Every winter break a contingent of Community Development and Applied Economics faculty and UVM students make the trip to the island nation of St. Lucia. The learning experience is intense and a culmination of a fall semester preparing to make the best use of their 10 days while on the island. Some students continue work on consumer willingness-to-pay for clean water and energy-efficient light bulbs, others work on renewable energy and constructed wetlands for the island's steep, lush slopes. Students put their brains as well as their backs into these projects; they participate in the planning and development in collaboration with community organizations and national institutions, and conduct research related to a variety of aspects of each project, from inputs to process to impacts.

This April, however, it was several members of the St. Lucian Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Consumer Affairs who took their turn traveling and exploring their work with the fresh perspective that comes when visiting similar organizations in another country. Damian Monrose, Wendy Reynold, Verlette Jn. Louis, and Yolande Anthony are all employed by the Department of Consumer Affairs and have duties ranging from outreach to data collection to issuing consumer alerts and recalls.

Their visit, an annual exchange with the Ministry, was primarily focused on consumer protection. "We investigate consumer complaints, but we do it without consumer protection legislation and training in investigation. It comes down to having the right approach in dealing with people," explained Yolande Anthony a meeting early in the week. The group spent a working day with the Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program, which operates out of Morrill Hall at UVM in partnership with the Community Development and Applied Economics Department. "While the size of the communities served and the differing legal environments may offer different opportunities to address consumer issues, it was refreshing to work together and explore how we might learn from each other's approach to consumer assistance," comments Jason Duquette-Hoffman, Outreach Professional with the Vermont Attorney General's Office Consumer Assistance Program. "The Ministry's commitment to consumer protection is readily apparent from the dedication of this group of people."

Thomas DeSisto, a project specialist with the Center for Rural Studies coordinates the annual visit to Vermont by members of the St. Lucian government. He points out that issues under discussion in St. Lucia mirror many of the same going on in Vermont- agriculture, tourism, transportation, water resources, farm-to-school. This offers unique opportunities for UVM students who participate in projects in St. Lucia. "Going in-depth into the development challenges of a small, island state like St. Lucia offers an opportunity for students to grasp the concepts of sustainability. When you live on an island, the division between imports and exports is very clear and the concept of local has a clearly defined boundary," adds CDAE faculty member Gary Flomenhoft who instructs the service-learning course to St. Lucia.

The collaboration was sown when Jane Kolodinsky, Chair of CDAE, met Philip McClauren, Director of the St. Lucian Department of Consumer Affairs, at a consumer conference in California over six years ago. With each passing year, and each reciprocal group that travels between Vermont and St. Lucia, the partnership grows stronger. Parties at both ends, here in CDAE and in St. Lucia, are looking forward to what this next year and the next group of students and their partners will accomplish together.

Photo caption: Damian Monrose, left, offers Jane Kolodinsky, chair of CDAE, an official copy of a transportation report in addition to St. Lucian sauces and spices on behalf of the St. Lucian Department of Consumer Affairs. Photo: Anna Masozera.