Gifft Hill School on St. John has become the inaugural Virgin Islands partner of Planet Green Force, receiving a $50,000 grant to strengthen its environmental and food security initiatives.
Founder Harith Wickrema handed over the check at a Thursday ceremony. The money will enable the school to expand work already underway, including gardening, aquaponics, hydroponics, and recycling, by hiring staff and purchasing equipment. Wickrema noted that the programmes have operated for years with support from Island Green Living, but needed resources to scale up.
Head of School Liz Kinsella said the partnership reflects the school's values. "Our commitment to sustainability is central to who we are as a school," she said. "This partnership will help us build upon that strong foundation while connecting our students to a broader global movement and to educational frameworks developed in collaboration with UNESCO."
Wickrema, who formally established Planet Green Force in 2024, said the organisation's first chapter opened in Sri Lanka and intends to grow internationally. He pointed to urgent environmental threats facing island communities: food shortages, energy constraints, plastic waste, and coral damage.
Gifft Hill, which enrolls 200 students, will serve as a template for future expansion. Wickrema expressed hope that public schools across the territory will adopt similar programmes, particularly teaching students to cultivate chaya, a drought-resistant crop with high nutritional value.
He urged incoming government officials to make sustainability education a priority. "Education is the most powerful tool to combat climate change," Wickrema said, noting that the territory's 14,000 public school students could become agents of change within their families and communities.
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