The little island thinking big: In conversation with Aruba's PM

Aruba's Prime Minister Michiel Godfried Eman is beaming with pride as he boasts that 26 athletes are representing his country at the PanAm Games – an impressive number, considering the island's population hovers around 100,000.

His niece is on the swim team and it's a happy coincidence that Eman got to see her compete during his visit to Toronto, where he is speaking at the International Economic Forum of the Americas.

His insights are in high demand these days as he leads Aruba into a new era of sustainability. And despite being a small Caribbean nation, Eman's vision is having big impact on a global scale.

At the moment, 30 per cent of the country's energy is being produced by renewables, he tells PAX in a one-on-one interview, specifically solar and wind. By next year, they expect that number to reach 50 per cent thanks to a second windmill park, in addition to innovative initiatives that will turn commercial and household waste – that which typically goes to landfills – into natural gas.

As part of the Carbon War Room partnership with Richard Branson founded to fight climate change, Aruba is on track to be the first 100 per cent sustainable country in the world by 2020, saving $50 million a year through sustainability efforts. Six other Caribbean nations followed Aruba’s lead by signing on with Carbon War Room last month as part of a 10 Island Renewable Challenge.

"If it works on a small scale, it can be upscaled for larger cities and larger countries," Eman says. "That's what is giving us the opportunity to get so much of the world's attention and cooperation to make this happen."

Environmental initiatives are only a part of a larger vision for sustainable prosperity, which the government defines as: "A result of sustainable development that enables all human beings to live with their basic needs met, with their dignity acknowledged, and with abundant opportunity to pursue lives of satisfaction and happiness, all without risk of denying others in the present and the future the ability to do the same."

With that in mind, a lot of the Prime Minister's focus is on developments that improve the overall happiness of those living in Aruba. In fact, its government has invested more than US$1 billion in a complete island revitalization program, which has brought a trolley system to cultural centers, the creation of the Caribbean's largest linear park for leisure activities, airport upgrades and more.

"A lot of tourism destinations tend to lose sight of the importance of the quality of life of their own citizens," Eman says. "It becomes about five-star hotels and big names and ribbon cuttings; if that's not combined with an equal level of socio-economic development, you get these differences. And you see this in some tourism destinations – they're beautiful but they have a big wall around them because they don't want tourists to leave; there is crime or other uncertainties. That's something we're avoiding."

The Prime Minister explains that visitors can explore the island and all it has to offer beyond the confines of a resort without fear or hesitation. Service levels are also impressive, another outcome of having happy people.

"It's not only about five-star hotels," Eman goes on. "It's about five star neighbourhoods, five-star elderly homes, five-star quality of life, five-star education, five-star health care... Creating a positive environment for the people reflects positively on the way they see their future and also the way they embrace the visitors."