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USVI Earth Day March and Celebration Planned for April 22

The Virgin Islands Conservation Society invites the community to participate in a USVI Earth Day March and Celebration to be held on St. Thomas and St. Croix from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 22. The march is one of three events organized for Washington, D.C. and hundreds of other communities across the country: the 2017 Earth Day Campaign, the March for Science and the People’s Climate March.

The theme for the 2017 Earth Day (http://www.earthday.org/) is “Environmental and Climate Literacy.” For information on the March for Science, visit https://www.marchforscience.com/. For information on the People’s Climate March, visit https://peoplesclimate.org/.

The 2017 USVI Earth Day March and Celebration will feature Earth Day marches, science talks and demonstrations and kite contests. The kites will be made from recycled materials on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. Earth Day marches will proceed from the event staging areas: the Addelita Cancryn Jr. High School soccer field on St. Thomas and Fort Frederik Park on St. Croix.

The St. Thomas march route will proceed from the Cancryn Jr. H.S. soccer field through Frenchtown to Veterans Highway, along the Charlotte Amalie Harbor and back to the school. The St. Croix march route will begin at Fort Frederik Park (north of Fork Frederik), proceed along streets of Frederiksted and the Frederiksted harbor, and return to Fort Frederik Park.

Drinking water will be provided, but no single use water bottles will be provided. People should bring their own reusable water bottles. There will be roadside, park and beach cleanup activities along the march routes, so bring work gloves. Garbage bags will be provided by EAST and SEA and trash bins by VIWMA.  Back at Fort Frederik Park and the Cancryn Jr. H.S. soccer field, scientists will present talks and demonstrations, and there will be a contest for kites made from recycled materials. Kites may be made in advance or be made at craft tables set up for participants to make their own kites at the event. Prizes will be awarded for best kites, judged on the amount of recycled materials used, creativity and ability to fly.   

In addition to the recycle kite contests, The V.I. Conservation Society asks student classrooms, church and youth organizations to enter a contest for posters or performances focusing on the 2017 Earth-Day theme, Environmental and Climate Literacy, or the themes of the March for Science or Peoples Climate March. Posters and performances will be judged on the following categories: creativity in interpreting the Earth Day themes, public education value, entertainment value and the number of participants. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

Participating organizations include: Virgin Islands Conservation Society, Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John (EAST), St. Croix Environmental Association (SEA), University of the Virgin Islands, EPSCOR, VIMAS, VI Waste Management Authority (VIWMA), Coral World, and Scoops & Brew.

For information on St. Croix, contact Antonio Farchette at 277-0286 or e-mail: afarchette@yahoo.com. For information on St. Thomas, contact Jason Budsan at 626-9007 or e-mail Jason.budsan@gmail.com

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