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Sun Shines on Earth Day

April 15, 2008 — The V.I. National Park ballfield was a muddy mess, but the clouds parted and the sun came out Tuesday as hundreds of schoolkids celebrated an early Earth Day on St. John.
"Earth Day is important because it teaches children and people that the earth is important," said Jackson Barry, 11, a Gifft Hill School student. "The earth needs help from other people."
He and the other students made the rounds of information tables set up by various government agencies, non-profit groups and individuals. Julius E. Sprauve School student Franklyn Perez, 13, pointed out that people couldn't live without the earth.
"It has all the trees, oxygen and food we need," he said.
Another Gifft Hill School student, Chloe Jarvis, 12, said Earth Day is important to her because it helps her and younger kids learn how to keep the earth clean.
The students got plenty of messages about how to care for the earth in an environmentally friendly way.
Extension Agent Dale Morton of the University of the Virgin Islands' Cooperative Extension Service was on hand to explain how to use common household items like vinegar and borax to clean, instead of more harmful products sold in stores.
"And it's cheaper," he said.
Instead of using a store-bought window cleaner, he suggested, use a solution made from one part vinegar and one part water.
"Squeeze in a little orange if you want an orange flavor," he said.
Use Borax to clean toilets instead of a harsher cleaner, Morton suggested: Pour in it, let it sit and then scrub.
Morton particularly spoke out against using bleach to clean floors, since babies can pick up the residue on their skin when they crawl around.
Informationg about recycling came from Jim Casey, the territorial coordinator for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"We are promoting environmental conservation," he said.
Students learned about the relationship between the fish in the sea and the fish they buy canned at the supermarket at the Planning and Natural Resources Department table, courtesy of Outreach Coordinator Lillian Moolenaar of the department's Coastal Zone Management program.
"It's connecting ocean and earth," she said.
The St. John Historical Society set up tables for the kids to color in books that showed local produce. With food costs expected to skyrocket, eating locally grown produce will be even more important, said the society's president, Eleanor Gibney.
In addition to coloring, the students participated in leaf rubbing, an activity sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship that helped them identify local leaves.
After the students made the rounds of all the tables, the Friends of the Park — which sponsored the Earth Day celebration — had volunteers handing out juice, water, cookies, and healthy snacks like carrots.
"The cookies are going faster than the carrots, unfortunately," said volunteer Joan Bermingham.
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