December 6, 2002

Bob Thomas receives $500,000 grant

Money will help improve environmental communications in the Caribbean

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded Dr. Robert A. Thomas, professor and Loyola Chair in Environmental Communications, a $500,000 grant to help improve the media's reporting on environment and development issues in the eastern Caribbean. Journalists will benefit from training workshops, opportunities to cover international assignments, a website, a radio program, partnerships with senior international journalists, an awards program, and promotion of the Small Tourism Ecotourism Project (sponsored by the Organization of American States). STEP's purpose is to encourage sustainable management practices among small hotels.

The program, the Caribbean Environmental Communications Initiative (CECI), is a partnership and collaboration of the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network (CERN), the Panos Institute, an international information non-governmental organization, and Loyola University. The CECI monies are administered through a subcontract from the University of New Orleans Foundation (UNO). Implementation of the grant is a collaboration among UNO's Metro College, Loyola University, the Panos Institute, and CERN.

Execution of the grant, which will include communication students and faculty from Loyola in many areas of the program, was begun in April 2002 and will conclude in December 2003. Loyola has already worked in Belize and Trinidad in the fields of environmental communications and ecotourism.

The role of Loyola students and faculty involved in this project will be in training and providing resources for journalists about environmental issues that play an important role in the region's economic future.

Due to the increasing pressure from tourism development, the environment that first attracted tourists to the Caribbean is under siege. Beach erosion, damage to coral reefs, illegal waste dumping, and littering and coastal water pollution all contribute to the loss of the natural assets that attract tourists. As journalists become more aware of these problems, a significant rise in the quality and quantity of environmental reporting is expected.