that matters deeply to me,” she said.
“KBB enables me to use my leadership skills to drive positive change and contribute to a mission that resonates with my personal values.”
Efforts on Sunday will focus on collecting the 12 most common types of litter ― cigarette butts, plastic packaging, snack wrappers, napkins and paper towels, candy and gum, plastic and cardboard, bottle caps and seals, cups, lids and straws, glass bottles and jars, metal and foil and drink cans.
The garbage will then be separated into bags of tins, aluminium and glass for recycling.
Ms Smith said she believes that although people understand that they should not litter, KBB “can do a better job at getting [the message] out there”.
While reluctant to share more she said that initiatives would soon be announced that would “push recycling and keeping the communities clean”.
“These monthly events reflect KBB’s commitment to litter prevention, waste reduction, and beautification,” Ms Smith said. “Community involvement is essential to changing behaviours and fostering pride in our environment.”
Typically, between 20 and 30 people participate. With the help of family and friends Ms Smith was able to double that number at her first community clean-up and is hoping even more will turn out to help this weekend.
Education is a big part of her remit and the reality is the more that people get involved picking up after others, the less likely they are to litter themselves.
“It’s not helping the environment, our beautiful island home that we pride ourselves on being a beautiful island. It just doesn't go along with what we're advertising [to tourists],” she said.
“I keep going back to the importance of educating the public. It changes the mindset, and we put a lot into our education programmes.
“So we go into the schools, we educate the kids, but I think it's also important to educate adults because we have bad habits and we just keep [littering]. We don't know any better and we don't do better.”
• Join KBB and Greenrock on Sunday at 9am for a two-hour clean-up of South Road near Horseshoe Bay. To sign up visit www.kbb.bm/cleanupnovember or call 799-5142 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information visit www.greenrock.org
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Those plants you are walking past could be food; they could be the remedy to what ails you. Or they might be something you should steer clear of.
Doreen Williams-James follows a plant-based diet using knowledge about Bermuda’s flora passed down through her grandmother.
The 56-year-old is convinced it is what has kept her healthier than many of her peers and that the food she makes is responsible for reversing her father’s diabetes.
On Sunday she’s teaching about wild-food foraging as part of a Greenrock initiative to engage the community in nature and environmental activities.
Anyone who joins will learn how to identify wild plants that have medicinal and/or nutritional benefits. Ms Williams-James will also give tips on how to cook them.
As the funeral director of Alpha Memorial Chapel, she has seen how badly things can go with an unhealthy diet.
“I see a lot of deaths from poor choices of lifestyle. So that's why I feel it's important to share the information and the knowledge that I have to help people have a better quality of life and to make better choices when it comes to their lifestyle,” she said.
Her 87-year-old father is a double amputee who once had hypertension and diabetes but has been able to stop his prescriptions because of the plant-based diet he now follows.
“That's what I also mention on my tours, that it's all about what you put in your mouth, what you put in your body, how you treat your body. And he’s a living testimony,” Ms Williams-James said.
“He had issues from being diabetic, having hypertension. He’s a double amputee and today he's not on any pharmaceutical medications because of his plant-based diet. That’s what he eats. And most of what I forage is what I give him for his food.”
She began researching about the benefits and “did some studying as well” to build on the knowledge passed on through her family.
“It’s proven. I mean, my father is a living testimony and I can even say for myself. I'm 56 years old and I'm not on any type of medications; most people my age have been diagnosed with hypertension. So it's important for us to know what we can do to heal our bodies. Your body heals according to the conditions you give it.”
Ms Williams-James believes that people have started to appreciate that type of thinking more as a result of the pandemic. Since then, people seem more intent on following a “holistic lifestyle” and having “a healthier lifestyle”.
For her grandmother wild plants were a necessity because she had 12 children to feed but “eating from the land” was a common practice at that time.
“If you talk to the older generation, they can tell you a lot about the plants that healed them, the natural remedies they used. It's coming back, but there's still a lot of that knowledge that is being lost. So I feel it's very important to be able to educate people,” Ms Williams-James said.
“I never met my grandmother but a lot of what she taught her children was passed on to my father – he taught me a lot and my aunts as well. But for [my grandmother] at that time, it was basically just trying to feed her children.”
Scurvy-grass is edible raw and cooked. Its leaves are rich in vitamin C; wild spinach, which is also high in vitamins C, A and K, folate and other nutrients, can be eaten raw in salads or added to smoothies and juices.
Most people are more familiar with drinking stinging nettle as a tea but the leaves can be juiced, or sautéed and eaten as greens. Wild mustard leaves can be used in a salad or sautéed and eaten as greens; nasturtium leaves are useful in a salad, can be cooked in a soup or used to make other dishes. The flowers are edible as well; the seeds “help to kill the parasites in your body”, Ms Williams-James said.
Prickly pear, which is coming into season, is “very high in antioxidants and flavonoids”.
“So you can make a drink with it and you can also eat the tuna pads, the thick cactus, you can eat them as well; just pick it and scrape off the stickers and eat it like it is. The juice is very good for preventing inflammation; if you're diabetic, it helps to lower the glucose levels,” she said.
Many people would be surprised to learn just how easy it is to “find plants to eat all year round”.
“It's just amazing. The local cherries and the loquats are what most children grow up being familiar with but when you really get into what's available, it will blow your mind. It's just amazing.”
She felt Greenrock was a good charity to align her ideas with because it was also focused on the environment.
“It's just showing people the importance of what is available to them but also learning how to respect the environment as well,” Ms Williams-James said.
“If you trash the Earth, if you trash your environment and then if you decide to eat from the land, then you're eating from a dirty environment. Why would you want to eat dirty food? So, it's also about educating people on keeping the environment clean, respecting what's been given to us and respecting nature.”
In that vein, she added, it is important to “take only what you need”.
“Don't be excessive. Don't be pulling up roots and killing off plants. You want that to come back again the following year to feed you, to heal you. It's about sustainability as well.”
• Join Greenrock and Wild Herbs N Plants of Bermuda on Sunday at Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve from 2pm to 4pm. Admission is free for Greenrock members; $25 for non-members. Register here: https://t.ly/a_peh. For more information visit greenrock.org or call 747-7625. Follow @bdawildherbs on Instagram
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Greg Wilson is passionate about food security. Sit with him at Food Forest, the organic garden he started in his backyard in 2021, and he is happy to talk about the importance of having reliable access to affordable, nutritious food ― and the role he plays as a sustainable farmer in making that happen.
“Food security to me means sustainability, growing food in a way where we have no external inputs. I don't buy pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, so my costs related to food production are very minimal. I’m growing a healthier product ― because it is benefiting from the biological activity that it's designed to benefit from,” he explained.
People are invited to join Mr Wilson at Food Forest tomorrow, when he will talk about sustainable farming in the first in a series of environmental activities organised by the charity, Greenrock.
It’s an interest that likely stemmed from his upbringing. Mr Wilson’s great grandfather was a commercial farmer in Bermuda in the late 18th century; his grandfather farmed and he himself “grew up on a farm, basically”.
It was the same for most people when he was a child. “Maybe 50 or 60 years ago, everyone grew their own food in their yards. We never had a MarketPlace or Piggly Wiggly or any big stores back in the Fifties and Sixties. We produced our own food, in our own neighbourhoods, in our own backyards.”
Plants were grown, animals were kept and everything was shared with anyone who didn’t have. “We had food security,” Mr Wilson said.
In the 1950s, Bermuda had more than 3,000 acres of arable land. Today, the count sits in the area of 600 acres with “only maybe 200 to 300 of them actually farmed”.
The impact that has had is obvious to Mr Wilson, who operated the restaurant Greg’s Steakhouse for many years.
“I recognised then the quality of the food that we were receiving was substandard. The shelf life on it was very, very short, and the amount of spoilage and waste that happened was unprecedented,” he said.
In 2014 he shut the restaurant and went back to school so he could learn how to farm in “a holistic way”.
“I studied mycology, I studied soil science, and I learnt so much,” he said.
Fascinating to him was that food could be grown without “imported chemicals or pesticides or herbicides”.
“I’ve been on that journey ever since. That's how Food Forest started, with my niece and my son sitting around a dining room table saying, ‘Listen, we know we can grow food in a way that is sustainable, and how we do it is simply by using everything that we have here’.”
Food Forests serves 27 restaurants and hotels and sells its vegetables in Supermart and the Lindo’s grocery stores from May through December.
Its selling point: Bermuda-grown products that are full of nutrition and will last in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
To get the most out of the earth, Mr Wilson believes people should respect soil for what it is, “a living organism”.
“The traditional practices of farmers have been destructive,” he said. “When you take a tiller and you till it through the soil, you destroy that entire ecosystem, and then you are forced to use chemical fertilisers to force feed your plants to grow,” he said.
As such, plants don’t reap the benefit of “the bacteria and fungi” or the microarthropods and macroarthropods that convert organic matter into mineral nutrients that plants can easily absorb.
“As a result, what happens is the plants are sick. When a sick plant gets attacked by insects, the farmer has to come by and spray pesticides, and then fungicides ― all of these added layers have to be introduced because the system that is put in place by nature to grow food, has been destroyed,” he said.
“You don't need to spray fertilisers in a forest; the forest doesn't till the soil. When you spray those chemicals, the plant, because of its nature, it absorbs the chemicals and they become a part of the plant’s cellular structure and of course, when you eat these foods, those same chemicals ― even traces of them ― affect the human body the same way. The same microbiome that's in the soil, it's the same microbiome that's in our gut.”
The result is “an explosion of autoimmune diseases” which were not there 70-odd years ago when people farmed organically.
Mr Wilson is particularly thrilled that his message has been well received by young people.
“One of the first things I did was go into the school systems. I worked with Warwick Academy, with Somersfield, I’ve been to Sandys [Secondary Middle School], I've been to Port Royal, Dalton E Tucker … several schools.”
The farmer spent about a year teaching 10 and 11-year-old Warwick Academy students “all the secrets of the soil”.
“These kids did a phenomenal job, and they produced so much food that they started to sell their food every Monday afternoon.
“When the parents would come to pick the kids up from school, these kids were standing out there with their fresh grown vegetables and sell them to the parents ― so that they could buy more seed and buy more tools and complete their gardens,” he said.
“Many of them, even now, have home gardens. That is very rewarding to me, to witness that transition. The same thing at Somersfield, they're teaching the young kids how to grow food in a sustainable way and I think that's the future.
“If we can get the kids involved, if instead of being on the iPad they are in the garden and they're connected to the earth, they will benefit in the long run. These are life skills that they will never forget.”
• Join Greenrock and Food Forest tomorrow at 45 Middle Road, Sandys, near Maximart, from 1pm to 3pm. Admission is free for Greenrock members; $25 for non-members. Register here:https://t.ly/a_peh. For more information visit greenrock.org or call 747-7625. Follow @foodforestbda on Instagram or visit foodforestbda.com
Written by Heather Wood
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Throughout the Earth Hour Campaign, we host a range of environmental initiatives, such as a community cleanup, a bike ride through the railway trails, a sustainable gardening workshop, school visits, lunch and learns, educational presentations, and a guided nature walk to inspire environmental action, teach sustainable practices, raise awareness about biodiversity, and encourage respect for the natural world. These initiatives are open to all ages, so we welcome schools, businesses, families and community organizations to get involved.
Sacred Earth Circle
Switch off your lights and join Naturopath and Spiritual Teacher Dr. Kathia Roberts from SOAR Journeys and Ashley K. Gardener, Bermuda's renowned Geo Love Master Healer, for a Sacred Earth Circle at Spirit House during Earth Hour, the largest global movement for nature. This event is more than a moment of reflection; it's a call to action. With Dr. Kathia’s & Ashley's guidance, we'll tap into the earth's powerful energies, nature’s elements, and earth-based shamanic practices, fostering a movement of harmony far beyond the hour. Be part of this transformative Earth-healing journey. Mark your calendars for an unforgettable experience of unity, healing, and global awakening.
Nature Walk
Join us on Sunday, April 7th for a fun, fantastic and truly engaging wild food and foraging experience at Coopers Island Reserve. Develop your understanding of foraging for food in Bermuda, learn about cooking wild foods, and get the pleasure of tasting some delicious wild recipes. In our foraging experience, we work with the seasons and often forage for plants. You’ll be astonished by the flavours we encounter in the wild; from scurvy grass to the sea purslane, which has a distinctive salty taste, it’s all there to be discovered. Sign up today for an experience that promises to enlighten your five senses.
Railway Trail Ride
Did you know that there were railway trails from Hamilton to Somerset Village? If so, have you experienced them all? If your answer is no to either of those questions you should meet us at City Hall on Sunday, April 14th for a special experience travelling through some of Bermuda's most unique nature reserves on a pleasant ride from Hamilton to Dockyard and a complimentary trip back to Hamilton on the ferry. Myles Darrell of the Bermuda National Trust will join us on the ride to share his knowledge about nature reserves and historical sites through the trails. We'll also discuss the diverse plant species, examine the limestone formations, ride through various terrains, smell the natural aromas, and capture the breathtaking views. And by the way, if your answer is yes to those same questions, you already know how amazing it is and will need no encouragement to attend. FYI: Several local vendors will rent you a pedal bike or an e-bike should you need one. Contact us for help.
Sustainable Farming Workshop
Join us for a walking tour of FoodForest. An ecological microsystem of biological sustainability that incorporates several varieties of fruits, vegetables, roots, berries, and nuts. Learn how regenerative agriculture is the only alternative to the fragile micro system our communities depend on. This educational experience is free for Greenrock members. Fresh, organic vegetables will be for sale.
Great Big Bermuda Clean-Up
Join us on Sunday, April 28th for the grand finale event of the 2024 Great Big Bermuda Clean-Up. Volunteers will meet at Friendship Vale Park at the corner of Palmetto Road & Old Military Road. Groups will spread out from there to clean various locations around Devonshire. KBB will provide gloves, trash bags, recycling bags and litter grabbers. Remember to wear a hat and bring your reusable water bottle.
Greenrock
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Donations help us fund the day-to-day operations of the organisation, allowing us to maintain our existing programmes while exploring new programmes for the future.
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