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Campus food production at Bellairs Research Institute

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Sustainability Project Fund Application

Project Title: Campus greenhouse for local and sustainable tropical food production and education at Bellairs Research Institute. Budget Requested: $59,100.00 Applicant/Project Leader: Dr. Mark Lefsrud Contact Information: Last Name: Lefsrud First Name: Mark Email: [email protected] Daytime Phone: (514) 398 7967 Affiliation: (Undergraduate, Post-Graduate, Staff, Academic): Academic Faculty/Unit: Agricultural and Environmental Science/Bioresource Engineering Relevant Links (to social media/websites): http://nvactropicalgreenhouse.weebly.com http://www.mcgill.ca/biomass-production-lab/biomass-production-lab Project theme(s): Academics, Research and Learning, community, education, food, land and water Project Group: Lucas McCartney Ph.D. Student Bioresource Engineering McGill University, Macdonald Campus [email protected] 581-309-234 Onsite project leader Susan Mahon Director at Bellairs Research Institute Folkestone, St. James BB24017, Barbados [email protected] Tel.: 246-422-2087

I. Project Overview

Bellairs Research Institute is a McGill University facility located at Folkestone, Barbados. It hosts many students and scientists from McGill and around the world for field courses, workshops and research projects. The Institute currently boasts an on-site Slow Food Heritage Garden that was created by two 2014 McGill Barbados Field Study Semester (BFSS) students in collaboration with their mentor from the Barbados Organic Growers and Consumers Association (OGCA). This Garden serves as an ongoing agro-ecological project and exhibition site. This proposal’s goal is to further enhance the


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sustainable produce production on the campus to help provide fresh, healthy and local produce for students, researchers, professors and visitors alike. The site will be a location for students to learn and to impart knowledge for local agriculture, plant science, horticulture, construction and teamwork. See appendix 1 for information on Bellairs Research Institute. The Bellairs Research Institute prepares two or three meals a day during the week for the residents and students on the campus. The food bill is substantial and has averaged around $127,000 (BD) per year for the campus. Over 50% of the food is sourced on the island but a very large percentage comes from outside Barbados. However, a large portion of this is fruits and vegetables that could be grown locally using a greenhouse. Although perceived as a region favorable for produce growth, due to high heat, pests and high sun intensity, the fields of Barbados are in fact very harsh for fruit, vegetable and leafy-green production. Crops however thrive on the island in protected structures such as greenhouses. Localized and sustainable food production is of critical benefit for isolated agricultural economies such as that of Barbados, for food security, and availability of healthy and fresh produce. The proposed project will introduce a sustainable and affordable solution to this local food production issue, using cutting-edge designs and concepts developed by McGill students working directly with local Barbadian agronomists, farmers, backyard gardeners, and research personnel. This project is proposing to build a sustainable tropical greenhouse at the Bellairs Research Institute using the expertise of Dr. Mark Lefsrud and Lucas McCartney, a Ph.D. student in Bioresource Engineering at the Macdonald Campus. A shade-house has been constructed as part of the overall project at Bellairs for the culturing and display of native Barbadian plants that are mostly edible. The costs for constructing the shade house, rainwater harvesting system, alternative energy sources, and irrigation systems was in the order of $12,000 (BBD) for materials and labour. These costs represent a counterpart contribution by Bellairs to the holistic development of the site, including the proposed greenhouse. The specific design of the tropical greenhouse is an innovative design. Mr. McCartney and Dr. Lefsrud successfully built their greenhouse design for research purposes in cooperation with BITS students in 2014 on a commercial cucumber farm near Bellairs. The novel-design greenhouse to be built at Bellairs will use minimum energy and resources. The greenhouse will be entirely off-grid with electricity coming from the recently installed Bellairs Research Institute’s photovoltaic system. Water will be provided sustainably from rainwater harvesting. The size of the structure is 4.5m by 9m and fits in the space available at Bellairs. It is perfectly suitable to supply the kitchen’s cooking staff needs and provide the visitors to the campus with fresh produce. See appendix 2 for technical details. Project eligibility:

How will the project contribute to building a culture of sustainability on campus?

Every year, the Institute welcomes and feeds about 700 guest students and researchers. It hosts guests from McGill and all corners of the globe and maintains close association with local academic, government, and non-government organizations. Already boasting its sustainable ways with the Bellairs Recycling Program completed in 2011 (SP0030), the Bellairs Institute is looking to make progress in sustainable agriculture, food safety and food security. In Fall 2014, Bellairs initiated the sustainable food production project by implementing a slow food garden and a shade-house. See appendices 1-2 for detail. With the implementation of a sustainable greenhouse, the opportunity for


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growing nutritional, fresh and local produce arises. The tropical greenhouse will be a hands-on educational tool for the many students and researchers involved in its construction and an instructive tool for Bellairs staff, local Bajan farmers and the general public. Moreover, it will serve its prime purpose that is to grow fresh produce in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way for use by kitchen staff on campus at Bellairs.

Describe the role SPF funding will play in implementing this project. The SPF funding will allow for the purchase of material and construction of the greenhouse. The

funding will also allow for travel to Barbados from Montreal for Dr. Mark Lefsrud and Lucas McCartney to manage the construction, work with the staff and mentor the students involved in the project. Although greenhouses have been built on the island before, they are a rare sight and their construction involves high import fees and requires overseas workforces to erect the structure. Dr. Lefsrud and Mr. McCartney will provide the knowhow required to build the greenhouse with the help of McGill students and Bellairs staff. To allow for full operation of the project we are planning for at least 2 follow up years to build the knowledge base and maintain continuity of the food production of the tropical greenhouse. In-kind contributions will be provided from Bellairs Research Institute with the supply of the land, electricity and labour. The employees at Bellairs are fully trained to build and maintain the facilities at the Institute but will need initial support from Dr. Lefsrud and Mr. McCartney. Funding will continue to be dedicated by Bellairs towards aspects such as irrigation and sources of alternative energy that compliment the greenhouse maintenance and operations.

How will the outcomes be shared with the community? As a final goal, produce (tomato, lettuce, pepper, cucumber, okra, squash, etc.) from the

greenhouse will supply the Bellairs kitchens and feed the McGill students studying in Barbados. The greenhouse and shade-house will allow local produce growers, or future farmers, to educate themselves in the new and existing technologies and opportunities of sustainable protected agriculture in Barbados. The greenhouse area will be the site of implementation of the planned organic growers courses and meetings, a developing cooperation between Bellairs and local organic food agencies. See appendix 1. Stakeholders:

Students attending both the Barbados Interdisciplinary Tropical Studies semester (BITS) and Barbados Field Study Semester (BFSS) will develop their knowledge base and contribute hands-on assistance and a workforce in the construction and operation of the structures (See attached Gantt chart). Students in both these programs are required to participate in a term project related to their field of study. This project will serve this purpose for multiple semesters to come for students in fields such as engineering, plant science, agriculture, ecology and biology. Students attending short courses and individual classes at Bellairs will be invited to participate in the operation and production of their own food, further contributing to the maintenance and evolution of the project. The staff at Bellairs Research Institute will participate in and benefit from the project, as the produce in the greenhouse site will need to be maintained and harvested when the students are not present, and produce will be available for consumption by the staff. Locals and foreigners visiting and


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taking the short courses at the institute will benefit in the greenhouse as an educational tool and see it as an excellent example of food safety and sustainability. II. Project Implementation Start Completion Milestone

Completed:

Sept 2014 Aug 2015 Construction of the Bellairs Shade-house

Projected:

April 2015 May 2015 Start of sourcing of material and construction of the greenhouse with Mr. McCartney and BITS students

May 2015 August 2015 Complete construction of greenhouse involving BITS students. Mr. McCartney and Dr. Lefsrud rotate responsibility to supervise student group. Begin soil based growth in greenhouse.

September 2015 December 2015 Complete construction of rainwater collection and control system for the greenhouse involving BFSS students and Mr. McCartney

May 2016 August 2016 Construction and testing of a hydroponic system in greenhouse involving BITS students

September 2016 December 2016 Plant and cultivar testing in the greenhouse involving BFSS students.

January 2017 December 2017 Continued plant testing and food production of the greenhouse for food sustainability and training at Bellairs using BITS, BFSS students and Bellairs employees with continued operation after completion of funding.

III. Financials

Critical Date: February 28, 2015 (student assignment of projects for BITS summer 2015), absolute latest is beginning of April 15, 2015.

Detailed expenses: (See attached table in appendix 4 for detailed expenses)

Expense Description

Material/Item Total

Tropical Greenhouse CAD 24,750.00

Shade-House CAD 10,000

Publication and pamphlets

CAD 1,500.00

Accommodations and Transport

CAD 11,650.00

Labour and per diem CAD 11,200.00

Total CAD 59,100.00

Detailed revenues: Revenue Source Amount Requested Confirmed?

Sustainability Projects Fund $49,100.00 No

Bellairs Research Institute $ 10,000.00 Yes ($6,000 already dedicated)


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IV. Additional information:

Provide supporting information regarding the qualifications and/or related experience of the project leader and other project members

Appendix 1: Background information on Bellairs Research Institute, the staff and the current projects on site. Appendix 2: Technical information on the tropical greenhouse design, images and Gantt chart. Appendix 3: Information on and experience of Lucas McCartney, Susan Mahon and Dr. Mark Lefsrud. Appendix 4: Detailed expenses in table format. Also in appendix: letters of support from Susan Mahon and Dr. Danielle Donnelly.

Dr. Danielle J. Donnelly, McGill Director - Barbados Interdisciplinary Tropical Studies (BITS) Field Study Program

Associate Professor Professeure agrégée Tel : (514) 398 -7856

Plant Science Department Département de sciences végétales [email protected]

SKYPE : Danielle.donnelly1

McGill University Université McGill 21,111 Lakeshore Rd.

Macdonald Campus Campus Macdonald Ste Anne de Bellevue

QC, Canada H9X 3V9

Re: Support for Sustainability Fund Submission, Mark Lefsrud “Campus greenhouse for local and sustainable tropical food production and education at Bellairs Research Institute” Jan. 18, 2015 I am writing on behalf of Dr. Mark Lefsrud, a McGill University professor in the Bioresource Engineering Department, and one of the founding faculty participants in the Barbados Interdisciplinary Tropical Studies (BITS) summer field study program. During summer2014, Prof. Lefsrud and his doctoral student Lucas McCartney mentored a group of 3 BITS students to retrofit a large private hydroponic greenhouse with their novel, patented additions to increase its capacity to cool effectively. This patented design is known as the NVAC greenhouse. The project was highly successful. The students were very well mentored and produced an outstanding report. The private company was very happy with the project, and they have offered to host BITS students for a second summer. Lucas McCartney will mentor another group of BITS students during summer 2015; a new NVAC greenhouse installation and continued monitoring at the previous greenhouse site is planned. Now, Dr. Lefsrud and Susan Mahon (Director of Bellairs Research Institute) would like to install a small teaching and production greenhouse (1/8 size of the commercial facility) on the Bellairs Research Institute property that would be used to serve as a means for outreach to local greenhouse growers and also provide vegetables to the Bellairs residents. Lucas would oversee the building of the small greenhouse structure at Bellairs during 2015. Once completed, the plan is to conduct at least three community outreach activities, highlighting the possible use of this design for improved sustainability of food production on the island. This will further strengthen McGill’s standing in Barbados as an agricultural teaching and outreach facility. I fully support a mechanism to provide a greenhouse unit at Bellairs where tropical greenhouse design can be manipulated, improved, and taught to local greenhouse operators. Furthermore, students in the BITS program complain every summer that the diet provided to them at Bellairs has insufficient greens and that it is too high in carbohydrates. For this reason, I fully support a greenhouse structure where vegetables can be grown to supplement the students’ diet in a highly positive manner. Overall, I sincerely believe this is a worthy project for the Sustainability Fund. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Regards, Danielle

Danielle Donnelly, Assoc. Professor

McGill Director, BITS Program

Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University Holetown, St. James, Barbados Tel (246) 422-2087 Fax (246) 422-0692 Email [email protected] http://www.mcgill.ca/bellairs

22 January 2015

McGill Sustainability Projects Fund:

I am writing this letter of support for the proposed SPF-supported project called, “Campus Greenhouse for Local and Sustainable Tropical Food Production and Education at Bellairs Research Institute,” submitted by Dr. Mark Lefsrud. We at Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University are very pleased to be involved in this project and fully support the scope and goals of the project in Barbados. I have worked extensively with Dr. Lefsrud through the Barbados Interdisciplinary Tropical Studies (BITS) program and we have been discussing methods to improve the sustainability of Bellairs Research Institute for over three years. Dr. Lefsrud has a very strong focus on sustainable food production and, with Mr. Lucas McCartney, together we have supervised a number of students working on design projects as part of the BITS program and the Barbados Field Study Semester (BFSS) program.

The intention of the proposed SPF-funded project is to construct and operate a large greenhouse for horticultural food production at the campus. We can easily use all the horticultural production from the greenhouse and plan to use this structure primarily for education and outreach to students from McGill and Barbados. In addition to the two semesters that McGill students are at Bellairs working on and in the greenhouse, we also plan for at least 3 community outreach meetings highlighting sustainability for food production on the island of Barbados. Highlighting all of these linkages between the food production, sustainability, education and outreach will strengthen McGill’s standing in Barbados.

I fully support the project and feel it is an excellent opportunity to provide sustainable food production capacity to the campus at the Bellairs Research Institute. My staff and I will continue to support, work and advise the team, students and participants in this project to make it a complete success.

It you have any further requests feel free to contact me.

Thank you, and best wishes to all,

Sincerely,

Susan Mahon Academic and Managing Director

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Campus food production at Bellairs Research Institute APPENDICES

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Appendix 1: Bellairs Research Institute Building a Collective Culture Towards Sustainability at Bellairs Research Institute of McGill

University in Barbados

Adapted and Updated from the “Vision Statements” first presented by Susan Mahon to the members of the

Board of Directors of Bellairs Research Institute in 2010 and 2011

Bellairs Research Institute (Bellairs) in the Caribbean builds the global research and action agenda towards sustainable living by

facilitating researchers who undertake diverse activities such as inter-‐disciplinary tropical studies, aqua and aerial robotics,

computer animation for researching natural science, development through mathematics, cancer research, Bioresource engineering,

and field studies in innovative land-‐use planning, marine ecology, alternative energy, and sustainable agriculture.

Bellairs is gradually transforming into a “sustainability institute” and sustainable campus of McGill University in the Caribbean. In

2011, Bellairs attracted the support and cooperation of the Ministry of Environment of the Government of Barbados to co-‐host a

Research Festival called ForwardFest (FWDfest). Activities at FWDfest included a puppet show for children about climate change,

trips on the solar-‐powered shuttle, a snorkel tour of the Folkestone Marine Reserve, an “Alternative Energy” music and fashion

show, an exhibition of artworks by well-‐known artists on the theme of good environmental stewardship, as well as academic

lectures, posters and workshops to which members of the public were invited.

In 2012, Bellairs once again hosted an open house and events for members of the public on World Environment Day where they

made pledges with respect to conservation. These pledges were painted onto Bellairs’ hurricane shutters. Sir Trevor Carmichael

who is a member of the Board of Directors composed original poetry for the occasion. Also in 2012.Bellairs hosted a picnic for the

public; entertainment included live-‐streaming video and panel discussions featuring Caribbean representatives at the Rio +20 Earth

Summit in Brazil.

In 2013, Bellairs World Environment Day at Bellairs was celebrated on June 5th 2013 with a focus on the Theme, “Think, Eat,

Save” that is: Think about the choices you make, Eat nutritious and delicious, and Save money, space, energy, resources, and

yourself.

Bellairs highlighted two new programs: The Bellairs Food Security Program which is based on the application of the “Slow Food”

concept, and the Bellairs Alternative Energy Research Program. Slow Food encourages us to develop menus that are healthful, tasty,

and prepared with local ingredients. The use of alternative energy is connected with the theme of “think and save” through the

efficient use of resources.

On World Environment Day 2013, Bellairs also introduced senior researcher in alternative energy Mr. William Hinds who teaches

and researches ways in which Barbadians and other Caribbean people can use renewable resources to power their homes and work

places. Mr. Hinds presented his book, “Householders Guide to Cool Solar Houses” at Bellairs on World Environment Day 2013.


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Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Bellairs, UN World Environment Day, and the International Year of Small

Island Developing States (UN-‐IYoS) in 2014

Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University in Canada once again celebrated World Environment Day on Thursday 5 June 2014 by

hosting a Public Lecture and Panel Discussion under the Patronage of the Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. DeLisle

Worrell and his wife Mrs. Monica Drayton Worrell. The theme of the event was the sustainable production and consumption of

food. Dr. Worrell, who is a graduate of McGill University in Economics, opened the discussion by inviting us to consider the question:

'Can Barbadians Really Feed Themselves?'

Dr. Hugo Melgar-‐Quiñonez of McGill University gave the Feature Address entitled, 'Food Security and Small Island Developing

States'. Dr. Melgar-‐Quiñonez is a medical doctor, scientist and nutritionist. He is also the Director of the Institute for Global Food

Security at McGill University. His address focused on key aspects of food security that relate to the quality of food, as well as the

quantity. His Excellence Richard Hanley, High Commissioner to Canada, preceded Dr. Melgar-‐Quiñonez. During his introductory

remarks, Canadian High Commissioner Richard Hanley told the audience, inclusive of past and present students of McGill University,

that the people of Canada and Barbados have been able to enjoy a positive relationship in many aspects, including higher education

and training. “We enjoy a true learning exchange in which Barbadian students and professors collaborate with Canadian universities

and colleges through scholarships and exchange programmes [...] and Canadian researchers come to Barbados for an experience

unlike any other in Canada”, Hanley remarked.

Following Dr. Melgar-‐Quiñonez was a provocative address by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program

(UNEP), Dr. Achim Steiner. Dr. Steiner linked the world of finance with food security and climate change. He emphasized that, "the

future of agriculture is deeply troubling" and quoted the World Watch Institute as stating “the inefficient conversion of cereals to

animal feed and biofuels is a diversion of food resources. The total global grain harvest in the year 2004 if used directly for human

consumption would feed 6 billion people but if the same amount of grain is used for animal feed, the meat produced would only

feed 2.6 billion people" He added "[…] and yet as you become richer, you consume more meat". He mentioned that it is a strange

and disturbing phenomenon that we are increasingly degrading agricultural land for example as a result of salinization, overuse of

fertilisers, and exhaustion of soils " […] and drought, for example in Kazakstan or Australia, can translate through the global food

market into a 10 to 20 per cent increase in costs of food commodities in Mexico or Brazil"

Four brief presentations by panellists, and a general discussion, followed the feature address. The panel and discussion focused on

the topic, 'Growing and producing our Own Food'. Panellists highlighted the lessons learned by Barbadians during times of food

shortages, certification of organic products, the benefits of eating locally grown food, and aspects of agriculture as a business. Two

of the panellists represented agencies of the United Nations (FAO & UNDP), and two represented civil society and the academic

community (The Organic Growers and Consumers Association (OGCA), University of the West Indies (UWI), Bellairs, and

McGill). Moderator of the discussion was Dr. Denis Blackman who is Deputy Chief Agriculture Officer (crops) in the Ministry of

Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Government of Barbados.


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Coordinator of he Bellairs celebrations was Ms. Susan Mahon, Academic and Managing Director of Bellairs Research Institute of

McGill University, who received the Global 500 award from UNEP at the Earth Summit in 1992 in recognition of her outstanding

practical achievements in the protection and improvement of the environment.

McGill Students Continuing the Legacy of Commander Bellairs Now and in the Future

Hundreds of students of McGill have already contributed to the sustainable development of Bellairs as a model McGill campus and

learning centre. Many groups of students have been involved in the creation of a recycling system at the Institute, in collaboration

with the staff and management of Bellairs. This system serves as a ‘hands-‐on’ demonstration for all visitors to Bellairs and as an

awareness raising demonstration for the Barbadian public.

Groups, and individual students, from McGill have contributed via their student internships and individual scholarships at Bellairs to:

rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation at the Institute, research and management of fresh water and solid waste at Bellairs and at

other sites, management of the Folkestone Park and Marine Reserve which neighbours Bellairs, creation of features at Bellairs that

demonstrate the use of alternative energy, painting of hurricane shutters with themes that pertain to sustainability, construction of

a shade house for growing food and ‘garden-‐to-‐table dinners’ at Bellairs and creation of a “Slow Food Heritage Garden’ at Bellairs.

Future plans include McGill student involvement in the design and operations of the “Green Lime Eco-‐Café” that will soon open at

Bellairs, and in more growing of food for the café and institute.

It has been estimated that Barbados currently imports food at a cost of $800 million Barbadian dollars annually, which has increased

from $500 million Barbadian dollars in 2009 (David Bynoe, Caribbean Development Bank). The Barbadian Minister of Agriculture has

stated that 65 percent of food is produced locally, which means Barbados imports 35 percent of their food. The total value of all

food consumed on the island is $1.5 billion Barbadian. This estimate is the cost at the point of production or importation and not at

the point of sale, where the actual cost to the consumer (supermarket, shop, restaurant etc.) is much higher to account for storage

and distribution, profit, spoilage etc.

The Bellairs Greenhouse will contribute to the learning and research activities that occur at Bellairs, as well as contributing to food

security at the institute.

History of Bellairs Research Institute from the archives of McGill

Revised by Susan Mahon; Academic and Managing Director

Bellairs Research Institute was founded in 1954 following the donation by Commander Carlyon Bellairs of his estate, in trust, to

McGill University.

Commander Bellairs was anxious to develop closer relations with Canada and eager that his estate should be used in a way that

would promote such relations for the benefit of the island of Barbados. He was convinced that research would strengthen the

economy of Barbados and enhance the welfare of its people. Commander Bellairs was certainly a man before his time. He actualized


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a holistic philosophy towards sustainability, through the integration of the arts, letters and sciences, which is shared by many

students and professors of today.

He wanted McGill University to undertake the task of carrying out research and learning, and he left his estate to McGill as trustee

for the discharge of that responsibility. He was determined that the work should start while he was still alive, and asked whether

McGill could at once send a young scientist to Barbados.

Commander Bellairs’ request was placed before the Board of Governors at McGill, and it was unanimously decided that McGill

should accept the challenge. Dr. John Lewis, an outstanding young biologist, and his wife came to Barbados in September 1954, and

took up residence with Commander Bellairs at Sandacres, where a small laboratory and aquarium were installed. The studies of the

life history of the sea urchin known locally as the ‘sea-‐egg’, were begun immediately and were destined to lay the foundation for

rational planning of the sea-‐egg fishery. The studies of flying fish soon followed and the dream of Carlyon Bellairs began to take on

the shape of reality.

In 1955, when Commander Bellairs died, he left his estate to McGill University, as trustee for the implementation of research

projects, and directed that Bellairs Research Institute should be created as a memorial to his wife Charlotte who had pre-‐deceased

him.

In the implementation of the terms of that will, three men rendered invaluable assistance. Sir Grantley Adams, who was then

Premier of Barbados, expressed in several conversations his enthusiasm for the ideas of Commander Bellairs, and assured McGill

that his Government would do all that it could to facilitate the creation, and subsequent research activities, of Bellairs Research

Institute. Mr. E.M. Shilstone undertook without cost to the Institute, all of the legal work connected with the settlement of the

estate and the incorporation of the Institute. He was unanimously elected its first president. The third man was Mr. Herbert Ince, a

Barbadian who was at that time Manager of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in Bridgetown. His time and his financial knowledge, as

well as the facilities of the Bank, were generously placed at McGill's disposal. RBC remains today as the bank of Bellairs.

As soon as the legal formalities were completed, Dr. John Lewis was appointed the first Director of the Institute. The laboratory

facilities in Sandacres were expanded for the further development of the flying fish project, and the other work in marine biology,

but it soon become apparent that these were inadequate. It was decided to construct a new and fully equipped laboratory building

which was completed in 1960.

In pursuance of an idea suggested by Sir Grantley Adams, McGill University appointed Dr. Ivan Smith to undertake a series of studies

in agricultural climatology and the Government of Barbados make available five acres of land at Waterford, as well as other facilities

in Codrington House, to permit the setting up of a Tropical Research Laboratory.

Ivan Smith's work in the field of agriculture was parallel to that of John Lewis in fisheries and marine biology. They supplemented

one another and, in order to permit the greatest interchange of ideas, equipment and facilities, it was decided that both should be

carried on under the auspices of Bellairs Research Institute. Dr. Lewis remained as Director of the Institute, while Dr. Smith was


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appointed Deputy Director in charge of the McGill Tropical Research Laboratories. Within eighteen months, the scope of the

Institute's work doubled. It then embraced both agriculture and fisheries.

During the 1950s and 1960s under the terms of the Will of an outstanding Canadian engineer, Major Charles Brace, McGill

University undertook a series of studies designed to find economical ways in which saline or brackish water could be purified so that,

through irrigation, it could be used to increase agricultural production in the arid lands of the world. One of these studies was

concerned with the development of a compact foolproof power package, powered by either solar energy or wind energy, to pump

up brackish water from below the surface and purify it.

The construction of a second building was begun in the 1960s. This, newest building on campus is known as the Brace Building. It

houses the offices, large lecture room and workshop, plus accommodations for VIPs (very important parents, and very important

professors) upstairs. The VIP accommodations were added in 2007-‐2008.

The campus still includes Commander Bellairs' home, which is now a heritage house, and a serene grassy courtyard, which was

recently described by Alejandro Laguna, visiting journalist with the United Nations, as ‘magical’. Alejandro was entranced by the

perfume of the frangipanis and the shade of the mile-‐high trees. His immediate affection for Bellairs was shared by other visiting

international journalists who were visiting on the occasion of World Environment Day this year (5 June 2014).

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Appendix 2: Proposed Tropical Greenhouse and Shade-‐House Although many see tropical locations such as Barbados as regions that grow produce such as fruits and vegetables with great ease due to the warm climate, most of the West Indies islands are in fact not favourable for produce growth. Fruit, vegetable and leafy-‐green plants cannot grow in the harsh heat, high sun intensity and occasional drought that Barbados experiences on a day-‐to-‐day basis. Protected structures like greenhouses are necessary to allow growers to cultivate most fruit, vegetables and leafy-‐greens that constitute our diets. The natural ventilation augment cooling (NVAC) tropical greenhouse design to be built at Bellairs is a novel design that uses cooling and air movement through misting and natural convection to maintain the plant growth environment while using minimum energy and resources. The design is a result of now 4 years of work by Mr. Lucas McCartney and Dr. Mark Lefsrud’s research group at the Macdonald Campus in the field of horticulture and controlled environment structures.

The environment inside the greenhouse will be monitored through a data logger and tracked to optimize growth cycles and plant cultivar selection. In this proposed project, the greenhouse would be entirely off-‐grid, with electricity coming from the recently installed Bellairs Research Institute’s photovoltaic system and water provided sustainably from rainwater harvesting. The greenhouse has been designed by Lefsrud and McCartney to be adapted for hot, humid and harsh tropical conditions, as found in the West Indies. This includes hurricane resistive strength, high UV light incidence resistance in all components of the structure, energy efficiency and improved food production of fresh horticultural crops such as leafy greens.

A 4.5m by 9m (15ft by 30ft) greenhouse would be built in the front yard of Bellairs Research Institute (Fig.1), along with an

adjacent shade-‐house for the heritage native plants. Both the greenhouse and shade-‐house would be outfitted with a protective BRC fence and gates that can be locked for security and to deter pests (monkeys and other large animals). All building and structural material can be sourced locally by Mr. McCartney. The size of the structure fits perfectly in the space available at Bellairs and is perfectly suitable to supply the campus with fresh horticultural crops. The growing system inside the greenhouse can either be a soil-‐based growing system, a hydroponics system or hybrid system depending on the plants being grown. Both growing methods will be incorporated into this sustainability project and selected as needed by the crop. Students in the BITS and BFSS programs will help tailor and implement these systems with the help of Mr. McCartney and Dr. Lefsrud.

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Appendix 3: Dr. Lefsrud, an Associate Professor at McGill University leads the Biomass Production Laboratory at Macdonald Campus. His research program deals with the development of bioprocesses and improvements in plant growth environmental energy usage. He has multiple years of experience with Bellairs Research Institute as a professor teaching a course (AEBI 425: Tropical Energy and Food) in the Barbados Inter-‐Disciplinary Tropical Studies (BITS) program. Lucas McCartney is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Bioresource Engineering, under the supervision of Dr. Mark Lefsrud. His Ph.D. focus is on research and development in controlled environments for plant production in conjunction with Urban Barns Foods. During his Masters he constructed a Natural Ventilation Augmented Cooling (NVAC) greenhouse at Macdonald Campus and in 2014, retrofitted a commercial greenhouse in Trents, Barbados with the technology of the NVAC greenhouse he developed with Dr. Lefsrud. During this project he worked with students at Bellairs in the BITS program. He mentored a team of students at Bellairs in the 2014 BFSS program who began the build of the shade-‐house. He will be teaching an academic component of the 2015 BITS program. Susan Mahon is the Academic and Managing Director of Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University in Barbados. She manages the day-‐to-‐day affairs of the Institute and teaches several academic courses. Susan is effectively the Finance Manager, Human Resources Manager, and Outreach Director of the Institute. She is also a lecturer in Geography, Cultural Anthropology, and Environmental Law; and the Academic Supervisor and Coordinator for student internships in the Barbados Field Studies Semester Program (BFSS Program).


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Appendix 4: Detailed Expenses for the greenhouse construction Bellairs Greenhouse Structure

Item Description Qu. Unit Cost BBD Unit Cost CAD

Sub Total BBD Sub Total CAD

Greenhouse UV Res. Poly Film

6mil 20'x100' 1 BBD 1,700.00 CAD 850.00

BBD 1,700.00 CAD 850.00

Concrete 3000 psi at 28 days 14 BBD 421.00 CAD

210.50 BBD 5,894.00 CAD 2,947.00

PCV Piping 3/4in, 1in (in feet lengths)

220 BBD 18.30 CAD 9.15 BBD 4,026.00 CAD 2,013.00

Nuts, Bolts and Washers

Various 1000

BBD 1.00 CAD 0.50 BBD 1,000.00 CAD 500.00

Single Groove Duralock2 System

3 piece system (4m length) (Base plate, insert strip and clips)

50 BBD 45.00 CAD 22.50 BBD 2,250.00 CAD 1,125.00

Snap Clamps 4 foot X 1"( for 1" PVC pipe) Circo GREEN

30 BBD 14.00 CAD 7.00 BBD 420.00 CAD 210.00

Fence Top Rail 1-‐3/8''x21' smaller gauge than^

42 BBD 41.00 CAD 20.50

BBD 1,722.00 CAD 861.00

Lockable Door Fabricated 1 BBD 500.00 CAD 250.00 BBD 500.00 CAD 250.00

BRC (protective fencing)

A98 6' x 16' 12 BBD 86.50 CAD 43.25 BBD 1,038.00 CAD 519.00

Black Mesh 12' wide, 70% Shade from Agrochemicals

100

BBD 14.40 CAD 7.20 BBD 1,440.00 CAD 720.00

Gutter system 90ft of gutters, clamps, brackets etc. (13ft sections)

8 BBD 65.00 CAD 32.50 BBD 520.00 CAD 260.00

500gal water tank

From Rotoplastics Bbdos 3 BBD 400.00

CAD 200.00 BBD 1,200.00 CAD 600.00

Goulds Pump 1/2hp from ARC (can give 10% off for students)

2 BBD 795.00 CAD 397.50 BBD 1,590.00 CAD 795.00


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Plumbing

Controller, Valves, Sensors (some items ordered online and brought down to bbdos)

2 BBD 500.00 CAD 250.00

BBD 1,000.00 CAD 500.00

Orbit Irr. Pump

Orbit Irrigation Inc. ordered from Amazon.com brought down to bbdos

2 BBD 400.00 CAD 200.00 BBD 800.00 CAD 400.00

Control system

Agilent controller 1 BBD 6,000.00 CAD 3,000.00

BBD 6,000.00 CAD 3,000.00

Misting System

Orbit Irrigation Inc. ordered from Amazon.com brought down to bbdos

1 BBD 300.00 CAD 150.00 BBD 300.00 CAD 150.00

Plant Growing Systems for year 1, 2 and 3

Hydroponics and/or soil based systems

3 BBD 2,700.00 CAD 1,350.00

BBD 8,100.00 CAD 4,050.00

Year 2 and 3 operation and maintenance costs

~10% of total cost per year 2 BBD 5,000.00 CAD

2,500.00 BBD 10,000.00 CAD 5,000.00

Materials Total BBD 49,500.00 CAD

24,750.00

Summer/Fall 2015, Summer 2016 and 2017 Mentorship and Technical Labour

Item Description Qu. Unit Cost BBD

Unit Cost CAD

Sub Total BBD

Sub Total CAD

Publications and Pamphlets

Pamphlets for education and outreach

1 BBD 3,000.00

CAD 1,500.00

BBD 3,000.00

CAD 1,500.00

Transport*

Lucas McCartney MTL-‐BBD round trip twice summer/fall 2015, once following years

4 BBD 1,600.00

CAD 800.00

BBD 6,400.00

CAD 3,200.00

Accommodation* Lucas McCartney BELLAIRS stay + internet

150 BBD 72.00 CAD 36.00 BBD 10,800.00

CAD 5,400.00

Transport* Dr. Lefsrud MTL-‐BBD round trip 1

BBD 1,600.00

CAD 800.00

BBD 1,600.00 CAD 800.00

Accommodation* Dr. Lefsrud BELLAIRS stay + internet

10 BBD 72.00 CAD 36.00 BBD 720.00 CAD 360.00


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Transport Taxi and shipping 3 BBD 1,260.00

CAD 630.00

BBD 3,780.00

CAD 1,890.00

Per Diem Per diem (70 per day) or stipend 160 BBD 140.00 CAD 70.00

BBD 22,400.00

CAD 11,200.00

Travel and Labour Total

BBD 48,700.00

CAD 24,350.00

Full Total

BBD 98,200.00 +20,000 from Bellairs

CAD 49,100.00 +10,000 from Bellairs

*At least one trip to the site at Bellairs is planned per year, led by Mr. McCartney with the first year allowing for two trips. Dr. Lefsrud has to travel to Bellairs as part of the BITS class (month of August) but will be required to travel before this class to set-‐up this construction and project. Dr. Lefsrud will be making one trip each of the subsequent years but these travel costs are covered through the BITS course.

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