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© 2025 Island Innovation. All rights reserved.

    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

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    Showing 9 of 387 news items in Culture & Community
    Man who runs business on remote Scottish island wants to give it away for free
    Culture & CommunityMay 13, 2025

    Man who runs business on remote Scottish island wants to give it away for free

    Photo by Julian Paren/Geograph, via The Independent ([independent.co.uk](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/05/06/13/36/geograph-7809558-by-Julian-Paren.jpeg?quality=75&width=1368&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=47%2C0%2C86%2C0&auto=webp)) A small business owner on a remote Scottish island has spent years building his enterprise – but now he wants to give it all away for free. Richard Irvine founded and runs the Colonsay Smokery in the Inner Hebridean island of Colonsay, which has a population of just 120 people. The 65-year-old is now looking for a family with an “entrepreneurial spirit” to take over the firm for free, in a bid to address the ageing population on the island and boost the number of children in the local school – which currently has just four pupils.

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    Tremor 2025: Can a music festival change the face of Portugal’s São Miguel island?
    Culture & CommunityMay 6, 2025

    Tremor 2025: Can a music festival change the face of Portugal’s São Miguel island?

    São Miguel , the largest of the Azores island archipelago, is one of the poorest areas of the European Union. Cue the transformative power of music… Two hours from Portugal, five hours from New York, the Azores lie in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The clouds here are so low you feel you have to duck to avoid them. Small fishing boats hug the harbour wall while larger commercial vessels bob about in the perennial shadow of a cruise liner. Cargo ships dot the horizon and the occasional sight of a clipper evokes imaginings of the age of exploration. Fitting, then, that this place between the New World and the Old World is home to a festival that links the history of music and culture with its future, and strives to make that future brighter.

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    CPR and first aid training comes to Isle au Haut
    Culture & CommunityMay 6, 2025

    CPR and first aid training comes to Isle au Haut

    ISLE AU HAUT—Since statistics on the industry began more than 30 years ago, commercial fishing has been consistently ranked as the most dangerous occupation, by far, in the United States. Combine that with living in a small, isolated island community, where the nearest medical professionals are a 45-minute boat ride away, and the benefits of having CPR and first aid training are obvious. To provide that training, a first of its kind in Downeast Maine, Fishing Partnership Support Services, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, teamed up with Maine’s Seacoast Mission and the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. The result was an intensive day of training in CPR, basic first aid, and safety at the town hall on Isle au Haut on April 17. The training, provided at no charge, along with snacks and lunch, recognizes that when they are out on the water, fishermen are the first responders. Learning the life-saving skills needed to assess and treat injured or ill crew members before emergency medical professionals arrive is critical, organizers said.

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    Mic check: Singapore’s podcast boom amplifies opposition voices
    Culture & CommunityMay 5, 2025

    Mic check: Singapore’s podcast boom amplifies opposition voices

    In a tiny studio, a former Wall Street banker and an ex-aviation executive are doing what critics say is lacking in Singapore’s tightly managed media landscape — giving opposition politicians unfiltered airtime ahead of an upcoming election. The popular podcast Yah Lah But — a colloquial Singlish way of saying “Yes, but” — promises “the most uncensored conversations and interviews from the much-censored country of Singapore”, according to its YouTube description. The show is part of a growing wave of podcasts deep-diving into the affluent city-state’s politics, providing alternative coverage of the May 3 polls. “We’re not scared. I think there’s a desire to really hear different voices,” said host Terence Chia.

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    Beyond Awesome: Vanuatu’s Resilience Star
    Culture & CommunityMay 1, 2025

    Beyond Awesome: Vanuatu’s Resilience Star

    Just before cyclone season gets underway in Vanuatu, we join disability advocate Ellen Tamata as she helps people living with disabilities and their communities to get ready. Her efforts are saving lives.

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    UNICEF – Notes from a field visit in Tonga
    Culture & CommunityApril 23, 2025

    UNICEF – Notes from a field visit in Tonga

    Execerpt from [unicef.org](https://www.unicef.org/pacificislands/blog/notes-field-visit-tonga) What can education data do to improve learning experiences for children? How is education data useful for teachers? When you imagine data, you may think of numbers laying in a thick report on a dusty shelf in some office, forgotten by all. In the education sector, data provides concrete evidence to support decision-making and policy changes. Brightly coloured walls welcomed me as I entered the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centre, which is annexed to the Tongoleleka Government Primary School in the outer islands of the Kingdom of Tonga. I could see that the room was filled with handmade toys and pictures, creating a vibrant learning environment for children. In one corner of the room hung the Tongan alphabet and numbers. After taking in the lively atmosphere of the classroom in awe, I sat down with the teachers to listen to their stories. “When I see the Grade 1 students with experience in ECE, there is a huge difference between those that do not have that experience. They are ready to learn and already understand the basic concepts in mathematics and reading,” says Lesieli, head teacher and the Grade 1 teacher at the school. Vea, who teaches ECE at the school added that children in ECE are not only learning about numbers and alphabets but also how to act in school and socialise with others.

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    How a community initiative is working towards a cleaner Elephanta Island
    Culture & CommunityApril 16, 2025

    How a community initiative is working towards a cleaner Elephanta Island

    **Image source:** © Ek Saath: The Earth Foundation / via [Citizen Matters](https://erns72xipwt.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads-new/2025/04/Photo-from-Shruti-3.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1) Excerpt from [citizenmatters.in](https://citizenmatters.in/how-a-community-initiative-is-working-towards-a-cleaner-elephanta-island/) Gharapuri Island in the Mumbai Harbour, colloquially known as Elephanta Island and home to the UNESCO-listed Elephanta Caves, is more than just a historical treasure. Every year, thousands of tourists visit its rock-cut temples, admiring the intricate carvings and the island’s natural beauty. But with tourism comes an often-overlooked problem — waste management. Plastic wrappers, discarded bottles, and a poorly managed waste disposal system have long marred this culturally significant heritage site while threatening its ecological balance. For years, Elephanta Island has struggled with waste management issues, worsened by its remote location and heavy tourist influx. With no proper disposal infrastructure, garbage often finds its way into the sea or accumulates in the corners of the island. Additionally, poor water management has led to hygiene problems, particularly in public toilets. These core issues can be tackled by installing sustainable waste management systems, refurbishing sanitation facilities, and actively involving local residents in the conservation process.

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    Orkney’s sporting workforce is on the rise
    Culture & CommunityApril 16, 2025

    Orkney’s sporting workforce is on the rise

    Photo source: © sportscotland ([sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk](https://sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk/media/mcold2w1/sf-resize.jpg)) Excerpt from [sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk](https://sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk/articles/orkneys-sporting-workforce-is-on-the-rise) The capacity of the sporting workforce in Orkney is on the rise thanks to a training programme for coaches and officials ahead of the 2025 Orkney Island Games. **sport**scotland have been working with Orkney Islands Council to support the education and development of coaches and officials for the Island Games and beyond. The programme will make sure clubs are well equipped with qualified coaches and officials for years to come and well placed to develop capacity and membership for any increased participation. The programme has been funded by **sport**scotland, Orkney 2025 and Orkney Islands Council. So far there have been 174 participants across 27 different training courses and 10 sports. Most of the development opportunities are sport specific with some for all sports. Many of those who have been through the programme will be involved in the Orkney 2025 Island Games in some capacity. In communities with smaller populations the development of people working in sport is crucial for the long term future of sport in the area. Upskilling of coaches and officials in archery, athletics, badminton, cycling, football, gymnastics, sailing, squash, swimming and triathlon has been taking place since early last year and will continue in the build up to the Games, making sure there is a lasting benefit for sport in Orkney.

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    How a young beekeeper’s initiative brought hope and profit to Sierra Leone communities
    Culture & CommunityApril 15, 2025

    How a young beekeeper’s initiative brought hope and profit to Sierra Leone communities

    Image source: © Ezekiel Kargbo for The Iris Project / via Mongabay ([news.mongabay.com](https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/31131046/H-768x512.jpg)) Excerpt from [news.mongabay.com](https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/how-a-young-beekeepers-initiative-brought-hope-and-profit-to-sierra-leone-communities/) In 2022, little did Aruna Bangura know that observing the changing environment and land use practices around his community would make him start beekeeping. The area just outside Tiwai Island, a protected wildlife sanctuary spread across 1,200 hectares (2,900 acres) in Sierra Leone, had a dearth of bees, he found. “I observed that the bee population was declining, and starting a beekeeping initiative was the only alternative in sight,” says Bangura, a 24-year-old from the Boma community. He founded Bangs Circular, a local organization for sustainable beekeeping practices across eight communities surrounding the island in the Eastern and Southern provinces. They began the [Tiwai Honey Project](https://sites.google.com/alumni.alueducation.com/bangscircular/project-communities?authuser=0), which builds hand-made beehives for the native Western African honey bee (Apis mellifera adansonii). These hives that closely monitor bees and their behavior help attract more bees compared to the traditional method, generating more honey and profit for locals so they can reduce their dependence on logging to make and sell charcoal. The effort also engages community people in restoring natural habitats through reforestation around the wildlife sanctuary. The aim is to then reduce deforestation and degradation in order to increase the bee population, which could also increase honey harvesting.

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