Building Forward - Hurricane Recovery in USVI

We are pleased to share updates with you regarding the USVI hurricane recovery and resiliency projects funded through your support!

Several projects are ongoing, with anticipated end dates throughout 2020. As updates become available on the impact of COVID-19 on planned activities, we will include that information in future reporting.

Friends of Virgin Islands National Park: Native Plant Restoration (St. John) - Friends of Virgin Islands National Park supported native plant restoration, protection, and education on St. John. The project included three phases: removal of non-native, invasive plants; native plant propagation; and planting select native plants and trees with volunteer support. Most recently, more than 184 sea grapes and other native coastal plants were planted along the Maho Beach shoreline, which suffered severe beach erosion after the storms due to the loss of vegetation. In total, more than 300 native plants/trees were planted along coastal areas. Grant funds also supported a community plant giveaway to help raise awareness about the project, the value of native plants, and to foster a sense of ownership and pride for the island's environment. Over 100 individuals/families received native trees at the giveaway. This project is now complete!

SEED SPOT (St. Thomas) provided training and resources to local entrepreneurs to build their capacity to innovate and lead change in the local community. The USVI Startup Pitch Night was held virtually on July 22, providing a venue for program participants to share one-minute pitches for each of their startup business ideas with the community (watch the recording here!). The SEED SPOT program also included free entrepreneur workshops led by local experts, a 2-day launch camp that provided educational content and support from mentors and advisors, and a lifetime alumni program membership with access to exclusive resources, partners and service providers. 

Coral Bay Community Council: Environmental Recovery (St. John) - Coral Bay Community Council removed leftover hurricane debris from the shorelines and roadways of Coral Bay, in order to support environmental recovery, improve the natural and built environmental aesthetics, and have a clean and safe environment. Over 260 cubic yards of debris were properly disposed of. Grant funds also supported the design and creation of a donkey- and chicken-proof litter receptacle, in cooperation with local nonprofit My Brother's Workshop, for future deployment around Coral Bay's restaurant areas. This project is now complete!

Island Green Living Association: Commercial Composting Phase 1: Vegetation Chipping (St. John) - IGLA implemented a commercial composting system to process vegetation waste. A large wood chipper was acquired in January and began chipping vegetative material on St. John in May. Over 400 yards of material were chipped through June and work is still ongoing.

Clean Sweep Frederiksted: Urban Garden (St. Croix) - Clean Sweep Frederiksted created and implemented a comprehensive 8 week Urban Garden Workforce Development program. During the program sessions, participants were provided with educational content and hands-on experience in the community garden. They learned how to clear and prep land, install irrigation, design their garden space, propagate and transplant plants, built a composting bin and pile, learned about good and harmful pets and organic pest management, water management, and how to harvest and price their produce. Of the 17 participants, 15 received their farmer's license and 13 established plots at the Frederiksted Community Garden, and the remaining participants started home gardens or already had working farms.

UVI Campus Recycling Project (St. Thomas/St. Croix) - UVI has received all ordered recycling bins and assembled a recycling committee with faculty and staff members in order to plan and organize the logistics for the initiative and brainstorm ideas for an awareness campaign for recycling and waste reduction. Informational posters about the importance of waste reduction and recycling were also created. An agreement with Waste Management was signed to transport cans to St. John, to be recycled by Island Green Living. Unfortunately, the official launch has been postponed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and the subsequent UVI campus closing. There are plans to resume once the campus is reopened to students.

St. George Village Botanical Garden: Trees for St. Croix (St. Croix) - The more than 6,000 trees that were planted in the new nursery have remained healthy. Due to COVID-19 the garden had to close and the tree distributions were postponed. However, when the garden reopens to the general public they plan to resume the tree distribution events.