MoU Signed with Our World Too Focused on Protecting the Environment
 
District Governor Martin Schulman signed an MOU, aligning Rotary District 7230 with a unique effort to enroll humanity in environmental sustainability. The document signing took place as part of the Rotary-­sponsored "Life Below Water" cruise event over the Labor Day weekend and included mangrove restoration and beach clean-up projects on the island involving hundreds of Rotarians from around the world.
 
OW2 Bermuda, an affiliate of Our World Too, is set to launch a pilot initiative early in 2023 to validate the assumptions of a multi-pronged digital platform that engages individuals and organizations in a broad array of individual actions that benefit the environment, providing education, motivation and rewards for actions taken on behalf of sustainable living. The OW2 platform is also designed to become an "aggregator" of information for opportunities to help the environment, connecting individuals with existing eco-organizations focused on sustainability, including mangrove restoration, preservation of clean drinking water, reduction in plastic waste, and many more. Eventually, Our World Too plans to broaden its scope beyond Bermuda, creating engagements with organizations and motivating individual actions in countries all over the world.
 
"The mission of OW2 overlaps with our District's commitment to community-service causes related to the environment," said DG Schulman. "There are many great synergies to explore with this partnership, including cooperative engagements with the Rotary Clubs in Bermuda, as well as a meaningful alignment with ESRAG (Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group)."
 
Rotary District 7230 and Our World Too hosted a cocktail reception on Saturday, September 3, the day the Norwegian Joy cruise ship arrived from New York. Former Bermuda Premier Ewart "Doc" Brown made welcome remarks and was joined on the dais by Barry Rassin, former Rotary International President, who made remarks reflecting the importance of environmental sustainability to the future of Rotary service.