The granting of a Special Development Order (SDO) for a luxury resort to be built at the controversial Southlands site would be “absolutely insane”, according to an environmental activist.

Erin Moran, of Greenrock, a charity focused on changing the environmental face in Bermuda, made the statement while responding to rumours an SDO for the spacious Warwick spot has already been approved.

The Island’s Planning Act and the authority it grants for the issuance of SDOs is “outdated and oversteps the entire Planning process”, Ms Moran told the Hamilton Rotary Club on Tuesday.

Controversial plans for the 300-suite Jumeirah project are currently awaiting the final decision of Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield after the proposal was first rejected by the Planning Department but later appealed.

The five-star cliff-side resort would be operated by the Jumeirah Group and offer tourist accommodation within a variety of suites and condominiums, situated along Warwick’s South Shore.

Ms Moran stressed the importance of greener tendencies and “changing the mindset”.

Bermuda faces problems, she said, particularly as a result of Government’s “dis-incentive” for moving away from fossil fuels and oil dependence as it has promised through its sustainable development document.

“Government clearly states in section 5.1 that ‘if Bermuda is to maintain its high standard of living, consumption patterns must become more sustainable,’” she said.

“Yet if you read on in the document, you learn that when Belco uses a million barrels of oil annually as in 2004, Government receives $15 million in taxes.

“So there is a dis-incentive for Government to move away from fossil fuels even though the (sustainable development plan) recommends a major shift to renewable energy like solar and wind power.”

Endorsing Government’s Sustainable Development and Implementation Plan, introduced in 2005 under former Premier Alex Scott, Ms Moran continued: “We’re trying take out segments from this document and present them to the public.

“Regarding the issue of energy, as it’s said in the document, we can’t sustain how much energy we’re using and it gives reasons why we need to start looking at alternative energy.”

She praised Government for taking input from the public when creating the scheme but fears those plans could be ignored in favour of irrational economic development.

“By implementing the SDSP, Government policy would be more beneficial and transparent to the general public and less exposed to the will of party politics,” she said.

“Yet we have not seen evidence from the Government that this document is being used or at least referred to. Why is this? Why after spending a great deal of tax-payer money on building this document?

“Why after consulting the general public and establishing a unit with the Cabinet Office, have we not seen more reference to this document in Government initiatives?

“Bermuda has about 13,440 acres of total landmass — that’s smaller than the Pearson Airport in Toronto and smaller than Disney World.

“So if we are about to take another 37 acres and build a hotel that is not according to building code, does not have an environmental impact assessment done, to me, seems absolutely insane.”

Vehicle emissions testing standards within the Island should also be questioned given the current state of pollution seen during everyday traffic, suggested Ms Moran.

“Yesterday I was riding my newly purchased electric scooter — emitting no emissions at all — and felt like I literally couldn’t breathe for 20 minutes because I didn’t want to take a breath,” she said.

“We’re lucky in Bermuda because the emissions that go into the atmosphere are naturally flushed out because of our environment — we’re lucky to be in the middle of the ocean with a decent breeze.

“However, after my experience yesterday, I’m thinking about wearing a gas mask or something when I ride my scooter. But they have some that I’ve seen on the Internet that look like Darth Vader (laughing).

“All jokes aside, it’s absolutely horrendous. I applaud Government for coming up with the fast ferries, the ferry system is excellent but what they missed there is the parking issue because people can’t find anywhere to park.”

Formed in 2003, Greenrock’s initial goal was to raise environmental awareness through education and entertainment and its first step was to improve the Island’s recycling programme.

However, there were limitations due to the capacity of the Devon Springs Recycling Centre. In 2005, the organisation’s focus changed with the introduction of the year-long Government-run consultation project on sustainable development.

It now has nine volunteers that make up its management committee, with Ms Moran serving as its president and four advisors, two local and two from overseas.

Born and raised in Bermuda, she promoted and organised the recent green concert put on by Bermudian international recording artist Heather Nova.

Ms Moran attended Bermuda High School for Girls followed by Warwick Academy before continuing on to Bishops College School in Quebec and the University of Western Ontario in Canada, where she studied biology.

After her first year of dental school, she attended Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington, where she obtained Masters Degrees in Oriental Medicine and Nutrition.

She returned to Bermuda in 2001 and now runs her own alternative medicine practice in Hamilton.

Greenrock is also urging more public involvement by volunteering and financial support to help with things such as the funding of unique media awareness campaigns. For more information, log onto www.greenrock.org.