April 6, 2001 — Recycling and an island cleanup are the focus of this year's 30th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration on April 21. The National Park Service and the St. John Community Foundation will be partnering for this event.
National Park Rangers Pat Dinisio and Deanna Somerville are working with schools on an aluminum can and plastic recycling competition entitled the "Trash to Treasure Hunt." The classrooms who collect the most cans and plastics are vying for prizes consisting of: 1st Place, an overnight stay at the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station; 2nd Place, a trip to Coral World; 3rd Place, a pizza party.
Each classroom will also receive a can crusher and the money they generate from their recycling efforts will also go back to each classroom.
Volunteers are needed to bag trash on the roads and beaches plus trucks to help pick up the filled bags. The starting time for Cruz Bay is 7 a.m. at the parking lot next to the cruise ship passenger area and across from Margarita's.
The 7 a.m. start time for Coral Bay is at the triangle next to Jewel's Food Van. Trash will be collected until 11:30 a.m., and at 12 noon, the awards and celebration will continue at the park next to the NPS visitors center. Maho Bay Campgrounds has offered a truck to do the North Shore to Cruz Bay loop pickups.
Contact Bob Hart at 774-4507 to volunteer for the island clean up. If you live in the pine peace area, the Umoja Cultural Centers have volunteered to clean up that area plus paint the basketball court. The contact person from Umoja for the Pine Peace area is Charleston Charles at 776-6048. Glass-crushing demonstrations will be presented by St. John Recycling Council members Norm Gledhill and Ed Bermingham.
