Contact: Kenneth Labbe, labbe.ken@epa.gov

NEW YORK (Sept. 12, 2023) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has awarded a $100,000 grant to the University of the Virgin Islands. This grant will utilize 21st- century skills to address the long-standing solid waste management issues in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).

The goal of this project is to empower communities across the USVI to understand and address the critical issue of solid waste management and use creative problem-solving to identify and propose solutions for implementation on the islands. At least 160 members of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) student body and communities will be recruited to participate in sustainable materials management working groups. Additionally, 30 students and community members will be targeted for intense training as creativity facilitators. Groups will work together to identify novel solutions and think critically about how those solutions can be developed. They will also create an implementation plan to present to the USVI community.

“Solid waste management presents a tremendous challenge on all three USVI islands,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This project taps in the creative and problem-solving skills of young people to help address the unique challenges of solid waste management across the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

This school year, thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, students across the country are going back to school with the opportunities for the greener and cleaner future they deserve. Through the investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA is helping to build a future where all children can breathe cleaner air, drink cleaner water, and live in healthier neighborhoods. For more information about what EPA is doing to invest in America, visit our website.

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