John Mussington is involved with increasing public awareness on conservation issues, taking ideas and concerns to the larger media outlets in Antigua and Barbuda, he advocates to formulate public policy in Barbuda, he is a leader in on-island organizations such as the Barbuda Farming Co-Op and the Barbuda Land Rights Committee. Mr. Mussington actively agitates to promote awareness of resource management issues, he actively promotes and develops policies that seek to conserve the natural and built environment.
As an Educator and school Principal, educating the youth of Barbuda, Mr Mussington is quite hands-on leading by example. He provides opportunities and knowledge to his students and fellow Barbudans. His collaboration with international partners brings expertise and trans-disciplinary knowledge to Barbuda and helps address issues of soil erosion and food security in times of acute environmental challenges. Soil depletion and rising salinity of the fresh-water wells on the island make farming difficult. Most of the traditional fields lay barren and only a few people still maintain small kitchen gardens. John and his students have been reseeding mangroves and dunes, composting to amend soils, beekeeping and harvesting rainwater to actively farm. His school Sir McChesney George Secondary School was among the winners of an Inter American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) sponsored regional competition on Climate Smart Agriculture in 2016. In 2012 Mr Mussington and his students had the results of research done with volcanic ash from the nearby island of Montserrat to improve soil fertility in Barbuda published in collective work entitled, Geotherapy: Innovative Methods of Soil Fertility Restoration, Carbon Sequestration, and Reversing CO2 Increase,
Mr. Mussington is an energetic and strong voice on the island of Barbuda when it comes to environmental protection and conservation. This tireless drive to raise awareness despite at times its unpopularity is why he is respected and admired by his fellow Barbudans and international colleagues. He is not only reaching out and working alongside his fellow Barbudans but he is actively involved in conversations at other scales both nationally and internationally in drawing attention to the plight of his island home.
