Sustainable development is a constant negotiation between environmental protection and economic growth. On small island nations like Barbados, with limited land and valuable natural resources, there is high pressure to maintain this balance. 

A group of 14 third-year Environmental & Resource Science students got a close look at the scale of this challenge during a visit to Barbados in the fall for the field course Environmental Problems and Solutions in Small Island Developing States. 

Based out of the Bellairs Research Institute on the island’s west coast, students immersed themselves in hands-on research, collecting water and sediment samples from coastal zones and inland gullies, surveying coral reefs at the Folkestone Marine Reserve, and exploring water and waste management treatment facilities. 

“We have studied these issues in class for years but being there provided a totally new perspective. Seeing coral bleaching and the infrastructure systems in person was eye-opening,” said Kaitlyn Pechkovsky (Gzowski College). “On a small island the impacts of climate change are impossible to ignore and both us students and general tourists are experiencing these realities.” 

Those firsthand experiences prompted early learnings about how environmental theory translates into lived reality. For example, students observed how stormwater runoff affects water quality, particularly in areas adjacent to active development. Fieldwork also underscored the need for adaptability: without access to full laboratory facilities, students modified sampling methods and learned to work effectively with limited tools. Site visits also revealed infrastructure and space constraints that impact options for solutions. 

Conversations with local business owners, representatives from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and lectures from faculty at the University of the West Indies illuminated the unique complexities of sustainable development in small island developing states, where solutions must navigate persistent tensions between environmental risk, public health, tourism demands, and development priorities. 

“Talking directly with residents and workers completely changed my perspective,” said Florence Bergeron (Lady Eaton College). “We brought our North American ideas about sustainability with us, but being there helped us understand how environmental solutions have to fit local contexts and capacities. Like you think about our recycling practices, then realize they only have 35 kms of land to work with.” 

Those insights marked a turning point in the field experience, shifting it from an exercise in data collection to understanding how to apply research insights in a way that encompass environmental systems, ethics, and global responsibility. 

“Rather than only learning through lecture-based material in a classroom setting, the students can see the environmental challenges for themselves and can form their own opinions about the causes and possible solutions,” said Dr. Chris Metcalfe, professor emeritus in Trent’s School of the Environment, who has led the course since it first ran in 2016. “Our hope is that students will not regard these tourist destinations as merely ‘sun, sea, and sand,’ but will also understand the environmental challenges faced by these nations and their citizens. Maybe some students will even become advocates for protecting these unique environments.” 

Visit the website to learn more about the Environmental and Resource Studies/Science (ERS) program.