By Anna Scarbriel | Director of Grants and Programs
Interim Report - January 2020
We are pleased to share updates with you regarding the hurricane recovery and resiliency projects funded through your support!
Since our last interim report, we have funded one new project!
SEED SPOT (St. Thomas) will be providing training and resources to local entrepreneurs to build their capacity to innovate and lead change in the local community. The program will include 10 free entrepreneur workshops led by local experts, a 2-day launch camp that provides educational content and support from mentors and advisors, and a lifetime alumni program membership with access to exclusive resources, partners and service providers.
Several other projects are ongoing, with anticipated end dates throughout 2020.
Coral Bay Community Council: Environmental Recovery (St. John) - To date, over 85 cubic yards of marine and shoreline hurricane debris, including flotsam and jetsam, have been removed from Coral Bay shorelines and roadsides since the grant was funded in August 2019.
Island Green Living Association: Commercial Composting Phase 1: Vegetation Chipping (St. John) - The wood chipper, which will break down vegetative debris to be ready for landscaping or composting, is ready to use and a training with the brush chipping manufacturer is scheduled for the end of January. The land for processing materials will be prepped between now and January 30th and will begin to chip material in February.
Clean Sweep Frederiksted: Urban Garden (St. Croix) - The Urban Garden Workforce program will launch on January 21, 2020 and run for 8 weeks. Participants in the program will learn the fundamentals of urban farming and operations; environmental management, principles of sustainable agriculture, efficient water use, packaging and marketing. Additionally, they will host monthly sustainable agricultural education events and a farmer’s market. This project aims to combat urban decay in Frederiksted by creating an opportunity to provide financial and food stability, social empowerment and beautifying empty and abandoned lots within the town of Frederiksted.
We Grow Food: Bordeaux Farmers Fruit Tree Restoration Project (St. Thomas) - The Fruit Tree Restoration Project is almost complete, with around 660 hours of volunteer labor serving 33 farmers and planting 440 fruit trees on St. Thomas. These fruit trees will help restore the local ecosystem and agriculture industry, which were devastated during the 2017 hurricanes. Workshops on best practices for preparation of the fruit trees prior to hurricane season will be held in February 2020 for local farmers, in partnership with the University of the Virgin Islands.
UVI Campus Recycling Project - The recycling pilot program has launched at UVI, which will be accompanied by an aggressive communication and marketing campaign. Roughly 1,000 beneficiaries have been served to date by placing indoor and outdoor recycling bins around the UVI campus on St. Thomas. Funds continue to be used to support student ambassadors for the recycling program, who educate fellow students and do quality control on items placed into the various bins.
St. George Village Botanical Garden: Trees for St. Croix (St. Croix) - The Trees for St. Croix project is well underway, with over 700 tree orders already placed, representing 8,000 trees! The trees will be distributed to residents in early 2020. A new nursery has been built which is currently housing approximately 5,000 plants. Roughly 600 hours of volunteer labor has gone into this project so far and 2 community events have been held for World Food Day and a Garden Halloween event.
University of the Virgin Islands (UVI): SEAS Your Tomorrow Program - The overarching goal of the Supporting Emerging Aquatic Scientists (SEAS) Your Tomorrow Program, is to create a transferable model for broadening participation in STEM that uses innovative partnerships, support programming, and targeted interventions, to build scientific identity and increase interest and engagement in STEM by U.S. Virgin Islanders. Four undergraduate students from the UVI participated in early career research and professional experiences, including coral restoration and whelk surveys. Three Masters in Marine & Environmental Science students participated in the Bridge to the Ph.D. Program, where they completed an 8-week summer research experience at Pennsylvania State University.
By Anna Scarbriel | Director of Grants and Programs
By Anna Scarbriel | Director of Grants and Programs
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