Good afternoon everyone. Please stand for the entrance of Governor General, his Excellency Sir Emanuel Neville Snack and Lady Snack. Please remain standing for the National Anthem of St. Lucia, to be performed by noted St. Lucia jazz guitarist Ronald Boo Hingson and award-winning composer Arranger Panis Allison Markey who is also the customer care engineer at Lucillac. Thank you Boo. Thank you Allison. You may have your seats. Your Excellency Sir Emanuel Neville Snack, Governor General of St. Lucia and Lady Snack. Honorable Alan Shasney, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and Public Service of St. Lucia. Members of the Cabinet of St. Lucia. President Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of America. Mr. Jose Maria Figueres, Former President of Costa Rica. Honorable Philip J. Pierre, Leader of the Opposition. Honorable Dr. Kenny Anthony, Parliamentary Representative for Viewport North, Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Permanent Secretaries. Mr. John Joseph, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited and other Board members. Mr. Trevor Luisi, Managing Director of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited. Other members of the Management Team of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited. Representatives of the Clinton Foundation, Rocky Mountain Institute. Ms. Chisa Nikami, Deputy Representative, Resident Representative, UNDP Office for Barbados and the OECS. Mr. Javier Vela, Kunkia of Group Tech, specially invited guest. Staff members of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited. Members of the media, good afternoon and welcome to the official opening ceremony of Lucilek's three-megawatt solar farm. My name is Bernardia Rages, Corporate Communications Assistant at Lucilek and I will be your master of ceremonies this afternoon. We're really pleased that all of you are able to join us today for what is a special occasion for Lucilek. A high point of many years of relentless march to introduce utility, scale renewable energy into our generation portfolio. Thank you for your presence. The solar farm is located in the Latuni community, which sits in the constituency of Viewfort South and I would now like to invite Honorable Dr. Kenny Antony, the Parliamentary Representative for Viewfort South to make a few remarks. Dr. Kenny Antony. The Excellencies are Emmanuel Neville, St. Governor General of St. Lucia, President Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of America and delegation. Mr. Shastney, Prime Minister and Mr. Shastney. Members of the Cabinet of St. Lucia, Mr. Jose Maria Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, Honorable Philip J. Pierre, Leader of the Opposition, Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Permanent Secretaries, General Manager of Lucilek, staff and members of Lucilek, ladies and gentlemen. In January 2003, I had a special honor of being the host Prime Minister to President Bill Clinton on his memorable and historic visit to St. Lucia. Today I am again honored to welcome President Clinton and his delegation and this time to my constituency, Viewfort South, where this facility, as you heard, is located. Today's official opening of this new 3.2 megawatts solar farm marks an important milestone in the development of the energy sector in our country. With the assimilation of this solar energy into our national grid, we are effectively adding a little over 5% of renewable energy to our national energy profile. Put another way, we are reducing our dependence on fossil fuels by 5%. In celebrating this achievement, we must not forget the vision and the hard work that got us here. This journey started with a promise by my former administration when it assumed office in December 2011 to increase the penetration of renewable energy in our national grid by 20% by the year 2020. However, in making that pledge, we understood that we were going into uncharted territory and we needed to build a correlation of development partners to help us along the way. The former Minister of Sustainable Development and Energy, Dr. Jimmy Fletcher, with the blessings of the Cabinet of Ministers enlisted the support of the Clinton Climate Initiative. During a sustainable energy for all meeting in Barbados in 2012, Dr. Fletcher met with Jan Hartke and Ira Magasina, and I hope I have the words right, of the Clinton Foundation and a very successful partnership was born. One year later, our government extended this partnership when we brought Sir Richard Branson's Carbon War Room on board after another meeting this time in London between Jimmy Fletcher and Peter Boyd and Maya Dulub. Soon, our energy coalition started to grow with the World Bank added in 2013 and the New Zealand government SIDSDoc and the Caribbean Development Bank in 2014. Also in 2014, at a Renewable Energy Summit hosted by Richard Branson on Necker Island, I announced that St. Lucia would be increasing our renewable energy penetration ambition to 35% by the year 2020. But as it is so well known, Prime Ministers may propose, but the electorate may choose to dispose. Today, we are seeing the coming to fruition of one of the elements of the ambitious energy program that we set in 2011, and for this, I am very pleased. I am glad, President Clinton, that you are here with us today so I can thank you in person. Apart from the Clinton Climate Initiative, I also thank the Carbon War Room, Rocky Mountain Institute and Lucillec for their commitment and perseverance with this project. I also want to thank those who worked hard to get this journey started and lay the foundation that has brought us to this point. The former Minister Jimmy Fletcher and the staff of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Energy were the trailblazers who translated the vision of our government to a modern diversified competitive and renewables-based energy sector into a structured, sensible, resource program. I am reliably informed that Lucillec is looking to expand on this initial investment with the installation of battery storage. This suggests that the approach that my government employed of treating Lucillec as a partner rather than an adversary in our energy transformation program appears to have paid off. Others have approached it differently and the results have not been as successful. However, as exciting and pleasing as today's achievement is, it would be remiss of me if I did not also use this occasion to reflect on some missed opportunities and to hope that we will soon see the restart and completion of other critical elements of the National Energy Transformation Program. It would be good to see the tabling in Parliament of the new suite of energy legislation that my former government initiated, which will create the environment for a truly modern and diversified energy sector. The decision to stop the CDB-funded island-wide LED streetlight retrofit should also be revisited and this project restarted. These funds were made available to the government at highly concessional terms and the annual savings to government and relatively short payback period more than justified the investment. Unfortunately, the wind farm development was stopped over a simple issue where we should now have a 12 megawatt wind farm generating renewable energy into our national grid. With dividends for local shareholders and benefits for consumers, we have shrubs and snakes on undeveloped land. I point out these things because transforming our energy sector is very important for us economically, socially and environmentally. At the economic level, it will allow us to reduce the high cost of electricity. When we drive these costs downward, we make every economic sector more competitive. At the social level, it brings benefits to all sectors of our society, particularly the poor and vulnerable among us. At the environmental level, our transition away from the use of fossil fuels will allow us to play a leadership role in the global fight to minimize the emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing our planet to warm at such an alarming and dangerous rate. These benefits will take time to percolate, and for that reason, it is vital that Lucellec dramatically increases its efforts to explain to the public the value of these investments to our society, economy and ecology. Mr Chairman, this solar farm is in the constituency of VFOR South, which I have had the honor and privilege to represent in parliament for the last 21 years. So on behalf of the residents of VFOR South, I will conclude by saying that despite our misgivings about the location of this solar farm, we accept that it is a transformational facility. I look forward to seeing it serve as a catalyst for other sensible, sustainable development initiatives in the South and for the broader transformation of the energy sector that must take place nationally. I thank you one and all. Thank you, Honorable Dr. Kenny Antony, the Parliamentary Representative for VFOR South. Today's opening is the fulfillment of an ambition long held by Lucellec. Our managing director has been with the company for nearly 30 years and hasn't been involved in many of Lucellec's major milestones in various capacities during that time. We now invite Mr. Trevor Luisi, Lucellec's managing director to deliver his remarks. Your Excellency, Sir Emmanuel Nevel-Snack, Governor-General of St. Lucia and Lady Snack, Honorable Alan Shasne, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and Public Service of St. Lucia and Mrs. Shasne. Members of the Cabinet of St. Lucia, President Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States of America, Mr. Jose Maria Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, Honorable Philip J. Pierre, Leader of the Opposition, Honorable Kenny D. Anthony, Parliamentary Representative for VFOR North, Deputy Permanent Secretaries, Mr. John Joseph, Chairman of the Board of St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited and other Board Members. Other Members of the Management Team of St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited, Representatives of the Clinton Foundation Rocky Mountain Institute. And on that note, I would like to utilize the protocol already established. Another page, another chapter. The first pages of Lucellec's history book were written in 1964. As we look back over the pages of that book, we see several milestones, several major achievements in the development of electricity here in St. Lucia. We see also that Lucellec's history has been integrally intertwined with St. Lucia's economic and social development. Today is no different. As we officially open the first utility scale renewable energy system in St. Lucia, we are adding another page, another chapter in the history of Lucellec, in the history of power generation and in the history of St. Lucia. I won't detail the history of Lucellec's foray into solar energy today, except to note that we officially started in 2009 with a pilot project to integrate rooftop solar photovoltaic systems or solar PV into the grid. Presently, and not including this solar farm, there are approximately 771 kilowatts of installed solar PV from 92 systems connected to the grid island wide. Some of the inputters for the integration of renewable energy came with the approval of the national energy policy by the government of St. Lucia in 2010 with targets for renewable energy penetration. In 2013, Lucellec completed the feasibility study on a three megawatt utility scale solar PV system and work on the request for proposals was started in 2015 with the support of the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Carbon War Room and DNVGL. The RFP was issued in 2016 and attracted over 40 bidders from all over the world for the mandatory site visit that formed part of the process. Grupo Tech, an international company with a strong presence in the Caribbean and a portfolio of over 500 megawatts of solar PV plants worldwide was contracted to undertake this project. Construction of the solar farm began in November 2017 and the entire three megawatts of this solar farm came online on April 11th of this year. It has been connected to and feeding into the Lucellec grid since then. This solar farm is funded owned and operated by Lucellec. It costs approximately 20 million East Caribbean dollars and occupies about 15 acres of this piece of land purchased from in West St. Lucia. It will form part of a power complex that we are proposing to develop. It's nearly 15,000 panels arranged in three main banks or arrays. It will generate approximately 7 million kilowatt hours or units of electricity per year. That's about 1.3 percent of the electricity generated annually from Lucellec's diesel-based cul-de-sac power plant, which incidentally sits on the same area of land, 15 acres. So that should give you an idea of how land intensive utility scale solar powers. The solar farm will reduce the volume of fuel purchased by Lucellec by about 300,000 gallons annually. A very small amount really, but when you consider we use approximately 20,000, 20 million gallons of fuel per year. But we think it is a start, small in volume, but the basis for big aspirations. For the country, the solar farm aligns neatly with the national energy transition strategy that seeks to promote a blueprint for new energy future in St. Lucia. An energy future that is focused on developing renewable energy resources and how best to integrate the optimum mix of renewable energies into the national energy grid at least costs without compromising the stability and reliability that we are accustomed to. It brings us one step closer to the goal of 35 percent of energy from renewable energy sources by 2020 and reduces our dependence on important fossil fuel. Lucellec anticipates making further contributions to renewable energy development in St. Lucia. We are currently working on a study to determine the optimum location for interconnecting a large storage battery on the grid, which we hope to commission sometime next year. Despite the several setbacks to date, we will continue working towards the development of the 12 megawatt wind farm and we will also continue providing as much support as we can to the government of St. Lucia with the ongoing geothermal exploration and development. In concluding, there are many anonymous contributors to history. No one makes history alone and Lucellec has not been alone in writing this new page or this new chapter in the annals of the development of electricity infrastructure on the island. I take this opportunity therefore to thank the teams from the Rocky Mountain Institute, Carbon War Room, Clinton Climate Initiative and DNVGL and their respective donor agencies for their support in the development of the national energy transition strategy, Lucellec's own integrated resource plan, the development of the RFP for this solar farm, and the oversight of the bidding process and contract negotiations. Our thanks also go out to the former and current ministers of energy and sustainable development, the support staff at these ministries and the government of St. Lucia for their respective and various levels of support to get us to this moment in history. I also want to express my appreciation to GrupoTech for the excellent work they did in completing this project. Although slightly delayed, it was still within budget and to our specifications and to all the Lucellec staff who have been involved in one way or another in overseeing the project through its various stages to ensure its successful conclusion. Thank you for your efforts. Indeed without you and all the staff and all the Lucellec staff past and present, our history book would hardly have any pages worth reading. As we get ready to cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of this three megawatt solar farm, in more ways than one, we are changing St. Lucia's energy landscape and the new energy future for St. Lucia is being written. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Luisi. We now welcome back Ronald Buhingsen and Allison Marquis for a brief musical interlude, this time for something not so formal. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, Ronald Buhingsen and Allison Marquis, two of the wealth of really talented musician St. Lucia is blessed with. Did I tell you that Allison works with Lucellec? I did, but I just thought I'd slip it back in again. We would like to invite Honorable Stevenson King, the Minister of Infrastructure, POTS, Energy and Labor, who has portfolio responsibility for Lucellec to address us now. Your Excellency, St. Manuel Neville Snack, Governor-General of St. Lucia and Lady Snack, Honorable Arlen Shastney, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and the Public Service of St. Lucia, members of the St. Lucia Cabinet, President Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of America, Jose Maria Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, Honorable Philip J. Pierre, leader of the opposition, Dr. Kenny D. Antony, Parliamentary Representative of VA for North and former Prime Minister, Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Permanent Secretaries, Mr. John Joseph, Chairman of the Board of Directors of St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited and other Board members, Mr. Trevor Luisi, Managing Director of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited, other members of the Management Team of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited, representatives of the Clinton Foundation Rocky Mountain Institute, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Energy is at the heart of everyday human life and is pivotal to our very existence. It underpins social, physical and economic development, which are in turn affected by the availability and access to reliable and cost-effective energy by all strata of society. We rely on energy services for electricity generation, transportation, water supply, food production and telecommunications, to name a few. It is therefore clear that energy services are critical to the well-being and advancement of our people. Like many other countries, St. Lucia depends almost exclusively on imported fossil fuels to meet local energy demands. Consequently, local energy supplies and prices are highly dependent on the vagaries of the global marketplace, with resulting negative social and economic impacts during all price spikes. Further, from as far back as the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, a global clarion call was made, urging for development of renewable energy resources since the link between the combustion of fossil fuels and increased greenhouse gas emissions and anthropogenic induced climate change had been suggested while noting the limited supply and unsustainable nature of fossil fuel use as a source of energy. St. Lucia's commitment to the Paris Agreement and NDCs signalled our nation's intention to reach ambitious climate and energy goals cognizant of our special vulnerabilities as a Caribbean small island development nation. The events of Hurricane Thomas, the Christmas Eve trough, hurricanes Maria and Irma are all grim reminders of the urgency of climate action by all, especially the bigger and more developed nations. It is with these considerations in mind that successive governments have resolved to transform the island's energy sector to achieve greater energy efficiency, decrease dependency on fossil fuels, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and greater indigenous renewable energy penetration to promote social and economic development with minimal harm to the natural environment. From the elaboration of the natural sustainable energy plan as far back as 2001 to the endorsement by cabinet of the national energy policy in 2010 and ramped up renewable energy targets in 2014 and most recently the approval of the national energy transition strategy or NETS by the cabinet of ministers in 2018. The government of St. Lucia has continuously affirmed its commitment to the use of clean energy and clean technologies. The NETS endorsed by our cabinet in April of this year was developed through consultative and participatory process led by the government of St. Lucia and Lusleck through technical assistance from the Clinton climate initiative and Rocky Mountain Institute Carbon War Room with support from DNV GL and funding from the global environment facility. It constitutes a roadmap for achieving greater renewable energy penetration within our energy mix while pursuing energy efficiency with three central principles as follows. Service reliability intended to achieving lower than historical outage duration and frequency. Two, cost containment to reduce customer costs, reduce impact of fuel volatility and ensure financial viability of the utility. And three, energy independence to achieve renewable energy targets, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and achieve increased energy diversity. The NETS results indicate that St. Lucia should develop energy efficiency in solar, wind and energy storage projects as well as geothermal if the resource provides to be proves to be commercially viable. Today marks a milestone as indicated by the general manager in the transformation of our energy sector to a more sustainable pathway with the official opening of this three megawatt solar farm, the first utility scale solar farm on our beloved island. It expresses also the determination of not only the government and Lusleck to achieving the recommendations of the NETS, the commitments to the Paris Agreement and the international development agenda 2015-2030 and the sustainable development goals, but more importantly the desire and resolve of our people to meeting and overcoming the challenges that are before us through collective effort. As we continue to implement the NETS and increase renewable energy penetration within the energy mix, we will experience greater energy security which is defined as the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price. This is critical to ensuring that economic and social gains are sustained and not easily eroded by oil price volatility on the global market. I would therefore wish to congratulate Lusleck on this bold and audacious achievement and investment. Fuel savings of up to 300,000 gallons are anticipated and it is estimated that this solar farm has a generation capacity of up to 1.3 percent of the electricity generated presently by Lusleck at its cul-de-sac plant. Special mention and thanks must be extended to the Clinton Climate Initiative and Rocky Mountain Institute Carbon War Room for their active role in the procurement process for the solar farm and their professional management of better expectations. The team assisted with project challenges especially those associated with geotechnical uncertainties, the preparation of a glint and glare study, and assisting with obtaining requisite permits and approvals. These efforts have manifested in what we are witnessing here today and even more importantly will contribute to lower electricity prices in the long run for all Saint Lucians. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy, and Labor in partnership with the National Utilities Regulatory Commission, Lusleck, and the sector at large will continue to facilitate the implementation of the NETS recommendations and at a broader level to champion the cause to foster lower energy costs without compromising system reliability and yet promote efficiency within the electricity services sector. The ripple effects we are convinced are central to ending poverty, inequity, and achieving environmental sustainability which are contiguous to the tenets of the International Development Agenda 2015-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. In closing, it would be remiss of me if I were to end without extending my sincere personal thanks and appreciation and that of the government and people of Saint Lucia to a dear friend of Saint Lucia as expressed by the former Prime Minister, President William Jefferson Bill Clinton, who has graced us with his presence here today. A clear demonstration of his unwavering commitment to clean energy and addressing the issues of climate change in a dynamic and meaningful way. To you, President Clinton, I thank you and to all who are gathered here on this very historic occasion. Please accept my appreciation. I thank you all. Thank you, Minister King. In the preliminary stages of the development of this solar farm, Lusleck has had the benefit of technical assistance from the Clinton Climate Initiative and the Rocky Mountain Institute. We are pleased, therefore, to have a member of the Board of Trustees for Rocky Mountain Institute and former President of Costa Rica, Mr. Jose Maria Figures, to make some remarks. Mr. Figures will also introduce our special guest, former U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton. Buenas tardes, amigas y amigos. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Governor General Sir Neville Snack and Lady Snack, Prime Minister Alan Chastney and Madam Chastney. Buen amigo Presidente Clinton, bienvenido al Caribe nuevamente. Mr. Trevor Luzi, Managing Director of Lusneck, distinguished guests, amigas y amigos. On behalf of Carbon War Room and Rocky Mountain Institute, it brings me truly great joy, truly great joy to participate in this event, in this great inauguration with all of you here today. In Spanish, we say that el que no sabe de dónde viene no sabe para dónde va. He who does not know where he is coming from does not know where he is going. And so therefore, this afternoon, I would like to compliment what the former Prime Minister Kenny Anthony has mentioned as part of the history coming together for this momentous occasion. And then secondly, share with all of you what this project means to me in terms of the opportunities that it opens towards the future. Our Minister of Environment and Energy, Minister King, just mentioned the Rio Summit of 1992. Well, the history goes back to Rio Plus 20, which as you recall, was celebrated in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. At that opportunity, Prime Minister Mike Eamon of Aruba, and Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Carbon War Room, came together to launch what they called a Ten Island Challenge. The challenge was to work with islands in the Caribbean to bring them off from fossil fuels that were rendering very expensive energy and on to renewables because the Caribbean has sun, que dice gracias a Dios, and wind for renewable energies. St. Lucia was one of the first islands to step up to the challenge and say, here we are. We want to move forward. We want to begin a transition towards sustainable energy in our country. And so it was that with Minister Fletcher ever since 2013 and 2014, we began conversations to be able to be here today. Justin Locke from RMI was here and began conversations with two people in Lucenac that I would like to highlight and distinguish. They were Victor Emmanuel and Trevor Louisi that has accompanied this process from day one. Muchas gracias, Trevor. Very well done. Shortly after that, Carbon War Room and the Rocky Mountain Institute merged. We wanted to be able to do more things. And then we entered into a partnership with the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Climate Initiative, which are very nicely represented this afternoon by Kevin Thurm, the CEO of the foundation, and by Jesse Gerstin and Stephen Muschigan who have been leading up this effort in the Clinton Climate Initiative. Stephen, by the way, has been down to St. Lucia 16 times.  I think he should be given honorary citizenship of St. Lucia. If they do that, I'll be next in line after you. Then with the financial help of the Dutch Postcode Lottery, which is a very strong friend of the Clinton Foundation and also of Rocky Mountain Institute, and with the support from the Global Environmental Facility GIF, as well as UNDP that helped us put the financial packages together, this project was underway. Absolute transparency, amigas y amigos. In international tender, Lucenek deserves a medal for the way in which it was conducted. Trevor mentioned 40 companies that came to visit the sites and hear what was to be done. Then that now was narrowed down to 11 bidders that came in with their office in the tenders. Three finalists were shortlisted and finally a winner, Grupo Tech, who I will refer to in just a minute. So as we can see, many have contributed to our being able to be here this afternoon and enjoy this momentous occasion. But I would like to signal out what I call three champions above and beyond all. First, it is to the people of St. Lucia. You know, back in 2014, Mark Grundy from Carbon War Room, who is here with us, visited St. Joseph's Girl School because they hold an annual event on sustainability and renewable energy. And there was a group of girls at St. Joseph's that had presented as a project, a small hydro to be able to take advantage of the water behind their high school. When Mark came back with that story, we said, this is a place to go. This is a place to help build as an example of what can be done in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Secondly, I would like to single out above and beyond all the role of Lucilik. Let's face it, it is not easy for a utility that has been accustomed all its life to fossil fuel generation to change the business model and begin to see the other side of this beautiful story. And Lucilik has done it, has done it artfully and is an example for the rest of the utilities in the Caribbean. And thirdly, to the government of St. Lucia. For its leadership, its determination. To you, Prime Minister Chesney, thank you so much, sir. But also what a wonderful lesson from St. Lucia for the rest of the world that lives in democracy to have two prime ministers, a prime minister, the former prime minister from two different political sides of life, side by side, speaking on the same podium, participating in the same activity supported by their both governments that brings development to St. Lucia. That is a type of democracy the world needs. So we at RMI and Rocky Mountain Institute stand ready to be by your side on the exciting steps ahead. Don Trevor, a las órdenes. Let's see where we can go from here. Second and lastly, to me, this represents a shining example of four things. First, it is a shining and no pun intended with this sun on the panels when I say shining. But it is a shining example of for the entire Caribbean. This is the largest solar project in the East Caribbean. It produces energy for 3,500 homes. And in that, it is not only an example for the Caribbean, but for regions above and beyond. It highlights the opportunities of the region to be able to transfer from energy costs that go between 33 and 67 cents per kilowatt hour to energy costs that are much lower based on renewables. Secondly, this is also the beginning of a journey, the beginning of a journey to cut carbon emissions, which is good for the planet. And to begin eventually to cut energy costs in St. Lucia when we have more renewables up and running, which is good for the people. So it's good for the people and it's good for the planet. Thirdly, it provides leadership for the world of how a small island nation, St. Lucia, still in many aspects developing as my country, can in fact move forward, show the road for other countries, small, medium, and large to follow in these footsteps and be able to combat climate change, which is the most impressive of all challenges humanity has ever faced, but is also the greatest economic opportunity as we are seeing here today. And fourthly and last, it is living proof of the efficacy of a public-private partnership. This project has involved the government of St. Lucia and Lucitec. It has involved business bidders and contractors, Grupo Tech, Javier Bela, muchas gracias por estar acá. It has involved civil society, RMI, the Clinton Global, the Clinton Climate Initiative of the Clinton Foundation, Dutch Postcode Lottery, and it has involved international organizations such as GEF and UNDP. Again, heartfelt recognition and deepest gratitude to all that have contributed to this momentous occasion. Y ahora, amigas y amigos. Now it is my distinctive pleasure to introduce a friend, the 42nd President of the United States, President William Jefferson Clinton. To us here, much more important than that, and with full respect for your tenure, sir, we would like to welcome and introduce a true friend of the Caribbean and a global statement, a global statesman that has always had in his heart the well-being of peoples around the world and the well-being of the planet. Señor Presidente. Thank you very much, President Figueros. Thank you for that introduction, for your wonderful work, and for saving me a lot of words. I should just say I agree with him and sit down. For many years now, he's been trying to get me to do exactly that. Governor General and Lady Snagg, Prime Minister, and Mrs. Chastney, thank you for the meeting we had and the work you're doing and the work I hope we will do in the future. Former Prime Minister and current Minister for Infrastructure, Sports, Energy, and Labor, King, thank you for your wonderful remarks and your work. Former Prime Minister and Representative Dr. Anthony, it's good to see you again. Thank you for welcoming me 15 years ago to this wonderful place. Dr. Fletcher, thank you, and Trevor Loisey, and John Joseph, and the others from Blue Select, thank you. Mark Grundy and the RMI Carbon War Room crowd, thank you for the chance to work with you. I feel like a guy who was speaking at the first banquet I spoke at. It was a Rotary Club banquet in 1977. I was a young official. I'd worked hard on my speech. The dinner began at six. I was introduced at nine. There had been eight previous speakers and 500 people in the audience had all been introduced except three. They went home angry and my introducer was so nervous. He was trying to give me a good introduction and he said, you know, we could stop now and have had a good evening. He meant to say the best is yet to come but most people thought, please do stop right now. I want to say what I think all of this means. This clearly makes St. Lucia a clean energy leader in the Caribbean. I applaud the government and previous governments and all the ministers here in Blue Select and I agree with everything that Jose Maria said. I think this should be seen as the beginning of a comprehensive, determined, unrelenting effort to make St. Lucia and all the island nations of the Caribbean stronger, safer and more sustainable. All this clean energy will only work if it can be protected. The sea levels are rising. The storms are growing in intensity. One of the reasons we have the support we have today for doing what needs to be done in clean energy is that we know what causes the sea levels to rise. One of the reasons it's going to be hard to continue the energy for doing the right thing if larger, wealthier countries and multinationals walk away is that every nation knows that alone we cannot do this. This is supposed to be an era of militant nationalism, our crowd against the world. I don't suppose it would be possible for any person to be prouder of or more benefited by being an American than me. You are, I hope, looking at the last American president who, as a child, lived in a place without indoor plumbing. It sounds so great as a campaign issue. It is overrated as a lifestyle, particularly if you come from where I do. In the winter, you freeze to death. In the summer, you have to watch out for the snakes. I grew up in a place where we had to learn the difference between a poisonous and a non-poisoned snake by age five to have a really good chance of growing up. I'm proud of that. I'm proud of my country. But I'm not proud when we pretend that we don't have obligations to others or we pretend that our destiny should be entirely in our own hands or we pretend that it's us against the world. We live in an interdependent world. Nobody caused climate change alone. Nobody is raising the sea levels alone, and no one will fix it alone. The same is true of global poverty and of all the rising conflicts. The truth is that the future lies in what I would call inclusive nationalism. Be proud of who you are and where you're from and what your roots are, and still know that diverse groups make better decisions than totally homogenous ones. If this project, the prospect, the result of two governments, as Jose Maria said, of different parties, and the utility and the government, and input from civil society groups and all the people that backed us, including the Norwegian Development Agency, what if they were also nationalists? They said it's cold up here. What do we care what happened in St. Lucia? Or the Dutch Postcode Lottery? They will only help the Dutch islands and the Caribbean. The Dutch Postcode Lottery just built the first completely carbon neutral, that is zero emissions building in the Netherlands for their headquarters. It is entirely funded by Dutch citizens most of you will never meet who buy little lottery tickets, and 100% of their profits go both to needs in the Netherlands and to people throughout the world. Why are they interested in financing me to help you? Because they know that we have a common future. And so what I ask you to do is to think about what this really means. You've done something good, remarkable, worthy in its own right. You know that you can do more. The Caribbean still has about the highest electric rates in the world. You have to work things out that are fair to a utility that is clearly willing to help you and has been built on a certain set of assumptions and the world has changed. It's now wind energies economical, solar energies economical. For all I know here geothermal energy may be economical, but you've had to figure out how to get from here to there. You will have to do that together. And at the same time as I have heard the Prime Minister say again today, you have to do it in a way that makes the island more resilient. Otherwise, all your gains can be lost in the blink of an eye. Maybe we'll get lucky this year. You deserve the luck after what the storms last year did to the Caribbean. Didn't do it to you, but what happened to Puerto Rico and St. Thomas to Domenico, Dominica, and to other places compromised your future too. We have to do this together. So I hope that today will be a day which we'll all be able to look back on with pride. Five years, 10 years, 15 years from now, because it was the beginning of something remarkable and enduring. I saw the Dominican Republic where I spent a lot of time the last 18 years starting an AIDS program and then helping with various economic initiatives. I saw them. I know it's a bigger country, but you can get the picture. They put up 90 megawatts of windmills and cut their power bills by 25%. And they did it working with the utility. In Panama, I've seen them put up 400 megawatts of wind power. And in the six months when the hydro power doesn't work, provide 40% of the power to Panama City in a way that cut the bills, not increase it. I have seen last year in your country, Mr. President in Costa Rica, for the first time for more than six months, the entire country operated its full economy with no carbon emissions, zero. And the per capita income of Costa Rica, for a lot of reasons, is roughly twice that of the other countries in Central America. I'd say that not to brag on Costa Rica, but to say we have to raise the others to that level. And energy and sustainability is a part of it. And you can't do one without the other. So thank you for allowing us to work. I want to thank all the team from the Clinton Foundation here today. You know now that I'm old, this is a great gig I'm on.  Doesn't seem fair. But I have lived with this issue now for more than 40 years. In the late 1970s, when I was a young Attorney General, I tried to get my state to invest in energy efficiency instead of wasting more money on a power plant we didn't need. They thought I was crazy. Now they think I had foresight. We can't wait 40 years for everybody to wake up to that reality now. Think how we would feel if none of our children and grandchildren were able to live in much of the Caribbean because it was underwater. Think how we would feel if it started earlier because we couldn't insure places anymore. So no one would build a resort, or for me a tragedy, a golf course, because there was no insurability. And yet here at hand, we have the means to do this. In New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, I had the honor to help find financing to rebuild some of the poorest parts of the United States. And I watched people, working people, move into homes that were affordable and simply through efficiency used so much less electricity that their rates were lower than they had been in more than a decade. It freed up money for the region to grow again. You can do that. You need the money you could get from having cheaper electricity to invest in your children's education, to invest in your infrastructure. And the utility needs that strategy because then they'll do just fine because there'll be more customers and more demand at lower costs. We have to do this together. So I leave you with that thought. I learned more last year from watching a movie called Black Panther. Do you see that movie? About the shape of the modern world then I did listening to all the politicians talk. A lot of people like Black Panther because it was the first American movie with an all-black cast that white people paid like crazy to go see. A lot of people liked it because there were so many women in strong roles. A lot of people liked it because it was a sci-fi thriller. A lot of people liked it, including me, because it proved that Africa was not full of countries described by certain adjectives that I hated because this African country had been blessed with a great resource and like a 22nd century Botswana had used the most of it to create a whole different world. I liked it because it was an African morality tale. It was an updated version of what Nelson Mandela lived and died for, the belief in inclusive tribalism. In that movie turned out the good guys were still the good guys at the end of the movie but no longer perfect. And it turned out the bad guy was still on the wrong side of the issue but not completely bad and in the end they decided to make the best of it and try to find some way to go forward together. That's what we all have to do. Caribbean can lead the world into building an inclusive 21st century prosperity. This region could be completely carbon-free. You still need utilities. What you've got to figure out is how to get off the fuel that's killing you and bankrupting you and generate it from the sun to wind, geothermal, biomass, and where possible hydro. And while you do that, you have to become more resilient. You can't reverse climate change with just clean energy. You can become insurable and you can grow and you can lose less in the storms. You can't turn back by having more reliance on clean energy and more reliance on resilience. That's what I want you to do. You took this step before most other people did. Lead the way to the future and we'll all follow waving our various flags together. Thank you and God bless you. Thank you President Clinton. Our final speaker this afternoon is our Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs, and the Public Service, Honorable Alan Shastney. Honorable Prime Minister, welcome to the podium, sir. Good afternoon. I'm not sure if everybody was clapping because I was the Prime Minister or because I was the last speaker. I'd like to probably think it was the former. Your Excellency, Sir Neville Snacken, Lady Snack, members of my cabinet, President Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States of America, Mr. Jose Maria Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, Benvenito a Sanducía. The Dr. Kenny Antony, Parliamentary Representative of View Fort North, sorry, South, and also former Prime Minister. Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Permanent Secretaries, Mr. John Joseph Chairman of the Board of the Directors of the St. Lucia Electricity Company Services, other board members, Mr. Trevor Louisi, Managing Director of the St. Lucia Electricity Services, other members in management of the team of the St. Lucia Electricity Services, members of the Clinton Foundation, especially invited guests, staff members of St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited, and members of the media. So great to have all of you here today. Let me first start off by saying that when the itinerary of the former President Bill Clinton arrived, it included a golf game. And I was so disappointed to hear that we cancelled the golf game and we kept it to just this meeting. I hopefully you didn't hear about my prowessness at golf and decided to change your mind, but let me once again extend a formal welcome to President Clinton and the Clinton Foundation team to our beautiful island. President first visited our island shortly after he left office with a local ballroom named in his remembrance and that special occasion. It's safe to say that solutions will not soon forget that visit in 2003. Our people still remember with fondness how the President made an unscheduled trip and visit to our castries market to mingle with the vendors and shoppers alike. Apart from the media attention the President attracted, the Clinton Foundation made a commitment at that time to infighting HIV AIDS and St. Lucia and the OECS as a whole. This was a time when our countries were experiencing problems of capacity and we lacked the human and financial resources to deal with HIV AIDS epidemic. The Clinton Foundation assisted by negotiating on behalf of the OECS for a reduction in the price of pharmaceuticals to treat HIV and providing technical assistance. They were critical to us being able to access funding and to provide free and low cost medicine to persons living with HIV AIDS. Were it not for the Clinton Foundation lobbying on our behalf we may have not been able to reduce the number of persons contracting the disease and for that we are deeply grateful to you, sir. Help to Dominica. Recently the President Clinton visited Dominica to view the reconstruction efforts after Hurricane Maria and the foundation announced its willingness to assist Dominica in rebuilding its efforts. I too have been to Dominica and I'm very disheartened at what has taken place in Dominica and I again once again applaud and publicly acknowledge the efforts of the government of Dominica in very difficult and trying times. But the Dominica lesson and the lessons of last summer, like what President Clinton spoke about, has left a resonating message to all of us. And that message is that we live in a very sensitive ecosystem, one in which Senlusha cannot do it by itself. Even if Senlusha were to have the most successful economic model we would only be limited by our own resources. The true benefit to us is when our region can forge ahead and everybody be able to benefit. It was amazing to me that when we went around and people talked about whether Senlusha had been impacted and while immediately one would say no but in fact we were. Many solutions who were living in Dominica or living in the BVI and working in the BVI, many of them who were living in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands in Puerto Rico and had been sending back remittances for years, ones which we were depending on. Our farmers who had markets in the Northern Islands, our cruise industry, because without Puerto Rico, none of the cruise ships that came from North America would be able to come to St. Lucia on a seven-day trip. The tourism industry in general, even though many of us perceive Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as being our competitors, the fact is the rest of the world think of us as one product, one destination. And so when people who heard of the level of devastation in the news, many of them felt that all of us had been impacted. So the fact is is that the world continues to see us as one, yet we continue to act as if we are just one. And I want to take up President Clinton on what he started, is that in order for us to be able to move forward and to solve this major crisis that we have, and clearly being here today is an effort on our part to be able to reduce emissions, to be more responsible citizens, and at the same time to economically make ourselves less dependent on fossil fuels. But climate change or the environment, climate global warming is having a devastating effect on us. And we're not going to resolve that problem by ourselves. This region has to unite. This region must come together with one singular voice in order to determine how we're going to move forward. The fact is that the odds are stacked up against us. The OECD continues to classify us as middle-income countries, and as a result of it, we don't have access to development funds. The protocols that most of the development agencies use reminds us every day that every project has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And because of the time they take to be able to disperse funds, it requires the corporation of both governments. And so I want to acknowledge and again thank the former government for the work that they did in starting this initiative and continuing some of the ideas and philosophies that were already begun. But it cannot be achieved by one party or one ideology by itself. And if that applies in solution, it also applies on a regional basis. The debt, we're not going to solve the problem of the debt crisis by ourselves. It is going to require us come together collectively. How we vote on a collective basis at the UN and other international agencies says everything about our determination to succeed. So as the lead prime minister for sustainable development, we have been working very closely with CARICOM and in particular the OECS about creating a common platform. Let us try to get that OECD can change how they classify us. Let us work on getting the protocols changed. But more importantly that this is global warming is something that we don't control. It's not within our destiny to be able to control. So even though we were to come 100% carbon neutral in our country, it's not going to change our destiny about global warming. So what it means is we have to adapt. And in adapting, we have to be able to take on investments that are critical to making that happen, but we have to do it within the constraints of what we are financially. And again, solution cannot resolve this problem by itself. It is going to take the collective effort of all of us to be able to make this thing work. And so we've been arguing with the World Bank and the IMF that loans that are going to be going towards resilience building and in terms of raising the level of our bridges, broadening the breadth of our rivers, slope stabilization, putting utilities under the ground, building dedicated centers for disaster relief. None of those things are going to contribute to the economic growth of our country. None of them. But if we have to borrow the funds through the traditional resources, it's going to reduce our ability to put money into healthcare, reduce our ability to put money into education and into our basic infrastructures because the country has been running a deficit. And the solution is better than most. In some other countries, the debt to GDP are in excess of 100%. The amount of money they're paying towards interest payments are in excess of what they pay in wages. So there is no space to be able to borrow the money to be able to fix this problem. And President Clinton spoke about it, and I hope that we appreciate what he was saying, that without insurance there is no viability. So if in fact insurance companies deem this region to be uninsurable, there are dramatic consequences to that, meaning that solutions, people from CARICOM and international people will not invest money in our region. This is again something in which St. Lucia cannot fight by itself. But President Clinton also spoke about the level of nationalism that's taking a place across the world. We know we've been down that road that that doesn't work. So how are we going to solve that problem? The fact is that we must take a leadership role and determining for ourselves what we need to do. We need to literally put this thing on a silver platter to make it almost impossible for the donor agencies not want to participate. Instead of thinking that they don't want to help, we must recognize that they are preoccupied with other things. And we must make ourselves that priority. Otherwise, we're not going to succeed in moving forward. I recap those events that to say that Mr. President, that you continue to be a friend of the small islands in the Caribbean. And today here we are once again grateful for the technical assistance your foundation has provided to St. Lucia Electricity Services for this solar farm we are officially opening. Susanna Locke said, and I quote, the sun that power the plant in the sky baves earth in ample energy to fulfill all the world's power needs many times over. It doesn't give off carbon dioxide emissions. It won't run out and it's free. I know we're still working on the free part. However, we must recognize that today's opening is a major step in the right direction of our country. I congratulate the board and the management of Lussek, the contractors, Grupo Tech, Rocky Mountain Institute and Global Energy and Engineering Advisory firm DNVGL for this project which we will all anticipate will help to change our energy landscape. As I mentioned in the budget, my budget earlier this year, among the key areas of focus for this administration are building capacity in renewable energy and adapting to climate change. Many people may not understand the order of priority, but that 60% of our foreign exchange goes towards purchasing petroleum products. 60%. So think of having all those that money rather than being in reserve at the central bank actually being in circulation in our economy, what the impact would be. Our price reliability. With renewable energy, we don't have to concern ourselves anymore about what the price of oil is. In fact, we can take that app off. It's something I have to look at every single morning as to what's happening to the price of oil because it has such a large implication in terms of our future in our economy. Cost efficiency. We know and we're seeing that the technology is getting better and better. So every single year, the technology that we're using for renewable energies is improving in efficiency and therefore then reducing our cost. But clearly, one of the things that we're contemplating and which is going to require the support of the opposition of civil society of everybody is going to be electrical vehicles. If in fact, we're going to become 100% dependent on renewable energy, how does it make any sense to continue to import fossil fuels to provide energy to our vehicles? Are solutions ready for this change? But the fact is if we want to make a dent in the world and recognizing how the world is going, the change must start here at home in order to give ourselves that level of independence. I'm very pleased that we are also on the plans for utilizing our geothermal resources. And following a pre-feasibility study for the geothermal project, the draft environmental and social impact assessment ESIA report for the drilling sites, we're working on the legislative and regulatory framework for introducing and integrating renewable energy into the domestic power system. This is something that started back in the 80s. I remember when I was an economist in the Ministry of Planning in 1984 to 1987, Mr. Lubin was the head of the program. So adapting to climate change, challenges for the small island states and limited natural resources, building resilience and implementing sustainable goals are all the challenges that we have to face, but recognize that our own future requires that we take this seriously, not only here in Celusia, but at the OECS and at the CARICOM level. In closing, I know that this renewable energy project will be a great success and it represents a new promise and a new model that I hope to see replicated in the future. Remain very optimistic about the future of the development of the electrical sector. As a government, we are committed to projects such as these which are key to facing climate challenges. We would like to thank all the different parties and partners in this project who worked tirelessly, not only to complete the project you deserve, but you all deserve a round of applause. Let me remind us that every project has a beginning, every project has a middle, every project has an end, and therefore it requires all of us to cooperate on a continual basis for the benefit of all solutions. So I thank you. Thank you, Honourable Prime Minister. It is now time to cut the ribbon and officially open the Lusilec 3 megawatt solar farm. We invite the members of the media to please take up your positions at the ribbon cutting area. The ribbon cutting will be done by Governor General, his Excellency Sir Emmanuel Neville-Snack. He will be accompanied by Prime Minister Honourable Alan Shastney, President William Jefferson Clinton, Minister for Infrastructure, Ports Energy and Labor Honourable Stevenson King, Lusilec Chairman Mr. John Joseph, Lusilec Managing Director Mr. Trevor Luisi, RMI Board of Trustees member Mr. Jose Maria Figures and the Deputy Resident Representative in the UNDP office for Barbados and the OECS Mr. Chisa Mikami. Will the ribbon cutting party take the positions? Invited guests will remain seated. After the ribbon cutting, the party will take a brief tour of the solar farm, following which President Clinton will make his exit to fly out to another engagement in the US Virgin Islands. Immediately following, other groups interested in touring the solar farm will be accommodated as we enjoy some refreshments and more great music from Ronald Buhingsen and Alison Markey. Please note that the solar farm is an industrial site and you should exercise every caution as you walk and please do not stray away from the touring party. So on behalf of the Lusilec Board of Directors, our Managing Director Mr. Trevor Luisi, the entire management team and the staff of Lusilec, we thank you for your attendance and attention and bid you a good afternoon.


let's uh let's do top secret okay we have top secret um while while we're doing top secret though please go over to aterford.it slash discord join all 17 000 of us we will start answering questions shortly but for now let's open the vault okay hey data what do you have that's top secret well top secret i just got these these are uh the seola boards from expressive this is the esp32 so this is the latest expressive wifi chip um it just has this the classic wifi module that expressive has popularized so much and this one can do usb device so we've sort of started getting teeny usb working on it um teeny usb is also the usb stack that they'll expressive will be supporting in the idf um and so this is our first step towards getting circuit python running on uh this chip so it's very exciting uh thanks to expressive to getting us um these dev kits so fast uh we're already getting poor quest going so let's come in soon not out yet don't ask okay back in the vault back in the vault okay


Well, good morning everyone and thank you all for joining us today to learn more about being a Carlton FPA student To help you give some insight into all of this. We have six students Who will talk to you with you about their experiences first? I would like to introduce Madison who's a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Global and International Studies with a specialization in global inequalities and social social change and Minor in women's and gender studies Madison has started a new job working with Senator Mabina Jaffer this summer Ida a third-year student is also in the Bachelor of International Studies But with a specialization in global development Ida plans to complete her international experience requirement by going on in on exchange to India for a semester Q is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management and is currently vice-president Finance of the Arthur Kruger College educational student society Lisa is a third-year Student in European and Russian studies who had an internship with the Montreal police service and received a merit award for participation Joining Lisa is Vera A fourth-year student in European and Russian studies Vera worked together with the director of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association in Facilitating and providing the research for the entry of a Siberian company in the Canadian market Unfortunately, Austin Austin Palitzer will won't be joining us in person today But Lisa will be showing a video of his experiences for you Austin is also a fourth-year student in European and Russian studies and now enough from me and I will turn it over to Madison. Thank you Thank you very much Dean So I just want to begin by acknowledging today's prisoner justice day And that's really important, especially during COVID when people have been locked down for days weeks and months on end Men women and children. So I just wanted to open with that. So I was asked to say something that I found interesting in first year I think there's a lot I think anyone who does vegans which is the global international studies program talks about Candice Sobers the professor of global history as Really being emblematic and hugely symbolic of what our studies encapsulate We learn about that, you know, Europe is not the center of civilization as we're taught we learn about other religious discourses such as Islam and Judaism for instance and We also really learn to critically engage which is something I would say Carlton is really good at teaching its students is to Not just believe what you're being told and to challenge who it is that wants you to believe what you're reading what you're hearing And who does it benefit for you to believe that and so to just really be critical In terms of what I do for extracurricular just to humanize us a little bit because we're just not that much older than you guys Especially during COVID. I've had to kind of rebuild my entire routine in life I was supposed to be in Ethiopia this summer. Obviously that didn't work out supposed to be going to South Africa in January. That won't work out but that doesn't mean we can't still do things that make us happy and and Fulfilled so for instance, I love sports. I like playing hockey and when it's the winter and shinny I enjoy playing rugby snowboarding hiking I've started working out with my family which has been a fun new dynamic every morning. So that's been good And in terms of what I wish I knew I think the opportunities be getting That that Carlton can afford you you really there's a lot of bursaries for doing international internships and Semesters abroad so really don't let finance necessarily be a huge limitation do reach out to administration They do really want to see you succeed and they will try and provide you with the resources to do so And it's just really is huge for exposure and expanding your thinking I also wish I hadn't had so much Emphasis on my schooling in high school. I I took a class where sociology anthropology And psychology were all one one course and I left that class having no clue what any of them meant I now major in essentially a sociology stream So I think if you have any interests in classes and you don't feel you they were really fulfilled in high school still take the courses And in fact reach out to your professors because they do really want to see you learn They want to see you succeed and I think one of the biggest things I've heard from my fellow Cohort and students is you know, they're often really intimidating the minute you talk to them They're the most supportive and I think sometimes high school teachers will tell you these like horror stories if they don't care They're gonna rush through everything. They're not they're genuinely there to support you They're genuinely there to see you succeed and they're some of the most supportive and amazing resources as well So, yeah, I I really look forward to hearing you guys's questions and I wish you all the best in the future studies Okay, I'm gonna follow up on Madison's end. She set the bar really high. So that was fantastic lots of great points in that So I'm also in Begans. I'm specializing in global development Just in terms we kind of have the same talking points, but I'll just go a little bit of a different direction So the biggest point of interest I learned in first year is just Your degree at this point is exactly what you want to make it You pick what you want to study you pick what you want to specialize in you pick what you want to minor in so it's entirely customizable almost Begans just for example, we have 17 specializations and that's not including the plethora of minors you can also add on to that So definitely like follow your interests You don't always have to necessarily be thinking about the career goal in the end A lot of the times that'll build up in shape as you continue your studies and follow follow your passions and what interests you So that's my biggest point of interest and takeaway from first year. It's just like The possibilities the possibilities are entirely endless. You can make your degree your education your time in university Exactly what you want to make it Just shifting a little bit away from academia talking about some extra curriculars Tons and tons again exactly what you want to find What clubs what communities you want to pursue everything is there I was a little hesitant in first year Making those connections connections part of me and reaching out I think that's the biggest thing I learned through first year is that's what's important find those extra curriculars find those clubs Find those sports find those communities reach out It's going to enhance your your time in university. It's going to enhance your perception of carlton It's going to enhance your education because you're going to be learning and meeting so many incredible new people There's so many extra curriculars anything from sports If you want to work with exchange students that are coming to carlton, there's similar things like that There's volunteering with your faculty. So what we're all doing today with fpa. That's an extra curricular Um, there's tons. I don't necessarily want to push my favorite on you Everyone's going to have their own preferences, but definitely find something that's uniquely you something that lights that fire in you um, it'll be a great balance between the academics and the attending class and writing those essays and then being able to kick back have a great time make those friends So I definitely encourage that find something. Um, I know they always do I don't know exactly how this is going to work But they always did like a club's day in the field house where everyone kind of did their own showcase Um, go to that ask questions find what's out there try something new. Um, that's my biggest point there Um, and the biggest thing I think I wish I knew going into university is everyone's in the same boat more or less. Um Other people will be putting on this like persona. They know what they're doing. They got this They're not nervous at all, but everybody's here for the first time. Nobody's done university before If you're living on res, this is the first time some people have been living on res I was pretty nervous going into university. I'm uh, a first generation university student like in my family Um, so I didn't really have like siblings or my parents to like back onto and be like am I doing okay? Like is this what's supposed to be going on? But find those friends. Um, find those colleagues those peers Um, you can talk to tas and professors. Everybody's here to help you and See you succeed and be successful. Um, so just just know other people are in the same boat as you and There's nothing to be nervous about Honestly, sometimes I feel I was on res. Um, and sometimes I felt like it was like the blind leading the blind We're like, I don't know. What are midterms? I don't know, but that's part of the fun You'll figure it out. You'll have a great time. Honestly. Um, so that's just it for me I'm gonna pass it on to q. Um, again, I'll be available at the end for some questions and answers So I look forward to hearing from all of you guys and all the best once we kick off the semester in september Hi, everyone. My name is q. Uh before I begin, uh, I'd like to acknowledge the local nation's traditional unceded territory we're gathering today Um, so speaking about myself in the bachelor public affairs and policy management program I'm also doing a minor in law and The thing that I wish I knew in first year is um, like Ida said is not to be afraid that everyone's in the same boat This you and you know, you got to put yourself out there and just be comfortable with who you are and like I was a little scared going to different meetings and different events and especially the club expo was Was a scary place for me. I know this year they're doing it online through like the carlton club expo online situation So that's gonna be a great opportunity. I really encourage everyone to go through online club expo and watch the videos and watch the Like look at the pictures of all the different clubs and activities and teams around carlton Um, so something related to my program that I found particularly interesting. Um, I know we have mark hendvilt here Who is a papam associated professor indeed and especially taking classes or mark hendvilt? I realized that I it's you shouldn't over complicate yourself. You shouldn't put too much stress on yourself I came to university thinking that I needed to be this person I needed to like use big fancy words and have a dictionary The source would be at all times, but the next little research realize that it's okay to be simple It's okay to just you know, write as you would it's okay to just take things step at a time and think take things slowly No one's trying to kick you at a university. You're gonna make your way through it And it's just an easier process that way once you learn that um So some of the extracurricular activities that I found really cool at carlton Um, so I currently you know sitting in the vice president finance for that papam student society So I encourage everyone to like get involved with your student society that represents your program There are people who go through the same things as you take you the same classes as you, you know Knowing the same professors as you. Um, I also encourage everyone to do stuff like model un Which is really cool at carlton and well known or the moot society Um carlton young liberals the carlton young conservative There's a lot of cool political aspects around carlton. You got to use that capital advantage to your knowledge I look forward to answering any questions anyone has. Thank you Hi everyone. My name is lisa I'm actually the president of the european russian studies and i'm doing a double major Uh in political science and european russian studies with a concentration chance relations And as a first year, I didn't know you could do a double major I didn't know so many things and I kind of just like aida said I kind of like Built my degree in a way like I kind of put everything together to what were my preferences what I liked And honestly, I love it more than anything and i'm so great for everything at carlton And I I would say one of the extra killer killer Sorry activities, um that I would highly suggest that I didn't do during my first year would be Joing a club because then you meet you meet people you meet people who are like everyone said then the same boat is you And you can relate on so many things and then you make friends Basically for a life, you know And these are connections that you you use whether they're they're networking Connections or friend connections. They're gonna outlast your university experience, which is amazing. Um And I'd also like to congratulate you all on your first year starting your first year. So it's big accomplishment. Um I'd also like to say that the faculty and the student body are always there for you And no matter what you can always reach out to counselors You can always reach out to to professors to tas to anyone Even fellow students are always going to be there for you And especially if you have like some difficulties in certain classes, you can use pass Um, you could use peer tutoring. You could use writing services and much more around the library websites Um, I would highly recommend them. I personally use it for economics, which for me was kind of tough Um, and it really helped me with uh, I found out and again, I found out only um At the end almost like towards the end of the semester and it really helped me especially during um The last kind of summative I I it was my best one. So I was like, oh my gosh, this really helped me a lot So I would highly highly recommend it. Um I would also recommend uh, looking at what your faculty has to offer because each faculty like the for example, your as faculty Offers an interesting array of events such as prominent guest speakers embassy events social events alumni events That's where I learned about fswept That's where I learned about international Uh internships internships and how regular ships and how they help you and build you And and give you experience that you could actually use when you when you go to the workforce and be like, hey I did this this this this during my university um During my university experience so, uh, I finally I'd like to say that like just get engaged as much as possible and like currently i'm i'm um I'm a research uh research partner with the s a pp program at carlton and I would highly recommend it you could do it During the fall during the summer during the winter term and you get to co-build a class with the professor Which I would highly recommend it's very interesting Yeah, all the best. I wish I hope to see you guys in the hallways once this cobit things over I'm going off what lisa said about internships and everything. Um Um Yours has a really good event that they host every year. It's a career night So you get to meet yours alumni that you Can talk to and they can tell you more about places where you can work using your degree It's actually how I found out about sorba where I internship for international business development um Some extracurriculars that I like to do. Uh, there's a lot of public lectures hosted by uris Really helped expand your knowledge of topics that might interest you Um, it also is really good opportunity for networking meeting new people Give you a good idea of something that you want to focus on your studies or what you want to do Um, I'm also in the uris society like lisa So it's a really good idea to join societies or clubs gives you a really good opportunity to meet new people Um and make it easier for you to go through your first few years at university which could be pretty hard for some people And really the only thing that I wish I knew in first year was how easy it is to talk to your professors If you're having trouble or if you need more time on an assignment, they're always willing to talk to you They're always willing to help you And yeah, good good luck guys with your first year. All right. Thank you to all of our ambassadors for sharing um As uh d andre mentioned austin one of the ambassadors was unable to make it today But lisa will be sharing her screen Uh to show austin's video of his experiences So it's just for you to listen to uh, enjoy learn from obviously he can't answer any questions during the q&a But after the video, uh, we will open the q&a. So feel free to write your questions in the chat To unmute your mics and ask Um, please don't interrupt anybody or talk over anybody We'll just work with the flow of it and feel free to address all or single out one of our ambassadors Hi everybody, my name is austin pelzer. I am a fourth year uris undergraduate student at carleton university My experience with uris has been nothing but amazing opportunities success and great eye-opening experiences um The department as a whole has been is and has been super supportive of everything i have done The amazing courses that are taught in uris are so diverse and so different than any other wide range of different um topics of interest such as economics policy european history and so on and so forth Um, I couldn't recommend uris enough. I mean it's such a great dynamic Community and because the department is pretty small you get that feeling of set and sense of family and friendship With everybody especially the faculty who are one of part of the top in the university I can't rave enough about um How amazing the programs are whether it's um economics that talks about the european integration or Just solidly at history. There's so many different aspects of what uris is and could be for you It is an amazing way to understand the concept and the ideas that europe as a whole is and It's a way for you to not only network, but also grow your career academically and professionally so I could not um I could not recommend uris enough for everyone planning to take it I also like to add as knowing austin personally. Um, he did an internship with the With the un which he just loved and that's one of the opportunities that Are available internships, which I would really Highly recommend All right. Thank you again Uh, so now we're going to go on to the more informal part of the session So if anybody has questions at all now is the time to ask them And uh, you can ask them in the chat or uh, just with your mic off So whoever wants to start All right, I did have a question in the chat that was addressed By one of our faculty members, but I will read it out in case anybody can't see the chat for some reason I know sometimes it can lag out on phones So kashal pardon if I pronounce that wrong Did ask um, if there's Any scope of international students participating in uh, co-curricular activities due to the fall term being online um She's wondering about connecting with more people as the fall term is online and it would be difficult to have peer contacts Uh, so I did talk with kashal for a little bit and I did let her know or let them know That I can send um an ambassador email upon permission just for some added support and advice And our faculty member did answer in the chat that there will be opportunities for international students to participate in co-curricular activities online So there will be a club expo as was mentioned within uh, within our talks this morning It will be early in the term We'll have our fp ambassadors program up and running as well So, uh, I'll be sending out actually an email abroad if anybody would like to sign up You'll be receiving that within the next month or two So if anybody in this chat would like to participate and speak in an event as our ambassadors have to this morning Feel free to send me your application all the information will be in the email And uh, thank you kashal for starting off our question period Does anybody else have any questions they'd like to ask? Oh, I've got another one Okay, oh if you have come in now, so I'm going to start with cindy lu They say I am a global and international program and I want to ask what kind of job that they could find after they graduate Who would like to tackle this question? from begins I can jump on and say a little bit about this. Um, I'm not going to say necessarily like certain jobs There's a plethora of anything. Um, you could be working internationally. You could be working with ngo's You could be working in certain levels of the government. Um, the un there's It's honestly whatever you want to wherever you want to go with it and however you want to take it There's lots of opportunities with internships while you're in university To test out kind of is how I'd say it. Um, those career fields The job market is always changing. Um, it's going to continue to change throughout your time in university and even after So i'm not going to necessarily share specific career or job titles. Um But I kind of hope that answered your question a bit Yeah, thank you Perfect. Thank you. Ida and Cindy. Uh, I have another question from ali How do I participate in an international internship? Is there anything I should be doing in first year to prep for this? Madison so I I was on the ambassador for that stuff and one of the things is I don't know how they're going to do them this year, but they do class talks and those are really informative Um, but the best way honestly is to talk to your faculty administration if you're interested at all There's a one usually it's holly Causal or there's I think there might be a new woman now They're incredibly supportive even if you just send them an email and say, hey, like I'm interested in this this area of the world And could I do an internship? They will give you all the resources Um that you need And to maintain a gpa. That's the biggest criteria actually is uh, you need I believe a 7.0 Um, if I'm not mistaken so I'd like to add on to what Madison was saying. Um, there's an international internship That's offered virtually now with kovat. They were sending out emails So I would say keep a lookout for emails uh as well and and go online at the carlton website and type in internships and there's a huge array that will come up and the same with like, uh Job prospects and everything there's alumni all the time and they actually post blocks of Of what they're doing what they did what they graduated in Um, yeah just to jump on Lisa pretty much covered it But your email will be your best friend make sure you have your notifications on in your inbox There'll be tons of information about everything so anything from internships or studying abroad. Um, I know we I don't this isn't like covet and everything but anyways, um Carlton will do courses taught abroad so anything like that all of that info will come in your email Turn those notifications on in your email. You don't want to miss anything That's fantastic advice. Thank you so much Uh, so our next question is from besent Uh, is the workload going to be the same or different? So I know our ambassadors did have a little bit of an online experience So based on the small amount of online experience you may or may not have Uh, what do you feel would be the answer to this question? Thank you yeah, so I'm currently taking like a couple courses right now I'm taking three across the summer And I would find that with like online summer school too. It's it's primarily the same. The syllabus is all the same Uh, professors tend to be more flexible on due dates and like with help especially because everything's online But more or less the syllabus and workload is all the same and you're just getting more support and more Support from the faculty and the professors to help you achieve the same goals as you would in person So I would say it's phenomenal experience. It's all the same Fantastic and uh, always remember that the professors are people too nothing to be scared of always reach out to them. They are amazing All right. So our next question is from tyler. When would professors usually start to send out the syllabi? You should probably expect syllabi to be ready kind of Starting at the end of august and then early into september Oftentimes if the the people teaching the courses will post Their syllabi either on the on the learning management system See you learn or on or on sub website that they will have created so you should keep your eyes open around that time Thank you. Andre So I do have a question from kashal that I think I can address Um, they're wondering about the details for the club expo. We mentioned Uh, so the general carleton club expo will be sent to your student email So keep an eye on that. It will probably have something about ravens in the title as you are now all ravens Um, and then if we have a single uh, a smaller fpa type one Being the events assistant. I'll know about that and you will be on my list to receive information about that If there is one But the main carleton one will be sent out to your main email from carleton communications I hope that answered your question Okay, so now from drew i'm in papem Papem program. What extracurricular activities would be nice to get into that is also related to the program But I guess that you're being addressed to drew here So I know the like I mentioned before the carleton model united nation society is the second best in canada and like I was part of it and last year when I went to washington I also went to harvard to compete Representing carleton and the model united nation society is heavily heavily built on papem students So that's a great opportunity you should look into. Um, I also sit as communication director on the carleton young liberals And I know there's a lot of papem executives also on the conservative side too So all like the the political groups on campus is also a great place to start once, you know Where you belong you can follow those political groups and get involved in more events and clubs like that Fantastic Uh question from tyler would classes be taking place over zoom or microsoft teams So, uh, there is there's no single platform that's used by everyone So you'll find that some courses are through zoom some of them are to through teams There's also something called big blue button Which is used by some faculty members Relatively few use a technology called calcura But those are kind of the areas and and the the syllabus will tell you which platform is going to be used by the instructor Perfect. Thank you. I'm trying Uh, so from aram, um, I'm also in the papem program. I was wondering how I can do a double major Uh to address that question It's I haven't seen anyone being able to do a double major in papem Especially because it's the 20 credit program and we have at least 12 of our credits based on specific papem courses You have to take in specific requirements And then you have another 6.5 credits based on your specialization That leaves room for like four credits and four credits is the perfect amount for a minor So if you're looking to like find another career path, we are finding something else you want to study I would encourage looking into minors. I'm personally doing a minor in law I know a lot of people do minor in business and a minor and different types of languages are also available at carlton So it's I To address that question in further detail. I would say you can't really do a double major specifically in papem But you look you can look towards doing a minor I would like to add to that Some papem students and and and beacon students are actually doing a double major and they don't know it But it's in their credits. If you look at it. You're special. You're what you specialize in is basically your other major Yeah, acts like that like with your with your credits Yeah Is in strategic public opinions. I guess you can say that's like my double major right there And if you ever have any questions about your credits, what kind of credits courses have or how you major You can always go on the carlton website and look up. This is very important academic advisors And they'll be able to go over what's called your audit, which is basically an intense report card and go over what classes you're taking and What you will be graduating with and it's best to go see them at least once a year I used to do it every semester and it helped me a lot and it kept me on track for graduation Okay, and next question is uh kashal again So due to the time zones being different, how will I be able to contact my professors for study related query? You You can always send email that would be the easiest way to Reach people and that doesn't depend on time zones You know, please don't expect that your your professors will be answering immediately But you know feel free to send them emails and then that will be They they will certainly respond. There's also office hours That people will typically hold on all the classes And those are outside of class time and they may be accessible to you again They will be identified in the course syllabus and then you can set up a phone call or a zoom call or just send emails To do to address questions at that time Can I just jump on to what the dean was saying your email is your best friend? I know I said this earlier Honestly, I've never used email as much as I have in university All the information you need will be there. The best way to contact your prof is through email Contacting peers and stuff. You can do it all through email Um, definitely get the app on your phone turn on your notifications and get in the habit of checking your email daily it It's your lifesaver in university Thank you so much Okay, so I am going to the questions. Uh, we are seven minutes away from the end of the session So I do apologize if we don't get to your question um, I had a question from Arian I again, I apologize if I mess up anybody's names um about doing international credits and how the carlton courses can Mesh with the international courses And I just want to go back on my other note to say to ask your academic advisors To talk to them personally because you'll have a different course and workload than others So it's uh, it's definitely more of a customized Thing so answering it here might not make a lot of sense. So I hope that answered enough And uh kushall I registered and went through the orientation videos Is that the final orientation or will we have another orientation in september? Well, there certainly is an orientation that's being prepared by uh, by the university So this is what you will get out of fpa and out of the faculty and then your own program and the university Will have additional information for you closer to the first day of class Thank you so much andre uh, basant he asked a question He or she pardon me asked a question earlier about regarding workload, but the call did drop Um, and I did notice that so asking again I'm just going to recap the workload is the same the syllabus remains the same But there's definitely more support So with it being online your professors are there email them your email is your best friend Keep with your with your course work And there some professors can be a little bit more lenient as well If you need a little bit more of an extension on a deadline it is Based on the professor themselves But there is a lot of support So from matthew is there a way to know which textbooks are used from last year? That's actually hard to to do because basically the life of the Of the syllabus is kind of a year So if you know somebody in the class that's who took it last year that might be good But it's also a way of reaching out to other students In your program, but there's no really kind of easy official way Of figuring out what textbooks were used last year Sometimes professors will give you what additions can be used as well So just go by what the syllabus says they are also your best friend Okay, so Another question is how can I get to know my professors who will be running over the specific courses for my online semesters Well, you can certainly email them once you know who the the instructors are You can certainly email them and establish contact that way as I think a number of the students have indicated They really want to hear from you. This is not an issue of pushing you back They really want to hear from you. So I would say the first thing Would be potentially reaching out through email, but please understand you'll have classes You'll see them. You'll see them in action Either on a recorded or on a live in a live setting Another good way to make a connection with your profs is if your classes are being Done in a live setting such as this or something similar is asking questions in class. They'll remember your name In class like in a physical class will remember your name and your face kind of thing on here it'll be a little bit different, but ask those questions. That's a great bridge between academics and Getting to know the prof as a person and then again as the dean was saying emails Perfect, thank you both. I appreciate this So somebody else can ask if they can choose to get a soft copy instead of a hard copy of online textbooks It's a matter of your preference completely If you prefer to buy a book and highlight it go for it If you want to buy a pdf or if there's a free pdf because some textbooks are available for free Then feel free to download that instead as long as you've got the addition and the textbook that your professor has put in the syllabus We already had a question about office hours, so I'm going to keep going. We have 23 questions in two minutes So again, I apologize if I don't get to your question Basant asked when will we get access to all societies and clubs that we can join? I would actually say there will be a club expo that you can That will provide you with all of that information and that as somebody said use your email your best friend And you'll certainly get a notice of when that will happen Yeah, if I could add to that I would say go on instagram and facebook and see the clubs as well because they're all on there If you just type in carlson and you look and what they're following You'll see all the clubs and you can just email them see their events and everything as well Perfect. So I did have some questions about different courses and things to take We won't touch on those because your academic advisors will have true perfect answers for you guys However, there is a question from NN. Yeah, and They're asking what exactly happens in a tutorial and this will probably be our last question for the day Anybody want to talk about their tutorial experiences? Well, it really depends in some cases what tutorials do is basically to give you practice Questions and that sort of thing based on the material you'll have seen in class In other situations what tutorials do is they will develop Specific areas for you to to have exchanges with the other students about so they're more discussion groups about specific readings Or about specific themes that are explored in the course So either it's kind of think of it as either a problem session or a way to get some questions answered Or more as discussion groups on materials that's related to the course There may be other models too and the students may want to join in Um, just to add I found it was a really good transition from high school If you think about a traditional high school class, it's very similar to that And it's not the profit someone who's you know, very knowledgeable in the content But a little bit closer to our age as well. So yeah, it's really a good bridge Which is the point I think Fantastic. All right. So that is ending our session for today. I do have a list of participants So feel free to reach out to myself who sent you the zoom information And I'm sure our ambassadors will be happy to answer any questions that I can forward on to them As well later on I'd like to thank you all there are many thanks in the comments as well for answering the questions And thank you again, Andre, uh for helping the session go smoothly. I hope you all have a successful academic year Have a great day everyone Thank you for joining us and thanks to our ambassadors for being there. Thank you. Goodbye everyone. Bye


Uracil was identified in the sample returned from the asteroid Rigu. Having been provided to the early Earth as a component in such asteroidal materials, these molecules might have played a role for prebiotic chemical evolution on the early Earth. This article was offered by Yasuhiro Oba, Toshiki Koga, Yushinori Takeno, and others.


The Departments of Agriculture and Sustainable Development have signed a memorandum of understanding for the Jeff Six East Coast Southeast Project. The five-year project will focus on ecosystem management, landscape restoration, and sustainable livelihoods on the southeast coast of St. Lucia. Permanent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources, and Cooperatives, Barry Morphilly-Cierres says the Division of Forestry will be assisting in establishing at least one marine protected area, as well as the restoration and rehabilitation of mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs. Further support will also be given to farmers so that they can engage in value-added services such as agro-processing. So within the Department of Agriculture, we have three critical departments that have to work collaboratively with the Department of Sustainable Development and other stakeholders including the local community leaders and community groups to execute and implement the project activities. So we are at the Department of Agriculture committed to making this project a success and with the signing of its MOU, we used to formalize our commitment and we look forward to working with UNEP, Jeff, the project coordination team to make better their lives of every solution. Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Department of Sustainable Development says the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding marks a milestone for the Jeff Six East Coast Southeast Project as the Department of Sustainable Development continues to address the lack of integrated protection of the ecosystems on the Southeast Coast. The MOU clearly outlines the rules and responsibilities of the Department of Sustainable Development and all the divisions of the Department of Agriculture. It will provide guidelines for the cooperation and collaboration between the two agencies. We look forward to working with the Department of Agriculture and to strengthen the collaboration between the departments under this project. The Jeff Six East Coast Southeast Project is estimated at approximately 4.4 million US dollars. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anicia Antoine reporting.