In its continuing efforts to protect the environment in the Virgin Islands, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in conjunction with St. John’s Island Green Building Association will hold a Green Construction Training workshop on July 16. It runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Ursula’s Multipurpose Center in Cruz Bay. The workshop is free.
“There’s a morning classroom section with questions and answers and an afternoon field trip,” said Lisamaria Carrubba of NOAA Fisheries Service.
The workshop is targeted at engineers, architects, landscapers, contractors, equipment operators and others with an interest in green construction.
Future workshops are planned for St. Thomas and St. Croix.
Topics to be covered include building green in the Virgin Islands by St. John architect Doug White; the reality of going green by Anne Kitchell of the consulting firm Horsley Witten; and Jonathan Smalls of the Planning and Natural Resources Department.
St. John resident Gary Ray of Virgin Forest Nursery will speak on environmental landscaping.
In the afternoon, DPNR’s Dave Rose, Carrubba and Kitchell will lead a field trip to local construction sites to evaluate green practices.
In preparation for the workshop, NOAA developed a series of Power Point modules that promote green building. Carrubba said they’re not a substitute for attending the workshop, but helpful if participants want more detailed information. To view the modules, visit http://www.igbavi.org/green/?page_id=340.
Register for the St. John workshop before July 4 atwww.horsleywitten.com/greenconstructiontraining/ or by email to akitchell@horsleywitten.com.
