The political will of the Mauritian Government in paving the way towards creating a ?Green Mauritius? is clearly reflected in the 2008 ? 2009 national budget. This is laudable indeed. Other ?Green? ideas have been expressed by the molecular biologist Dr Joël de Rosnay, special Adviser to the prime minister. Suddenly ?Maurice île Durable? has become the buzz words just like the ?Réunion 2030 Initiative? of our sister island where the political vision is closely linked to the issue of renewable energy sources.

All these ?Green? ideas are but ?recycled ones? as they have been put forward to the Mauritian authorities so many times, on so many occasions by so many of us since the 1990?s. Many of these ideas and proposals have also been ventilated in International meetings. As an Executive Member of the International Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA) and former Executive Member of the International Council for Islands Development (INSULA), I am convening and participating in the ISLANDS OF THE WORLD X INTERNATIONAL MEETING where the emphasis would be on ?Globalizing Islands, Sustainable Culture, Peace and Resources Management?. During the 4-day conference, the ?Green Island Concept? will be the key debating issue.

The environment, climate change, global warming, human impact and the consequences for continents and small islands have become everyone?s concern. This is the plus point. Unfortunately,the worrying part of it is that as most of us would rightly put it ?there is a worrying disparity between green intentions and real action?. Based on past experience, these magnificent ideas put forward in the 2008-09 national budget run the risk of remaining at a standstill at the crossroads to the future. Dr De Rosnay will understand what I really mean here. To make it happen, we all have our role and responsibilities as individuals first and then collectively as a nation.

For Mauritius to maintain the quality of its natural capital, there is a need to allocate more money to protection of the environment, even if this would mean economic sacrifices in other areas. Let us think of the day after tomorrow. This is the very essence of sustainable island development. To narrow the intention- realization gap, we need people power which means individuals as well as collegial responsibilities. For Mauritius to turn green and catch up with Réunion Island which has taken a great leap ahead of us, we need to focus our individual efforts on top priorities such as recycling wastes, lowering energy consumption, cutting water consumption, using the car less and buying environmentally friendly products leaving the green energy production (renewables) to the authorities ? public and private sectors in a energy-mix co-operation.

The purpose of my writing this article is to say it loudly and clearly that most of us are failing in our mission and in our task of maintaining the quality of our environment. We have not yet shifted from an ego-logic to an ecologic attitude.

The flagrant and eye catching example which I would like to put forward of the ? laisser-aller? attitude is the uncivilized and unscrupulous dumping of all types of non biodegradable wastes into our lava tunnels (lava caves for many). There are more than fifty significant lava tunnels in Mauritius. Lava tunnels form a very important geological landscape within our environment. They constitute an important chapter in the geological build up of our volcanic island. These valuable relics of our past are being slowly filled with rubbish disposal and are slowly being erased from our environment. A visit to any one of the major lava tunnels will reveal the beauty of this underground landform which has developed a unique fauna comprising bats and swiflets.

I would like to make a pressing appeal to all Village and District Councils, to the Municipality of Vacoas-Phoenix and of Quatre Bornes and to the people who live near lava tunnels to act as responsible organizations and citizens and not to spare any effort to clear up the wastes and to prevent illegal dumping into our precious lava tunnels. A visit to the lava tunnel of Plaine Des Roches, near the cremation ground (photo), would bear testimony to the pressing nature of my appeal.

I would also make a similar request to those who are officially responsible for the conservation and preservation of our national heritage. Earth Scientists are still mourning the destruction of the mega block of coral which was lying for centuries near the main road at La Preneuse some 150 meters from the beach. That mega coral block was the remainder of the sea level stand some 80,000 years ago. It constituted a very valuable geological relic and embedded in it was scientific evidences of past sea level stands in the history of our island. It has been destroyed by the hands of ignorant people.

Have we made a comprehensive survey of all our heritages : cultural, natural , physical and geological with a view to making serious efforts towards their preservation. This will help a long way towards the making of green Mauritius. Without this, the best intentions will not be translated into concrete actions.

A last point : When a Mauritian citizen puts forward an idea or a series of brilliant ideas they are simply ignored.. but when the same ideas come from an outsider, they become gospels ? for our leaders.