Ten Jamaican women are at the forefront of the nation’s sustainability movement and their achievements have been featured in Forbes Magazine. Jamaica is taking significant steps toward a sustainable future and has implemented several policies to achieve its goals. The country has banned disposable plastic and made a commitment to providing 50 percent of its energy needs through renewable resources by 2030. Ten of the most influential Jamaican women dedicating their considerable talents toward sustainability goals are listed below:
Heather Pinnock, Acting General Manager at the Urban Development Corporation, is a sustainable development professional trained in architecture, urban design, planning, project management and green economy. She has over 20 years of experience in the Caribbean construction and development sectors. Pinnock has a BA in architectural studies, a master’s in science, and a postgraduate certificate on climate change. She has coordinated major environmental programs at the University of the West Indies and the United Nations for Development Program. She currently heads a team of nearly 100 professionals at the Urban Development Corporation of Jamaica. Pinnock defines her current mission as “urbanity, resilient built environments and the promotion of sustainable living in Jamaica and the Caribbean.”
Claire Nelson, Chief Ideation Leader at the Futures Forum, is a graduate of Purdue University with more than 30 years experience in international development. She is a strategic thinker, change agent, keynote speaker, and an innovator who created the Caribbean American Advocacy Organization and the Institute of Caribbean Studies. The Futures Forum is a nonprofit organization that focuses on education, research, and consultancy in sustainability and strategic foresight. It is dedicated to the promotion of “Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight” in the service of the sustainable development agenda for organizations in the public and private sectors. Nelson also established the Annual Congressional Forum on Capitol Hill on US/Caribbean relations. She pioneered the White House Briefing for the Caribbean American Community in 1999. Nelson received a commendation in the US Congressional Record in recognition of her role as a leader and the architect of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month.
Suzanne Stanley, CEO of the Jamaica Environmental Trust (JET), has a BA in geography and a master’s in environmental design and management. She graduated with honors from oxford University. She has leadership responsibility at JET, which includes strategic planning, pro
A Bachelor in Geography and a Masters Degree on Environmental Change and Management with honors from Oxford University, Suzanne is responsible for the leadership of JET including strategic planning, programmatic oversight and environmental advocacy. JET is a nonprofit, non-governmental membership organization based in Kingston, Jamaica. It provides high-profile environmental education and advocacy programs implemented across the island
Suzanne Stanley is the CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), a non-profit, non-government membership organization based in Kingston. JET leads high profile environmental education and advocacy programmed that are implemented all across Jamaica by a team of exceptional young women from a variety of professional and academic backgrounds. The organization uses education, advocacy, and law to impact behavior and environmental policy JET’s vision for the future of Jamaica is one in which citizens care about the environment, JET has been involved with a wide range of impactful projects that reflect these goals, including an environmental education project, the Schools’ Environment Program, coordination of International Coastal Cleanup Day in Jamaica, the Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica public education campaign, and advocacy campaigns targeting the protection of Jamaican natural places, Save Cockpit Country, Save Goat Islands.
Lisa Binns, the founder of Stush in the Bush, was born in Barbados and raised in the United States. She visited Jamaica in 2009 and met the love of her life and embraced his Rastafarian traditions. She also realized her love for sustainable organic agriculture and now offers organic, healing produce, including vegetables and spices, to visitors from Jamaica and the world, as well as vegetarian dishes that combine soul food techniques and Jamaica’s traditional cuisine at the Stush in the Bush experience.
Lauren Le Franc, the founder of the Little Coffee Company, is a lawyer from the City University of London and the BPP Law School who works on behalf of small farmers in Jamaica who grow some of the most unique coffee beans in the world. She saw a business opportunity that would help the farmers export their coffee throughout the world and started the Little Coffee Company. “Bridging the gap between farmers and buyers through technology” is her motto. She is a member of the Trustee Global Board on Common Purpose, an NPO that develops leaders who can help find solutions to problems of cities and organizations. Le Franc sees the greatest opportunity for technology and sustainability exists in agriculture, which can help create more reliable and consistent trade options for the country.
Emma Lewis, Blogger, and Environmental Advocate uses her writing and public relations talent to support and advocate for the non-governmental sector and civil society. Lewis is the director of the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, the Natural History Museum of Jamaica, and the Farquharson Institute of Public Affairs. She is also a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Civil Society Consulting Group, Media Working Group of BirdsCaribbean and the anti-corruption lobby group National Integrity Action. Lewis is a former director of Eve for Life Jamaica, which works with young HIV-positive mothers, and a former director of J-FLAG, which serves the needs of the LGBTQ community. Additionally, Lewis runs Petchary’s Blog, “Petchary” is the Jamaican name for the Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicennis), which is a summer visitor to the island. The echoes the bird’s strident cry. It is sometimes called the “Storm Bird.” It will sing all night and chase away John Crows. With the blog, Lewis seeks to reach out to the Jamaican community and to act as the voice of those who are left behind.
Allison Rangolan, Chief Technical Director at Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ), is a marine biologist. EFJ helps the environment and child survival and development projects. She is a member of the Women in Renewable Energy Network, which was created to facilitate promotion and implementation of actions designed to conserve and manage natural resources and the environment of Jamaica. This organization provides funding to NGOs and community-based organizations, academic institutions, and partners with key stakeholders throughout Jamaica. EFJ funding has made an impact on the natural and built landscape,, children, communities, livelihoods, and plant and animal species.
Andrea Dempster-Chung, Founder of Kingston Creative, is a structural engineer, serial entrepreneur, business consultant, and serves as a coach for creative entrepreneurs. She works with businesses to developing successful strategies and activities that will help them achieve business goals. A Stanford graduate, she is enthusiastic about environmental causes. Kingston Creative seeks to establish an Art District and Creative Hub in Downtown Kingston, which will include the development of coworking spaces, digital studios, public art, artisanal markets, augmented reality murals, art events and ‘gamified’ tours of the district. Kingston Creative’s goals are to achieve social change, economic growth and a lasting transformation in the urban environment. She believes that Jamaica’s “superpower” is its culture and that its biggest opportunity rests in leveraging the country’s innate competitive advantage to achieve economic social and environmental benefits.
Susan Otuokon is the Executive Director at the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust. She has a Doctorate in Environmental Management and Ecotourism in Protected Areas from the University of the West Indies and is considered an expert in environmental conservation in the Caribbean. In her role as executive director, her chief focus is the management of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park and World Heritage Site. The site covers nearly five percent of Jamaica’s land surface and includes a rugged, forested mountain region in southeast Jamaica. The area offered refuge for the indigenous Taino people and Maroons and represents a significant intangible cultural legacy. The site is also a major location for many endemic plant species, particularly lichens, mosses, and certain flowering plants.
Valrie Grant, the founder and Managing Director of GeoTechVision Enterprises, which specializes in innovative spatial technologies and business communication and technology solutions. It has offices in Kingston, Jamaica and Georgetown, Guyana. She is also the Executive Chairman of Marlie Technology Park Ltd. and has more than 15 years of experience as a government employee and consultant in a wide range of public and private organizations in the Caribbean. She is a certified GIS professional and entrepreneur and the current president of the Caribbean Urban Regional Information Systems Association. As well as a member of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Americas Caribbean Project Technical Committee. She believes the biggest opportunities for Jamaica include leveraging a combination of location technologies, IOT and Big Data to create smart communities,
Source: Forbes Magazine
