Students who participated in last week's Youth 2000 Environmental Conference amazed all organisers with the resolutions they came up with to some of the Island major environmental problems.

After two days of hearing from environmental experts and visiting some of the Island problem areas, they spent the third day in groups coming up with ways to solve some of the problems they had seen.

These resolutions were then presented to Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson in hopes that some of their ideas would be used.

Guest speaker Donovan Koontz, 13, who is president of the US environmental group Children for a Safe Environment president, was amazed with the resolutions the delegates were coming up with.

"They are a very intelligent group and it's wonderful to see a lot of kids that are really concerned about the environment,'' he said.

Alex Zavalega, 18, another guest speaker who belongs to the US-based Green Action group, was also impressed.

"It was a good turn out. In the three days all the kids came back,'' she said.

She added that for a first conference it was very good and was pleased to be a part of it.

The list of resolutions the students came up with was endless and divided into six major categories. Each group had a chance to present their findings to the conference and answer any questions the group might have.

While the debates were sometimes heated, the group as a whole agreed with many of the resolutions presented.

The group that looked at litter and waste management suggested that any recyclable material be sent to the US to be recycled.

When looking at the Pembroke dump they suggested that the trash be covered with a net to prevent it from floating away and that electric vehicles be used on the dump sites. They added that piles of compost should be created at the dump as well as encouraged in the public.

When visiting the Paget Marsh, litter and erosion were two big problems that the students noticed. They recommended that a group be organised and supported by the government that would be responsible for cleaning up the marsh, that gravel be put on the trails to help combat the erosion problem and horses no longer be allowed on the trail.

Stricter laws on the importation of plants was another resolution they came up with as they saw a number of endemic plants being killed or over grown by non-native plants.

The group that looked at loss of biodiversity, or the loss of native plants and animal, saw Coney Island and the motorcycle racing tracks there as a big problem.

They suggested that the tracks be moved to another location that is more economically sound, able to pay for itself, and more environmentally sound, not move from one problem area to another. The former US Baselands was their suggested new site as the area had already been cleared of all living plant and animal life and is no longer able to support them.

They also saw that there were a lot of invasive plants taking over and killing the endemic plants all over the Island. They concluded that the best way to solve this was to replace the invasive plants with endemic plants section by section so as to prevent major disruptions in the ecosystems.

Another idea was to take the many buildings on the Island that are not being used and turn some of them into green houses so that endemic plants could be grown or that they be torn down and the area be reforested with endemic trees and plants.

One student said: "We spend so much money on unnecessary things, why can't we spend money on something that matters.'' As far as water pollution was concerned, the group that looked at that suggested the Government increase legislation about what is allowed to be dumped into the water and that anything going into the water be monitored.

One member of the group took a survey of the conference asking how many of the participants had used the bathroom at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute during the Conference. She then informed the group that sewage went untreated into the water, only a quarter of a mile out.

After the groans of disgust had subsided they offered the recommendation that Government begin the process of filtering and treating sewage before it is released into the water.

Another major cause for concern were the pesticides and fertilisers used mostly by the golf courses and farmers to make their lawns and vegetables grow.

The students also thought that organic fertilisers should be used to help plants grow as it was not harmful when washed away by rains and the use of pesticides be stopped altogether.

To combat the problems of bugs, which the pesticides are used to kill, they suggested putting more Blue Bird boxes on the golf courses and in fields to encourage more birds that will eat the bug.

The group that examined air pollution and traffic was next to be heard. They suggested that a limit be placed on the total number of cars allowed on the Island, that more trees be planted, especially along roadways, to combat the problem of carbon dioxide emissions and that cars and motorcycles be put through standardised testing to reduce emissions.

The over population and development had the hardest job of all to come up with ways to combat this problem.

One of the presenters said: "We went up to Gibbs Lighthouse and saw that the houses take up so much space that frankly it was disgusting.'' They advised that people should be encouraged to build only what they need And that the Planning Department should be conservative with what new development they allow. They saw the Baselands as being under utilised and suggested re-using existing and neglected sites rather than building on virgin land.

An interesting fact they discovered was that Bermuda has the second highest population density in the world at 3,000 people per square mile. This lead them to believe that there was a need to reduce the population.

Their idea was to create ad campaigns that promote smaller families and promoted safe sex as well as allow less immigrants to the Island to help decrease the population.

The habitat destruction group informed the conference that only seven percent of Bermuda was protected as environmental preserves and suggested that more parks, woodland and shorelines be protected. Also they added that environmental laws were not enforced strongly enough.

They suggested offering a five cent refund on any recyclable cans and bottles to encourage the public to recycle and that the Government look into electric cars and alternative transportation as well as improve the public transportation system so that more people will use it.

Organisers of the first Youth 2000 Environmental Conference were very pleased with the results of the conference and hope that what the students learned will be shared with their class mates when they return to school.