cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 75 CENTS | Funding local journalism | Tuesday, 22 October 2019 On track for record turtle nesting numbers News Referendum law debate looms Page 2 Issues Sargassum houses become economic opportunity Page 7 Living Philanthropy in action: Derek Haines Page 10 See page 3BREAKTHROUGH (PG) 1:25 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 SUN: 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 KALANK (PG) 3:10 I 9:00 (SAT ONLY) I 9:30 (NO SAT) SUN: 3:10 I 9:20 LITTLE (PG13) 12:30 I 3:25 (SAT ONLY) I 3:50 (NO SAT) 6:50 I 9:45 SUN: 3:50 I 6:50 I 9:35 DUMBO (PG) 10:30 (SAT ONLY) I 4:35 I 7:15 (NO SAT) SUN: 4:35 I 7:15 CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG13) 1:40 I 10:00 (NO SAT) SUN: 6:30 I 10:00 THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (R) 1:10 VIP I 4:35 I 7:00 VIP I 10:15 HELLBOY (R) 12:35 (SAT ONLY) I 1:00 I 6:10 (SAT ONLY) I 6:45 SHAZAM! (PG13) 1:30 I 3:40 VIP I 7:15 I 9:30 VIP SUN: 3:40 VIP I 4:40 I 6:40 VIP 8:00 I 9:40 VIP KIDS CLUB: OVER THE HEDGE (PG) 10:00 (SAT ONLY) CULTURE AT THE CINEMA: THE TRAGEDY OF KIND RICHARD THE SECOND (R18) SAT ONLY: 8:00 • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admit- ted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - TUESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) ABOMINABLE (PG) 12:30 | 2:55 3D | 5:20 | 7:45 ADDAMS FAMILY, THE (2019) (PG) 1:10 3D | 3:55 | 6:30 3D | 9:05 GEMINI MAN (PG13) 1:00 | 4:10 VIP | 6:40 | 9:45 3D VIP JOKER (R) 12:45 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 9:50 MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (PG) 12:40 | 3:30 3D | 6:25 | 9:15 CLASSIC @ THE CINEMA SCREAM (R) 7:00 VIP ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP (R) 1:45 VIP | 3:50 | 9:30 | 10:10 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EDITOR CATHERINE MACGILLIVRAY NEWS PRODUCER AND OPERATIONS MANAGER KEVIN MORALES A MEMBER OF THE INTER- AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with a 40% chance of showers and some thunder. weather Forecast today Cayman Islands 90°F 78°F HIGH LOW WINDS East at 5 to 10 knots. SEA STATE Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Local legislators are a week away from de- bating the provisions of the Referendum Bill that will set the stage for the first people- initiated vote in the Cayman Islands. The draft law allows for electors to have their say on government’s $200 million cruise berthing and cargo project, and outlines the process for conducting the polls on 19 Dec. The next session of the Legislative Assembly is set to formally open on 28 Oct. at 10am. Last week, Governor Martyn Roper issued the proclamation for the ceremonial start of the upcoming sitting of the legislature. According to government officials, the only item that will be listed for House business is the Referendum Bill. The national budget is set to be tabled in the subsequent sitting of the Legislative Assembly, which is expected to be announced later this week. Referendum Day voting The 1 Oct. electors’ list, consisting of 21,217 voters, will be used for the referendum on 19 Dec. Polling stations are set to open from 7am to 6pm across all three islands. On 19 Dec., eligible voters will be casting their ballots at the same polling stations they would have used in the 2017 general election. However, under the proposed bill, the procedure for ballot counting will differ from that election. Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell explained that government has proposed a national count, which means all ballot boxes will be taken to one secure location for tallying by Election Office staff. “But that is still up for debate. Everything in the bill is subject to debate,” he said. While that may be so, Howell said, the Elections Office is continuing with its logistics planning for 19 Dec. He declined to go into specifics on how the count will be executed since that is subject to change. As it stands, when the polls close, the ballot boxes will be transported to the location where the national count will be held, Howell said. “The ballots will be in full view of the observers from the time the polls open, when the boxes are shown empty and secured, until the ballot boxes are opened for the count,” he said. “When the ballot boxes move from the polling station to the counting station, the observers will travel with the box alongside Elections Office staff under police escort.” He added that inside the counting room the ballots will be mixed and the votes cast will be tallied. “The count will be done behind closed doors. It will not be open to the public. The government, [international] observers and CPR Cayman will be there for the count,” Howell said. Updated voters list released On Monday, the Elections Office released its proposed 1 Jan. electors list for public review. In a statement, the Elections Office said 220 voters were added to the electors’ roll, but they are only eligible to vote after 1 Jan., so cannot participate in the referendum. The Elections Office said 54 ineligible voters were removed from the previous list, which includes 45 registered voters who have died since 2 July 2019. However, those changes will only be reflected in the new list. “Once the current revised list is finalised on 9 Dec., or earlier if there are no claims or objections, the revised list is reviewed and signed off by the Chief Magistrate, and will become the Official List of Electors on 1 January 2020. This list will then remain in effect and unchanged until 31 March 2020,” the Elections Office said in a statement. Legislators will begin their debate on the cruise berthing and cargo port referendum next week. Referendum law debate looms 21,217 The number of voters eligible to cast a ballot in the 19 Dec. referendum 2 news N newsRESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky As Cayman’s turtle-nesting season nears the homestretch, the Department of Environment said it has already been one of its busiest to date. According to new numbers from the DoE, the current tally of turtle nests found in Grand Cayman this year is set to surpass the 406 nests recorded in all three islands in 2018. “So far, DoE staff, visiting scientists, and volunteers have counted well over 400 nests in Grand Cayman alone,” said DoE marine research officer Janice Blumenthal. “That number will continue to increase until the end of the nesting season, which runs until November or even later.” The rise in nests has been heartening for the department’s turtle team. “Nests are left to hatch naturally on the beach, so hatchlings make their own way to the sea,” the DoE told the Cayman Compass on Monday. “It appears that 2019 will be a record year for Grand Cayman nesting numbers.” Blumenthal said this year’s turtle-nesting season has been one of the department’s busiest in terms of the number of nests in Grand Cayman and public education efforts. These education sessions have included organised field events and presentations for school groups as well as ad hoc presentations to the public while teams are working on the beach. However, even with those efforts, Blumenthal said the DoE recognises that turtles are still encountering challenges. “Unfortunately, we’re still seeing problems with poaching and with misorientations from bright lights on the beach, which lead baby turtles away from the sea and toward the road, where they are usually killed,” she said. Blumenthal urged members of the public to do their best to protect the turtles that come to local shores. “Although we are seeing many more nests in recent years, it is important to remember that it takes turtles 20-30 years to reach maturity,” she said. “Taking the relatively few adult turtles out of the population through poaching, or losing baby turtles born each year to artificial lighting, will harm the species’ chances of survival in the future.” On the flipside, the DoE marine research officer said, the public interaction and interest in the turtle team has been positive; 70 volunteers have been working with the department in its turtle- nesting efforts this year. “Our turtle teams have spoken to more than 1,200 people during nest excavation work this season. That’s the largest number ever,” Blumenthal said. “These impromptu public education sessions are really important to let people know how to treat turtles in the wild and discourage them from digging up nests or interfering with nesting turtles.” “Taking the relatively few adult turtles out of the population through poaching, or losing baby turtles born each year to artificial lighting, will harm the species’ chances of survival in the future.” Janice Blumenthal , Department of Environment DoE: 2019 set to be a record turtle-nesting season 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Total Number of Nests Year GCMLCCB Visiting scientist Joe Roche, holding a hatching turtle he found during an excavation last year. 70 The number of volunteers who have worked with the DoE’s turtle nesting efforts this year. More than 400 The number of turtle nests found this year on Grand Cayman Man admits defiling teen ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky A Cayman Brac man who had sex with an underage teenage girl had his trial called off after pleading guilty to a charge of defilement. Sometime on 19 or 20 July this year, Geoff Ryan Scott, 22, had sex with a 15-year-old girl, the court heard. Scott gave the teen alcohol and ganja prior to the incident, according to court documents. On the morning of 20 July, the teen’s mother awoke to find her daughter was not at home. The police were called, and the girl was eventually located. Scott was initially arrested and charged with one count of defilement and supplying ganja. He denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to both charges days after the incident. On Friday, days before a three-day Grand Court jury trial was due to commence, Scott pleaded guilty to a single charge of defilement. He will be sentenced in December. cayman compass 3 news N news TUESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2019CUC dispatches team to Bahamas RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Seven local power line technicians and technician helpers have joined teams on the ground in the Bahamas assisting with hurricane relief efforts. The men, all employees of the Caribbean Utilities Company’s transmission and distribution operations department, left for the Abaco Islands on Friday, according to a CUC statement. They will be assisting the Bahamas Power and Light cartoon The Parrot - By Caymanman Company Ltd. with the restoration of power following the passing of Hurricane Dorian in September. The hurricane left a widespread trail of destruction in its wake, including the deaths of at least 50 people. Thousands were rendered homeless. CUC said the power line technicians and helpers are expected to be in the Abaco Islands for approximately three weeks. The crew, led by work methods specialist Andrew Skowby, includes; Shandi Wagner, Evan Casey, Miguel Goulbourne, Nathaniel Augustine, Christopher Ebanks and Patrick Myrie. They are expected to return to Cayman next month. The deployment of the CUC team is the latest contribution from Cayman to ongoing relief efforts in the Bahamas. Cayman also dispatched two medical teams and 4,000 pounds of aid supplies to the impacted islands. CUC said a number of the technicians dispatched on Friday have pole climbing training as well as pole digging and pole planting experience, skills the company said, “are necessary when dealing with a shortage of vehicles, equipment and materials due to the storm, which the Bahamas is currently experiencing”. Robert Whorms, manager of the company’s transmission and distribution operations department, said CUC is aware of the urgent need to restore electricity in the affected islands. “We are very pleased that we are able to provide support in the aftermath of this recent tragedy. Our dedicated team of employees are well prepared and take pride in representing CUC and the Cayman Islands alongside other utilities in the relief efforts,” he said. CUC said its assistance was offered in conjunction with the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation’s Disaster Assistance Programme, which coordinates regional efforts to respond to requests for assistance from disaster-stricken member utilities. “CUC has been assisting with restoration efforts in the Caribbean since 1995 and last assisted the Bahamas with restoration efforts following the passing of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. In 2017, CUC assisted with restoration efforts in the British Virgin Islands following the passing of Hurricanes Irma and Maria,” the company said in its statement. Fun on the cards for seniors’ bingo event RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky It was a night of fun and friendship for Cayman’s seniors as they took part in an annual bingo extravaganza at the Lions Centre on Saturday. The event is part of the Department of Children and Family Services Older Persons Month celebrations and was held in partnership with the Lions Club of Grand Cayman. Sherine Barnes, a social worker with DCFS, said the response to the activities organised for seniors throughout the month has been better than expected. “The response has been fabulous; each event is oversubscribed. Each event we get more than we planned for and we are excited for them. We have something every day and they are all coming out,” she said. Nearly 200 seniors attended Saturday's bingo games and competed for prizes. They were also treated to meals provided through donations from Cost U Less and the Lions Club. Letitia Lawrence, CUC vice president of finance and finance services, said the electricity company sponsors the event annually. “The Cayman Islands would not be the Cayman Islands that we know today if not for the contributions of the many individuals that are now considered to be older persons,” Lawrence said. “During their younger years, they would have been the foundation for what we see today as the Cayman Islands.” Seniors enjoy bingo night at the Lions Centre. David Watler, CUC's vice president of operations, left, and Robert Whorms, manager of T&D Operations, right, with technicians Christopher Ebanks, Patrick Myrie, Andrew Skowby, Miguel Goulbourne, Shandi Wagner, Evan Casey and Nathaniel Augustine. Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation CARILEC is a regional association of Caribbean electric utility companies and currently has 106 members. It was founded in 1989. This includes 35 full members (electric utilities), 66 associate members (suppliers of goods and services to the electric utility industry) and four affiliate members. CUC has been a member since 1992. The CARILEC Disaster Assistance Programme is facilitated by the CARILEC Disaster Fund, which is indispensable to the successful implementation of disaster restoration efforts among CARILEC member utilities. 4 in Memory of a precious loving and devoted son, brother and uncle. Jamie, this is the fourth year since you left us, it’s like yesterday we never knew your time with us would be so short. In life we loved you dearly, in death it’s just the same. We have beautiful memories of you Missing you always, Mother, Brother, Nephews and Nieces. Dr. Ashley Rudyard McLaughlin October 20th, 1954 - September 9th, 2015 MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@compassmedia.ky Delwin McLaughlin has been boating on the waters around Cayman for many years, but what he saw last Thursday stunned him: a floating stream of plastic more than a mile long in the ocean west of George Town. “I’ve seen plastic here and there, but not miles long,” said McLaughlin, a harbour patrol officer for the Port Authority. “I’ve never come across miles of trash in my whole life.” He said his fellow officer on the boat that day has even more years on the water than he does, and he had also never seen a stream of pollution like the one they encountered. McLaughlin, who has worked for dive companies and for the Department of Environment, took a video of the trash, with his concern evident in his accompanying commentary. “It was like 15 minutes to half an hour of constant trash,” he said. The flotsam included plastic utensils, foam cups, plastic bags and other material. “The video doesn’t do it justice,” he said, adding that because of the glare on the surface of the water, it’s impossible to see that much of the plastic is submerged. He estimated the floating patch was a foot or two deep. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said. Some people who have seen his video have blamed the trash on the cruise ships that visit Cayman, but McLaughlin said he is certain the ships are not responsible, based in part on the content of the debris. He said he has seen images before of islands of trash floating in the open ocean. But to see something similar a mile and a half off the shores of Cayman made an impression on him. “To see it in person, it brings a whole new level of concern,” he said. “Something has to be done immediately. If we don’t do something soon, it’s going to get a lot worse.” Officials at the Ministry of Health said months of discussions have led to a meeting this Wednesday on addressing plastics on Cayman. Chief Officer Nancy Bernard said this will be the first meeting addressing the scourge of single- use plastic. “I’m super excited about this,” she added. She said the ministry would release information on the discussions following the meeting. On Monday, McLaughlin said the floating trash had dissipated somewhat. “We went out again this morning,” he said. “It wasn’t as bad and it was a little closer to shore.” But he said he knows all the plastic he saw is still in the ocean. The experience has spurred him to change his personal habits, he added. He and his wife sat down a couple of nights ago to discuss ways to use less plastic and recycle more. “After seeing this, it’s brought a lot of light to me,” he said, adding that while he is only one person, “you have to start somewhere”. YCLA awards postponed The Young Caymanian Leadership Award ceremony, originally scheduled for 30 Nov., has been postponed until next year, organisers said. In a statement, the YCLA board of directors said it was taking a “refreshed approach to YCLA”. The board has launched a survey and is conducting focus groups “to seek input on leadership development and the awards programme with the intention to relaunch YCLA in 2020”. The survey aims to help the board “understand the youth's perspective on leadership which will support the modification of the YCLA criteria”. The most recent recipient of the YCLA is Staci Scott, who was awarded the accolade last year. Organisers said she and other YCLA alumni, consisting of more than 70 recipients and finalists, will continue to engage with youth groups and participate in speaking engagements while the planning for 2020 is under way. The survey can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ visionYCLA. The 2018 and 2017 YCLA recipients, Staci Scott and Faith Gealey Floating plastic patch spotted off Cayman Man to be sentenced in animal-cruelty case ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Calling for a message to be sent to pet owners that they have “a tremendous duty of care to their animals”, Crown prosecutor Darlene Oko set out the details of an animal- cruelty case during a mention in the Summary Court on Monday. Defendant Andrew Alexander Hamilton entered a guilty plea to a single count of causing unnecessary suffering in killing an animal. The court heard that on 9 Jan. this year, Hamilton’s neighbour called the Cayman Islands Humane Society to report a case concerning potential animal cruelty. “The neighbours reported that the dog had been crying all day and night,” said Oko. “When animal welfare officers attended the scene, they found the dog was malnourished, laying on the ground and unable to stand. When the dog finally gained the strength to stand, officials observed a wound to its leg, which was infected with maggots and flies, and had a foul odour.” The officers took the dog into their care. Vets would later diagnose it with bone marrow cancer. “Mr. Hamilton was aware that his dog had terminal bone marrow cancer,” said Oko. “In October 2018, vets advised him that the proper course of action would be to euthanise the dog to prevent additional and inevitable suffering.” Cayman’s Animals Law prescribes a fine of up to $4,000 and/or one year in prison upon conviction of causing avoidable pain or suffering to any animal, to which Hamilton has pleaded guilty. The Animals Law also empowers a judge to prohibit a person from owning an animal following conviction. During Monday’s hearing, Oko called on Magistrate Adam Roberts to impose a sentence that reflects both general and specific deterrence. “Animal owners need to know that if they allow their pets to suffer in such a manner, they will be penalised,” said Oko. The court heard during mitigation submissions that Hamilton has been “an animal lover all his life and has owned animals all his adult life”, and that the case was an isolated incident. Roberts will announce the sentence on Wednesday. “When animal welfare officers attended the scene, they found the dog was malnourished, laying on the ground and unable to stand . ” Darlene Oko , Crown prosecutor In this screengrab from Delwin McLaughlin's video, a large floating slick of plastic and debris is seen in the ocean off Grand Cayman. 5123456 78 9 10 11 1213 14 1516 17 1819 2021 123456 78 9 10 11 1213 14 1516 17 1819 2021 ACROSS 1 Demeanour (7) 4 Large marine mammal (5) 7 Indication (4) 8 At highest speed (4,4) 10 Completely unknown subject (6,4) 12 Damp and sticky (6) 13 Pessimistic (6) 15 Et cetera (3,2,5) 18 Aloft (8) 19 Large oven (4) 20 Sudden onslaught (5) 21 Efface totally (7) DOWN 1 Fundamental (5) 2 Practically (2,4,2) 3 Dirty (6) 4 Profession (4,2,4) 5 Sour (4) 6 Tidal river mouth (7) 9 Skill in sailing (10) 11 Constraint (8) 12 Inquisitive (7) 14 Landed property (6) 16 Therefore (5) 17 Nought (4) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16202 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. YeSteRDAY'S SOLUtIONS Puzzle 16201 ACROSS: 1 Ill-humoured, 9 Expound, 10 Clean, 11 Open, 12 Juvenile, 14 Dapper, 16 Caught, 18 Jettison, 19 Gobi, 22 Khaki, 23 Imagine, 24 Play the game. DOWN: 2 Lapse, 3 Haul, 4 Medium, 5 Uncle Sam, 6 Evening, 7 Beyond a joke, 8 Entertainer, 13 Debility, 15 Pitfall, 17 Modish, 20 Odium, 21 Hang. KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky When Johanan Dujon began harvesting sargassum in Saint Lucia in 2014, he collected 1,500 pounds of the seaweed. This year, with his company Algas Organics, he is on track to harvest 1 million pounds. With the increasing influx of sargassum battering Caribbean coastlines, Dujon has found a business opportunity and a way to employ Saint Lucians. His company has developed a line of fertilisers and stimulants for agriculture using the invasive weed as the base. While contaminants found in sargassum have been a concern, Dujon says he is able to remove heavy metals, such as cadmium, mercury, arsenic and lead, and verify the results through testing by the Caribbean Public Health Agency. The company has partnered with the Saint Lucia government to train 120 workers as sargassum harvesters. The seaweed they collect is transported to the Algas processing plant and prepared for sale. Dujon recognised an opening created by the region’s sargassum invasion and developed a process to put unused seaweed to good use, while providing employment opportunities. “Whereas in some tourism- dependent areas, hotels and the private sector invest in machinery to remove sargassum and keep beaches clean, other affected areas are often left unattended across the Caribbean, thus exposing thousands of coastal residents to elevated levels of hydrogen sulphide and disrupting livelihoods,” Dujon said. “We recognise sargassum as an alternative livelihood opportunity for unemployed and marginalised in affected communities, especially women and youth.” The agricultural products developed by Algas Organics are used locally and exported to other Caribbean islands, including the Cayman Islands, where it is sold at A. L. Thompson’s. “We decided to take a hands-on approach, to create employment, [and] generate foreign exchange through exports, food security through improved crop production/yield and economic development,” Dujon said. He contends his products have helped farmers reduce fertiliser costs, speed up harvest times and improve output. In marketing material, Algas Organics promises a plant tonic that will improve root depth and boost crop resilience. Dujon studied chemistry and biology, and his academic background and his entrepreneurial instinct led him to experiment with the concept of creating an organic fertiliser from seaweed. “The company got started after recognising the tremendous opportunity this invasive species presented and the reluctance/ analysis paralysis of stakeholders to take concrete actions to solve the problem,” he said. “There were and still are conferences talking about the problem, universities conducting research for the last five years … [but] there has been no real impact on the ground.” He decided to take a hands-on approach and the concept has grown quickly. Algas Organics is now looking to develop other organic products and exploring partnerships on other islands. “Continuous improvement and learning really makes handling it fun,” Dujon said. “We look forward to this every day.” Sargassum fertiliser offers alternative for organic agriculture 1 million The number of pounds of sargassum Algas Organics in St. Lucia expects to harvest this year. “We decided to take a hands-on approach, to create employment, [and] generate foreign exchange through exports, food security through improved crop production/yield and economic development.” Johanan Dujon , Algas Organics Sargassum fertiliser is packed and ready for transport. Farmers is Saint Lucia have turned to Algas Organics for an organic alternative to standard fertilisers. Workers harvest sargassum from the beach in Saint Lucia for processing by Algas Organics. Johanan Dujon cayman compass 6 I issues TUESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2019KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky As a child in Jalisco, Mexico, Omar Vazquez Sanchez became accustomed to hardship, living through periods of uncertainty and homelessness. His mother, charged with caring for four children alone, struggled to keep pace with rental payments, and Vazquez says they often found themselves running from house to house. The experience of surviving through cold and hunger on the streets imbued Vazquez, now the owner of garden business BlueGreen in Quintana Roo, with a driving life philosophy. “I believe all human beings need and deserve a home,” he told the Cayman Compass. Inspired by memories of his grandparents’ adobe house, a periodic place of refuge, Vazquez developed a low-cost alternative to cement, using a substance that has invaded Caribbean shores in recent years – sargassum seaweed. Through production of sargassum-based building blocks – Sargablocks, as his company calls them – he hopes to alleviate some of the poverty and suffering of families in Mexico and the Caribbean. His first house built entirely out of sargassum blocks has captured international attention and headlines. The excitement generated by Casa Angelita, dedicated to his mother, has opened the doors to explore projects around the region. “It’s something that has completely changed my life. It’s not something I was used to. But I started to analyse all of the things that happened to us as children … and with this house and the worldwide attention, I realise that God prepared me for this,” he said. “It’s a perfect plan. You have to live through all of that to be able to do something so important.” Vazquez said the concept for Sargablocks came to him as he lay in bed one night. He awoke, overwhelmed by memories of childhood, both good and bad. Recalling the warmth and kindness found at his grandparents’ home, he began mulling over the idea of recreating a similar adobe structure. He already had experience turning sargassum into compost and fertiliser for his garden business, so he knew the plant and its structure well. “I woke up full of energy to do something,” he said. “I spent all day creating formula after formula.” Within one week, he said, he had produced 3,500 sargassum blocks, without the use of cement or artificial pastes. “I don’t use anything that’s not natural, that’s not from the Earth,” he said. In less than a month, he had constructed the first known sargassum house, which he hoped would serve as his office at the BlueGreen garden centre. Instead, the structure captured headlines, and requests started rolling in. Vazquez said he has received inquiries from parties in the Dominican Republic, Martinique, Barbados and Jamaica. On 24 Oct., he will travel to Guadeloupe for the first international sargassum tradeshow, Sarg’Expo. In Mexico, he is now working with government support to open a Sargablock factory. In all, he hopes to open three, each of which should be able to produce 4,000 to 5,000 blocks a day. “One house requires 2,000 blocks. So, we can produce two to three houses a day. Imagine the impact we can achieve,” he said, adding that the first donated sargassum house has already been provided to a family who lost their previous home to fire in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. While Vazquez has also received interest from a luxury hotel looking for an eco-friendly construction option, his focus is on the social impact that his business can provide. He wants to offer work and a second chance to adults struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, and pay well enough to dissuade migration out of Mexico. “We clean beaches [of sargassum], so we do something environmentally positive. We generate work by building blocks and donating homes,” he said. “There is a positive environmental impact and also a positive social impact. … “I’m going strong. Each day gives me more energy to continue forward with this.” “One house requires 2,000 blocks. So, we can produce two to three houses a day. Imagine the impact we can achieve.” Omar Vazquez, inventor of Sargablocks Sargassum houses turn seaweed invasion into economic opportunity The first house built of Sargablocks took about three weeks to construct, including production of the sargassum bricks. Casa Angelita was meant to serve as Omar Vazquez Sanchez’s workspace but the project has evolved into much more. Omar Vazquez Sanchez sits in the sargassum house that has captured international attention. Vazquez’s sargassum house was inspired by the adobe construction of his grandparents’ home. 7 I issuesKAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky For Caribbean communities dependent on idyllic beaches for their tourism product, sargassum seaweed influxes can seem like an existential crisis. In July, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett estimated that sargassum clean- up had cost the Caribbean US$120 million in 2018. Along Mexico’s Caribbean coast, where many luxury resorts have been overwhelmed by the foul-smelling seaweed, he estimated a 35% drop in tourism. The economic impact of sargassum and its potential to send tourists packing has put much of the region on high alert. To protect the paradisiac image of Caribbean beaches, sargassum control has risen as another pillar of the region’s tourist industry – and in Mexico, securing sargassum- control contracts has become competitive. From June to December 2018, the Quintana Roo Secretariat of Ecology and Environment reported more than CI$13.5 million (about MX$323 million) in sargassum- control contracts from federal, state and municipal entities. “We want to get back to the paradise that was Cancun – the paradise with white sand beaches and a sea in seven shades of turquoise,” said Fernanda Diaz, a project manager for Goimar, one of many companies working to install sargassum-retention barriers in Mexico. “Right now, we have two [colours], between green and brown.” On a June afternoon, Diaz and her colleague Edgar Capricho visited Grand Bahia Principe Resort in Tulum to begin setting up a mile of barrier nets set back from the coast. Before the team began installation, the resort’s beachfront had been overrun by seaweed, with more than 100 labourers working to remove the masses by shovel, wheelbarrow and tractor. As fast as the men could move the seaweed away, more washed ashore, leaving guests wading through the tangled algae. Goimar hopes to reduce the number of sargassum workers at the resort to around 22 who will work in two shifts to manage the nets 24 hours a day. “A 30-foot boat will take in the collected sargassum from the contention net and hand that over to the [wave runners],” Capricho explained. “The trained personnel will do a check every 15 minutes to make sure there is no marine life, like sea turtles, trapped in the nets.” Unlike many other sargassum- barrier companies, Goimar does not harvest the seaweed. Instead, workers take the sargassum out to the sea and redirect it back to the open ocean. The idea, Capricho said, is to work with the natural life cycle of the plant. “We want to be ecologically responsible, so that the cycle of the sargassum isn’t interrupted and it stays in the sea. We don’t want it to land on the beach where it decomposes and is moved to a landfill,” Capricho said. Canadian company Ocean Cleaner has also entered the Mexican sargassum market, partnering with hotel developer Grupo Vidanta in the Riviera Maya. To protect tourist economy, resorts invest in seaweed-control business AlgaeNova harvests sargassum in the Domincan Republic and processes it for agriculture uses. 8The company has installed around a mile of barrier in the Mexican Caribbean and reported plans to install additional barriers in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Sargassum retained in their barriers is collected using the company’s Sargatrailers that carry the seaweed from Sargaboats, which are equipped with conveyor belts to harvest algae from the water. Once a trailer is full of seaweed, it is detached from the boat and transferred to dry land for processing. “Grupo Vidanta is more of a laboratory where once we collect the sargassum, it is actually dried up and it is mixed in with their green cuttings and they actually do what is called bio-compost with it. They use it for their grounds. They've got hectares and hectares,” said Ocean Cleaner’s Francesco Maselli. Like many companies in the algae-barrier business, Ocean Cleaner is experimenting with practical uses for its seaweed haul. Given the shear quantity of sargassum floating in, the plants cannot simply be left in the retention nets. “You have to have a system where you relieve the pressure from the barriers, or else it will accumulate and once it does accumulate, it will either go right over or right under with the current,” Maselli said. In addition to the sargassum compost in Mexico, Ocean Cleaner is also working with researchers in Quebec to explore the possibility of sargassum-based fertiliser or plastic. In the Dominican Republic, another collection company is also dreaming up novel uses for seaweed. AlgaeNova’s Frederick Gonzalez said his employer’s boat and barrier system can collect up to 30 tons of sargassum every 45 minutes. He describes the operation’s sargassum cleaner as a sort of floating car wash. Along the Punta Cana coast, AlgaeNova has installed more than 2.5 miles of barrier, where another conveyor system harvests the seaweed for removal. “In 2016-2018, we woke up to this reality and the next machine we designed was planned to collect 370 tons a day,” Gonzalez said. Now the company has 24 workers who monitor the nets full time and harvest the seaweed for processing. Like Ocean Cleaner, AlgaeNova is in search of the most cost-efficient and practical use of its sargassum stockpile. Through private partnerships, the company is testing a wide variety of applications, from the more common sargassum fertiliser to the unconventional idea of sargassum plates and utensils. AlgaeNova has begun working with Poland’s Biotrem, a producer of wheat bran tableware, to develop biodegradable seaweed utensils. The company is also exploring development of sargassum biofuel. “There are possibilities to take advantage of sargassum,” Gonzalez said. “We have to compare the options with the commercial viability, the level or investment and technology, and the volume that can be consumed. We need to find a solution that can consume 300 tons a day.” The economic impact of sargassum and its potential to send tourists packing has put much of the region on high alert . US$120 million The amount of money Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett estimated the sargassum clean-up cost the Caribbean in 2018. A sargassum harvester run by AlgaeNova collects seaweed in the Dominican Republic. AlgaeNova nets are seen from production, left, to sea floor, below. AlgaeNova barriers contain sargassum just off the coast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Sargassum builds up outside a resort in Tulum, Mexico, before the installation of barriers. - Photo: Kayla Young Workers with Goimar in Tulum, Mexico, roll out contention nets ready for installation. 9Next >