And The Gold Star Goes To...

Lindos! So why does Bermuda’s favorite supermarket get this esteemed Bermuda Shorts accolade? Because it’s going green. According to this story in the Royal Gazette, Lindo’s Group of Companies will be the first island business to adopt large-scale renewable energy by installing 210,000-watt solar panels on its two stores—a move that’s not only environmentally sound, but will save the company around $145,000 per year. “We want a better, cleaner Bermuda," said Lindo’s President Giorgio Zanol. "Bermuda gave me the chance to run a business with my family and we want to give back—to make it better than how we found it." Yeah, but the $145K won’t hurt either, right? “Absolutely! With all of that extra cash we’ll be able to pour additional resources into our television commercials which, as you well know, are dreadfully under-funded. That, and we can finally pass along some savings to our consumers who currently pay way too much for groceries.”

Alright, fine. I made up that last quote but anyone who’s lived in Bermuda knows that Lindo’s ads can use a bit of help and that its groceries are crazy over-priced (same goes for you Marketplace and Miles Market; $8.45 for a small can of mixed nuts is unacceptable). But let us not dwell on the negative. I whole-heartily applaud Lindo’s for making such a forward-thinking move. Which begs the question: Why aren’t more businesses, individuals and government entities using clean sustainable energy? On an island that’s blanketed with sun, it’s almost unimaginable that solar panels aren’t widely used. After all, most everyone in Bermuda captures rainwater for general consumption. Why not capture the sun’s rays too? It's money-saving and better for the environment. That sounds like a win-win to me. In the meantime three cheers to Lindo’s for going the extra mile. Now how about lowering the price of those cashews, deal?