Drawing up a strategy to chart a way forward for Bermuda that protects her natural surroundings and resources may have been likened to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted but that should not dissuade Islanders seeking to re-capture the "runaway horse".

And everyone has a role to play in coming up with solutions to address and reverse problems created by a host of social and environmental concerns facing the Island.

That was the message given by Premier Alex Scott and colleagues at the launch of public consultation on a future strategy for the Island.

Bermuda's open spaces have diminished, there is ever present pressure for more housing and, per head of population, Bermuda is said to generate seven times more rubbish than New York City.

There is also the problem of limited water supplies, racial divides, crime, traffic congestion and pollution.

For this reason Mr. Scott says it is time for everyone on the Island to step forward and add their input to what he describes as "one of the most important undertakings" of his three years in office.

On the day he took a bus to work rather than his car, in a symbolic gesture to encourage others to find more environmentally sustainable ways of getting to work, Mr. Scott launched the latest phase of the Draft Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan for Bermuda.

For the next three months the public can have their say by reading and discussing the draft plan and adding to the ideas already compiled in the near-500 page document.

A number of public meetings are to be held looking in detail at various areas of the plan.

As an example of areas of discussion Mr. Scott mentioned Bermuda's last sizeable tract of unutilised land at Morgan's Point.

He said some people want the former US Naval Annex to be used for housing, while others want it to be open space. How do you reconcile the two? One way to protect valuable open space elsewhere on the Island could be to re-direct developments to Morgan's Point, he suggested.

And Mr. Scott accepted that Government comes in for some criticism in the document but said he would not become defensive of those comments, such as those relating to social services. He said: "I accept that Bermuda must re-think and we as Government must review."

The project began in March 2005 and has evolved to its present stage with a full size document and a mini-abridged version which is currently being mailed out to residents.

The first of five public meetings, edited versions of which will be broadcast on TV, takes place at 6 p.m. next Tuesday at the Leopard's Club in Hamilton, covering the theme "Maintaining a Strong and Inclusive Economy".

The other four themes will address governance and the public sector, natural resources and the environment, sustaining communities and living within Bermuda's limits.

"Now the plan is available to the public, we want to hear your views. This document is not the Government's proposed way forward, it is about all of Bermuda and our collective vision for the way forward," said Mr. Scott.

"As the public reviews the document I want to invite them to consider these important questions. Do we have the proposed vision correct and the right priorities identified for action? What have we missed, what issues are not in the plan that should be? What can each of us do to help deliver the sustainable development plan and adopt sustainable principles?"

The public meetings are designed to attract audiences as they leave work and will be restricted to two hours in length to encourage people to participate.

Mr. Scott said: "By basing each meeting around a specific theme, the public will know exactly what the agenda is, will be able to focus specifically on that core issue and will be able to use their summary documents to prepare for each meeting.

"Sustainable development is about evaluating the decisions we make today with respect to, and for, our environment, our economy and our social services, against their impact on the Bermuda that our children will inherit."

And the Premier repeated his challenge to his fellow Parliamentarians and the public to find alternative ways to get to work ? even if only for one day of the month ? rather than use a car or bike. He mentioned catching the bus, riding the ferry, walking, and car-pooling as alternatives.

It was Malcolm Butterfield, chairman of the Sustainable Development Round Table, who used the comparison of Bermuda's sustainable future currently being like a horse that had bolted before the stable door could be shut. He said a sustainable development strategy and plan was a way of bringing that "horse" back under control.

He invited the public to be "bold and dynamic" in coming forward with their thoughts and ideas, and said the Round Table would feed those views back to the Government.

Copies of the summary document can be obtained from libraries, post offices, the Bermuda College Library, the Department of Communications and Information and the Cabinet Office's Central Policy Unit.

The entire plan can also be viewed over the Internet at the site www.chartingourcourse.gov.bm