?If man had created man, he would be ashamed of his performance.? Mark Twain?s acerbic verdict of humankind might seem a little damning but at least it keeps us on our toes. And now, more than ever, is the time to guard against complacency. The minister of Finance announced that a whopping Rs 1 billion had been earmarked to help propel the sustainable island concept off the drawing board and into reality. This is not the panacea it may seem at first glance. Firstly, it remains to be seen how much of this hallowed sum will, in fact, be forthcoming. Budget speeches are notoriously political exercises and the generosity that usually defines them is not always backed by hard cash.

In 2005, leaders of the G8 countries got together in Gleneagles, Scotland and solemnly promised to ?make poverty history?. So powerful was this onset of philanthropic fever that all the heads of state present pledged astronomical amounts of money to this lofty cause. Three years later, only a fraction of the billions has actually been donated.

Secondly, great care must be given to how the money is spent. It?s not enough to simply throw money at a problem. This trend is becoming increasingly marked. Donors are now far more selective about the projects they support and want to know exactly how each cent of their money is being spent. Government should be just as stringent. Competent people must be taken on board and, more importantly still, a system of accountability put into place. We can no longer afford to squander our resources, be they natural or financial. It?s also about high time that a nationwide survey is conducted in order to determine attitudes towards the environment and to identify priority areas of action.

A Eurobarometer survey conducted recently showed that a majority of Europeans had on average taken 2.6 environmentally-friendly measures in the last month. Recycling waste, lowering energy consumption and cutting water consumption were the most popular actions. Europe may be at the vanguard of environmental activism but the methods espoused by its citizens are available to us too. For example, recycling may still be in its infancy here but those who are serious about it can contact Mission Verte ([email protected]) and do something useful with their waste. The last two actions are slowly sinking into our daily habits. The Eurobarometer survey did however go on to deplore that ?a woefully low percentage has made ?active? choices such as using the car less or buying environmentally friendly products (17%). The best intentions, it seems rarely translate into concrete actions?.

Sustainable Mauritius will have to learn to walk before it can run. But allegiance to the concept has been pledged. Together, we can bring it to fruition.