A controversial American anti-vaxxer is to speak at Greenrock’s upcoming sustainability event.

Rizza Islam will be one of the international speakers at Greenrock’s Living Green Expo at the Botanical Gardens in Paget on Sunday.

Mr Islam frequently speaks out against vaccinations, saying that pharmaceutical companies do not have people’s best interests at heart.

He has also made statements on his social-media feeds claiming that being gay or transgender is something foisted on people by “international bankers” and the American Government to support a depopulation agenda.

Greenrock chair Eugene Dean told The Royal Gazette that Mr Islam was not coming to Bermuda to speak on LGBTQ+ issues.

“None of those things are reflective of Greenrock’s mission,” he said. “He is not tasked with talking about his views on transgender, or anything like that.”

Mr Dean said: “We can choose to focus on things like that, or we can focus on all the things he talks about in terms of working together, family and getting beyond the individual. He is a strong advocate for health.”

Mr Islam will speak about a natural health supplement he has formulated with Christina Parks, a molecular biologist who will also speak at the expo.

“He is focusing on his health advocacy,” Mr Dean said. “He will be talking about how we can optimise our health and what inspired him to develop his natural health supplement. He was inspired by what he saw happening in his community.”

He said Dr Parks would be more likely to speak about vaccinations. She has been vocal about the dangers of mRNA technology used in Covid-19 vaccines and is the founder of the Vaccine Injury Teaching Alliance.

“Dr Parks is a consultant for a company called LifeVantage that sells products that activate our body’s own natural capacity to heal,” Mr Dean said.

LifeVantage offers dietary supplements, anti-ageing products and skincare solutions.

The event will also feature a host of local entrepreneurs selling green products or services such as electric cars or natural skincare products.

“Most of the founders who operate in the green economy are catering to a niche market,” Mr Dean said. “Those are the people who are already in alignment with the types of things that they are doing.”

He wants to draw in people from different segments of the island.

“We want to introduce people to things they were totally unaware of,” Mr Dean said. “Our main thing is connecting people with products and services that can enhance their quality of life.”

This year Greenrock has teamed up with the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation to organise the expo.

BEDC executive director Erica Smith told The Royal Gazette they were collaborating with Greenrock to support green entrepreneurs.

“We have some incredible entrepreneurs and vendors in this country that can compete on the global scale,” Ms Smith said, during a sidewalk press conference on Church Street in Hamilton.

“Our goal at the BEDC is to support them, connect with them and invest in them. If we can partner with organisations like Greenrock to highlight what our green entrepreneurs are doing, then that is a win all around.”

Ms Smith believes business innovators hold the key to solving many global challenges.

“The Government does not have to solve every problem,” she said. “Entrepreneurs often have solutions to really make the world a better place.”

Greenrock’s expo comes at the end of BEDC’s Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Mr Dean said the two events just happened to line up this year.

“There is a lot of alignment in terms of what we are trying to accomplish,” Mr Dean said. “The BEDC supports entrepreneurs throughout the island. And we have created the Living Green Expo to provide a platform to showcase people who are operating in what we call, loosely, the green economy.”

He defined the green economy as products or services that help people live more naturally and sustainably on a daily basis.

“Working with the BEDC is opening up opportunities to connect businesses in the green space with the services that they have, and also for us to collaborate,” he said.

The free event includes pony rides, yoga, Qijong and meditation exercises.