If you’re involved in building, planning to build a house, or just curious, mark your calendar for the upcoming “Building Green in the V.I.” workshops sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service and the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. The workshops are free of charge and are open to the public.
"These workshops are important and, by sharing construction management best practices, will help in our efforts to protect and conserve coastal environments and coral reefs throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands," Lisamarie Carrubba of NOAA Fisheries Service’s Caribbean Field Office, said.
The workshops kick off Jan. 17, on St. John at the Clean Plate Restaurant in Coral Bay, or Sputnik’s as it is known locally. The meetings moves to St. Croix on Jan. 18, to be held at the University of the Virgin Islands in the Great Hall, and then to St. Thomas on Jan. 19, at UVI’s St. Thomas campus in the Administration and Conference Center. All times are from 9 a.m. to noon. Check the website – http://conta.cc/VIgreen – for updates or changes.
The workshops will be targeted at construction and development businesses, government agency personnel, and community organizations. They will provide technical expertise on how to build combining natural resources with construction projects, and highlight best management practices to maintain the beauty of the Virgin Island communities.
Participants will learn more about building green and exchange solutions on several topics, including siting and design projects, sediment and other land based pollutant impacts, the critical role of heavy equipment operators and general contractors during construction, and the importance of innovation in site design and construction as it relates to natural resources.
The Planning and Natural Resources Department in partnership with other local agencies is providing technical support to the event, as well as logistical support to the event organizer, FHWGroup, a Washington, D.C. based consulting firm.
Other partnering organizations and agencies include Island Green Building Association, Green Building Council, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and UVI.
For more details and to register, visit http://conta.cc/VIgreen.