Good Morning, Good Morning! It’s that time of year again…And Island Green Living has just announced their Annual Earth Month raffle. The annual raffle is the local non-profit’s largest fundraiser of the year and ALL profits from the entries go to support sustainability in the US Virgin Islands. Specifically on St. John. This year the winner-takes-all prize is valued at over $13K and will put you and up to five of your friends or family members at a luxurious beach-front villa for seven nights with a rental Jeep, airline credits, a private in-villa breakfast and vouchers for dining, shopping and activities during your stay!
I’m sure, at this point, most of you are familiar with Island Green Living. This grassroots non-profit, formed, organized and operated on St. John, is responsible for our on-island recycling program, the ReSource Depot Island Thrift Store, and creating (and educating) about sustainability standards on our beautiful island home. They have had a hand in the plastic bag ban, the plastic straw ban and Reef Safe Sunscreen initiatives in the territory. And have single handedly…Well, maybe with a little help from their friends…diverted nearly 2 MILLION POUNDS of debris from USVI landfills since their inception in 2004.
How, you ask? Well that’s a pretty LARGE amount of trash! Fortunately for all of the info hounds out there, Island Green keeps careful tracking on all of their waste disposal programs:
- 4.2+ million aluminum cans recycled since inception in 2004. Nearly 400,000 to date in 2025 alone!
- 120,254 pounds of ocean-bound plastics recycled. The equivalent of nearly 5 million bottles saved from polluting our island environment.
- One million pounds of building and household material diverted from the landfill via our ReSource Depot Island Thrift Store.
I think that deserves a round of applause! <<Insert slow claps>>
While doing all of this amazing work on St. John and working to expand their efforts to our sister islands, this lil’ non-profit that could is also tasked with raising the appropriate funds in order to keep these essential sustainability programs alive and well in the US Virgin Islands. In an annual effort to do so, their amazing team also creates an amazing fundraiser each year. In the four weeks prior to Earth Day, Island Green creates and promotes a raffle, promising one LUCKY WINNER a nearly all-expenses paid trip to St. John. And this year, the prize package is valued at over $13K!!! And, for the first time, promises to host up to SIX GUESTS at a beach front villa in Great Cruz Bay in addition to shopping, activities, dining, rental car and flight vouchers.
First, let’s take a look at the incredible beach front luxury villa you can daydream about as you positively manifest the drawing of your ticket!
Artistic Villas’ Beach Villa, generously donated by Donald and Deborah Schnell, is a spacious, five-bedroom oceanfront sanctuary with a private masonry pool and hot tub…Right on the beach in Great Cruz Bay! Here, you’ll experience absolute serenity amidst the orchids, tropical greenery and sculpture garden with a tropical fish pond.
Inside this incredible villa that YOU could call home for a week, you’ll find Donald Schnell’s artful touches, from lighting to ceramic detailing, thoughtfully placed throughout the property. The great room is open on three sides, welcoming in sea breezes and the sound of the waves on the nearby beach. Each of the guest suites have their own private entrance and private balcony to take in the colors of the sunset and the boats moving in and out of Great Cruz Bay Harbor.
On the first morning, you’ll wake up to the smell of a delicious breakfast wafting through the main living area as Chef Vincent Alterio (STJ Speakeasy) and his team create an incredible welcome meal for you and your group of up to six guests. Afterwards, they’ll clean the kitchen while you hop into your four-door rental Jeep, courtesy of Bougainvillea Leasing, to take a quick 10-15 minute drive to your favorite St. John beach.
Oh, and how did you get to this tropical paradise? With $2K in flight vouchers courtesy of the USVI Department of Tourism! Another huge upgrade to this year’s Island Green Living Earth Day Raffle that includes up to SIX guests instead of the trip for two from previous years.
In addition to a seven-night luxury stay, a Jeep rental, $2K in flight vouchers and a gourmet welcome breakfast in your villa, the winner of this prize package will also enjoy on-island dining via gift certificates to some truly amazing and unique restaurants!
- $150 at La Tapa Plage – Renowned Mediterranean cuisine on the Cruz Bay Waterfront in Wharfside Village.
- $150 at Ocean 362 – “Island to Table” dining with sunset views at Gallows Point Resort.
- $100 at Sam & Jack’s – Gourmet deli for grab and go (or dine-in) breakfast and lunch and take & bake dinners at the Marketplace.
- $100 at Paulie’s Luncheonette – Casual lunch with amazing sandwiches and water views in the Cruz Bay Lumberyard.
- $100 at Cruz Bay Landing – First stop, last stop! Drinks, breakfast, lunch and dinner across from the ferry dock in Cruz Bay.
- $200 at Lime Out – The iconic floating taco boat in Coral Bay.
Oh, and how will you get to Lime Out you ask? Well, the lucky winner will also get a few fun activity packages…Including a two-hour Lime Out Taco Run:
- Two-hour private TACO Run for up to 12 guests aboard Salt Deck with Salty Daze Charters USVI.
- $250 to be used toward any available sail on Kekoa, recipient of Trip Advisor’s 2020 Travelers Choice Award.
And for those in your party who would rather shop til they drop than sail or float the day away…
- $100 gift card to Jolly Dog at Isola Shops in Coral Bay
- $100 gift card to Bamboula at Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay
- $200 gift card to Caravan Gallery at Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay
And last, but certainly not least, you and your travel friends will get a voluntourism opportunity and private tour of Island Green Living’s ReSource Depot. And this is certainly what this raffle is all about. YES, you could win a vacation package filled with priceless memories and valued at over $13K. But the valuable dollars spent on each and every one of the tickets during this annual fundraiser keeps the essential sustainability programs going on St. John. Keeping Love City cleaner, greener and a generally better place to live…and vacation!
So, head on over to Island Green Living’s website to purchase your tickets today. Tickets are one for $50, six for $250 and 25 for $1000. But if that seems steep to you, I want to remind each and every one of you that all but one of the past winners won this vacation package with the purchase of ONE $50 ticket. The drawing will take place via live stream from the ReSource Depot on Island Green Living’s Facebook page in early May.
Go ahead, buy your tickets! Good luck to you all and THANK YOU for supporting this incredible organization.