Nov. 8, 2002 – Have an interest in the environment and an hour or two a week to spare for seven weeks? Are you a teacher or a community group activist? If so, the V.I. Marine Advisory Service at the University of the Virgin Islands wants you.
It is recruiting people to attend environmental justice workshops on St. Thomas. When the workshops end, participants will be expected to take what they've learned and put it to use setting up environmental programs in the community.
The project is "open to the ideas that they might have," UVI marine adviser Mayra Suárez-Vélez said of those who will take part.
Formally, the workshops are on the topic of Linking Virgin Islands Grassroots to Environmental Equity. They will cover such topics as water quality, local seafood consumption, coastal eco-systems and toxic metal accumulation.
If you'll commit to attend all seven workshop sessions, the Marine Advisory Service will pay you $500 for your efforts and give you $500 more to use in implementing your outreach program. Suárez-Vélez said the money might be used for such things as transporting students on field trips or printing the winning entry in a poster contest.
She is looking for commitment from 10 people to attend all seven of the workshops. Once she gets that, she said, the presentations will be opened up to another 10 people who don't necessarily have to be present for all of the sessions. The project is being funded by a Small Environmental Justice Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
To register, call Suárez-Vélez at 693-1392 by Dec. 15.
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