Students from a Massachusetts school are learning about Bermuda’s energy consumption and natural environment during a four-week course on the island.

A group of 17 from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester enrolled in the Sustainability and Small Islands class co-led by environmental scientists Justin McAlister, a Bermudian, and Kelly Wolfe-Bellin, from May 25 to June 21.

The two professors also led the inaugural course, which examines how islands such as Bermuda use and generate energy compared with the United States, in 2024.

Dr McAlister was born and raised in Ohio, but his mother, Felicia, was born in Bermuda and he has Bermudian status.

The group is staying at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences dormitories and is visiting sites including the airport dump, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, Nonsuch Island and Tynes Bay Incinerator.

Dr McAlister explained: “At these sites collectively, the students learnt about the natural environment of Bermuda and the systems that have been developed to allow people to function within them.”

He noted that 2024 students especially enjoyed interacting with Bermudians, snorkelling and seeing a cahow, one of the world’s rarest birds, on Nonsuch Island.

Dr McAlister said: “We’ve added another week to the trip [this year] to give some more time for students to develop and work on their class project.

“We’ve shifted the schedule around a little, swapping out some activities from last time with other similar ones due to the availability of community members.”

He also discussed how small islands feel the effects of environmental change faster than larger countries.

He explained: “Small islands force residents to think creatively and proactively about solutions to problems because resources are limited and trade-offs sometimes force decision-making.

“In large countries like the US, it can be easier to kick the can down the road, because resources, market-based solutions and capital can serve to buffer the immediate impact of environmental changes, which is not necessarily a good thing.”