First Lady's School Gardens Project Launches Compost Facilities at Government House on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John; Compost Bin Donated to Joseph Sibilly Elementary School Via Raffle

Territory-wide Initiative Encourages Residents to Take Part in Healthier Lifestyle

In recognition of Earth Day and as part of an ongoing effort to provide leadership on healthy living for all residents of the Territory, First Lady Cecile de Jongh today launched compost facilities at Government House on St. Thomas, St. Croix, and on St. John through the School Gardens project. As an extension of the First Lady’s Healthy VI Challenge initiative, the composting project was organized in cooperation with the V.I. Department of Agriculture, the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service, Government House, and Richard Pluke of Fintrac, Inc.

“I am pleased to announce the installation of compost sites at all Government House locations Territory-wide. This exciting initiative is one more step in our effort to raise awareness on the importance of healthy living and overall wellness for all residents of the Territory,” First Lady Cecile de Jongh said. “I encourage members of the community to learn more about composting as part of a daily routine as it reduces overall waste and generates top quality soil that is useful in growing vegetables and maintaining good environmental stewardship,” de Jongh continued.

Each Government House compost site is maintained by Government House staff who also attended workshops, as hosted by First Lady de Jongh at UVI on April 7th (St. Thomas) and April 8th (St. Croix). Elementary school representatives were also invited and attended the sessions which provided an overview of the basics of composting and compost site maintenance. Carlos Robles of the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service ran the workshops in both districts.

On St. Thomas the compost is located in the First Lady’s Garden and is maintained by Government House staff Noel Greene and Kent Myers. The St. Croix site is located in a side yard and is maintained by Government House staff Arsenio Osorio, Justin Lestrade, and Julio Echevarria. In St. John, the compost site is located in the front yard of the Battery and is maintained by Government House staff Willis Fahie and Preston Evans. The three composts will be maintained year-round; nutrient-rich soil that is produced by the composts will be utilized in vegetable garden plots that are currently being developed for all three Government House locations.

As the world-wide celebrations for Earth Day are observed today, First Lady de Jongh encouraged the community to reflect on the importance of maintaining an overall healthy approach to diet and wellness while taking steps to sustain a healthy environment. Amidst the global push to conserve energy, invest and utilize renewable energy systems, and raise awareness on natural living and informed consumerism, First Lady de Jongh urged Virgin Islanders to help the environment by undertaking individual actions to improve the community’s overall environmental health.

“As a community and as individuals and families, it’s important for us to recognize the significance of Earth Day and become involved in daily practices that reduce waste and energy consumption, improve the environment, and empower our community. Composting is a wonderful example of what we can all do to create a healthier living environment.” First Lady de Jongh continued, “As we increase public education and awareness of these issues, today and every day, we collectively build towards a new environmental and health-conscious agenda in the Virgin Islands,” de Jongh said.

In observance of Earth Day and as part of the School Gardens projects, First Lady de Jongh also supervised a raffle for a compost bin awarded to an elementary school as donated by the Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John (EAST). The compost bin was built by volunteers of EAST. John Eck from Sanitation Solutions, Tom Brunt of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, and Yanick Bayard of MSI, Sea Chest, and the Paint Depot all donated materials towards the building of the compost bin.

Joseph Sibilly Elementary School was the winning school selected in the raffle and was awarded the donated compost tumbler bin. In cooperation with the V.I. Department of Agriculture and the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service, the school will learn the basics of composting and will encourage students and school staff to maintain the compost site year-round. First Lady de Jongh encourages all schools throughout the Territory to adopt compost sites and utilize natural food waste to help form nutrient-rich soil that may be used in school gardens in the future.

“As we celebrate Earth Day, it is an important time for members of the community to partner in building a long-term commitment to green our schools and encourage a healthier lifestyle while taking steps to improve the community’s overall environmental health. Whether we utilize energy-conserving bulbs, eat healthier foods, decrease pollution by taking time to walk instead of drive, or any number of personal choices to improve our individual health and environmental stewardship, it is a good day to remember the importance of our individual actions in being more conscious of our health and the environment,” de Jongh said.

Earth Day was founded in 1970 by Democratic U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin.