On October 22, following the lead of the House, the US Senate voted to end restrictions on travel to Cuba; however, President Bush has vowed to veto any such action by Congress. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration has ordered the termination of the popular "people to people" licenses that many groups such as Global Exchange are granted to allow US citizens travel to Cuba. As part of their Cuba Program, Global Exchange recently organized a panel of US experts to speak on Capitol Hill and at the National Press Club on US-Cuba cooperation on the environment and development, pointing to the importance of recognizing Cuba's achievements in these areas.

Rachel Bruhnke, Eco Cuba Program Coordinator at Global Exchange and panelists Peter Rosset, Laurie Stone and Robert Gearheart, elaborated on the importance of facilitating environmental exchanges between American and Cuban students, scientists, and sustainable development experts. Such exchanges have the potential for significant achievements and a wealth of shared expertise to address the environmental and resource dilemmas of both nations. The most popular topics have included sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, water and wastewater management, fisheries and marine conservation, and the protection of neo-tropical migrant birds.

"We have taken delegations to Cuba because there is strong interest among Americans in what Cuba is doing in resource management and development", said Bruhnke. "There is great potential for a productive cooperation with our neighbor if we can improve the current relationship. Unfortunately, the restrictions on American travel to Cuba and the continuous denial of visas to visiting Cuban environmental specialists, is hindering the progress and sharing of knowledge. Most Americans want to protect the environment and would support US-Cuba cooperation in these areas."

Peter Rosset, co-director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First (510-654-4400), spoke of Cuba's transformation in terms of organic rural and urban agriculture. "In the field of sustainable agriculture there is no more fruitful country in the world for scientific exchange than Cuba", said Rosset. "It is increasingly hard for anyone to say they are an 'expert' if they haven't been to Cuba. Cuba proves that sustainable agriculture can be successfully pursued on a massive, and indeed national, scale".

Laurie Stone, Program Manager at Solar Energy International (970-963-8855), stated that "Many groups in the United States work in renewable energy in the developing world and Cuba can be an important grassroots model for them, but the information must be available and the Cuban model must be shared. In Cuba, over 2,000 rural schools and hundreds of medical clinics, and community centers are now powered by Cuban-made solar panels".

Robert Gearheart, Professor of Environmental Engineering (707-826-3135) at Humboldt State University, California, spoke of his experiences with Cuban wastewater management and noted that US-Cuban exchanges are crucial at this point. "The Cuban model of attention to public health through an emphasis on wastewater management embodies excellent blueprints for the developing world". More than 300 oxidation lagoons for wastewater management have been built across the country as a unique and effective product of Cuban waste management policies. If allowed, US-Cuba cooperation can occur on water treatment and re-use technology.

While the many benefits of US/Cuban exchanges are evident, such opportunities are threated and may not last through the year. In March the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a formal end of people-to-people exchanges because of new hard-line legislation originating within the Bush Administration. Groups such as Global Exchange, who have in the past been granted the necessary licenses, are scheduled to lose them on December 31 2003.