Richmond Vale Academy is a demonstrated leader in renewable energy generation and use, as well as sustainable living in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In May 2019, Richmond Vale Academy achieved its goal of having 100 per cent of its electricity generated by renewable energy. The move by Richmond Vale Academy falls under its 10-year programme, “Th...

A major human impact of the volcanic eruption in St Vincent was the loss of personal effects with the collapse of many roofs in the areas worst affected. Many of the displaced people had evacuated with very little of their personal belongings and this left a great need for clothing. During our interactions with the communities and shelters the same...

While many of the impacts of climate change, such as droughts, floods, and more frequent and intense storms are immediately observable on land, the impact of a warming globe is also having a devastating impact on marine ecosystems. Over the years, Richmond Vale Academy (RVA) has been playing its part to protect coastal ecosystems amidst the vagarie...

Dear Friends, Greetings from Richmond, we have just moved back after five months of being evacuated! In spite of all the ashes and challenges, we are recovering our beautiful campus and will re-open the school in January 2022. Enjoy some news from the ongoing ecological home garden project and we will update you soon on all the new activities we ha...

By April 22nd La Soufriere had exploded 32 times leaving heavy layers of ash everywhere making buildings collapse and sending pyroclastic flows down the volcano sides destroying everything in its wake. On April 15th the West Indies Seismic Research Center was further able to measure the Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) flux from La Soufriere dispersing with t...

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated in mid April that the financial impact of the crisis would be approximately US$554 million. Lots of relief efforts have been sent and offered. Venezuela was among one of the first countries sending 20 tons of humanitarian supplies, risk experts and SUV vehicles. Furthe...

On 9th of April 2021 La Soufriere in St Vincent and the Grenadines erupted sending rocks in the form of ash plume 10- 15 km up in the air. The last explosion, the 32nd, that La Soufrière has released since April 9, began at 11:09am on April 22, and lasted for about 20 minutes, with the vertical explosive plume reaching a height of about 8km. This e...

On the 27th of December 2020 the Volcano La Soufriere started an effusive eruption – slowly building a new dome as when pressing out toothpaste. It kept erupting with a sticky rock formation over the next 3.5 months as well as emitting sulfur dioxide gas affecting the air quality and destroying vegetation on the volcano sides, turning everything ye...

“Our farm will most likely be totally damaged; however, we still have all the knowledge and the experience. We didn’t leave all of it behind; we brought the knowledge with us“ Earth Day 2021 falls upon a dazed and different world. For the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the 2021 celebration comes on the heels of the global pande...

Hi everyone at RVA and all the Vincentians I worked with. It is been a while, life went on, there is not a single week I am not thinking of St Vincent. The reason I took so long to send a letter is because I have quit using social media for at least 2 years now. I focus myself on other things, but finally I found the courage and the time to send yo...

Pat has been part of the Richmond Vale Academy tree planting process. He has received some assistance from time to time since 2015 to establish his own orchard on his 3.6 acre farm, on which he grows a variety of trees, some of which are for commercial use he sells to vendors on the local market. The fruit trees he grows carry a great commercial va...

Chatoyer Garden's ecological farm is located up Maloney, nestled high up in the lush, verdant mountains of Vermont. Named after Chief Joseph Chatoyer, the National hero of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; honored for his resistance against the colonial forces to protect his beloved homeland Hairouna. Luke is telling how "following in the legacy of J...

“Permaculture is an ethical design science that mimics nature to supply all our human needs, whilst benefiting the environment,” Geof Lawton.   Permaculture is an evolution of consciousness, a journey that improves not only our relationship as humanity, but also guides us to live in harmony with the environment around us. In short to impr...

“The experience was wonderful. I got to learn a lot from the inmates while at the same time they also learnt from me. I gained a lot of respect and trust from them during my time there. They became like family because we interacted while learning at the same time,” RVA Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) graduate Emris Stapleton. “It is said that...

The government of St Vincent and Grenadines has committed itself to ensuring the country is food secure during the difficult period of handling the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country has experienced food security challenges which are also caused by disruptions in international food supply chains. At the time of writing a total of ...

In the July Building weekend 2018 we started the sheep production at RVA for real and now we have developed a system of raising sheep while also growing fruit trees on the same area of nearly two hectares of land – a so-called silvopastoral system (forest + pasture). We are using Allan Savory's grazing method, the holistic land management system, w...

Climate change mitigation is an exigency that must be urgently acted upon if the rate of global warming and its resulting negative effects are to be slowed down.  The threat of climate change on whole livelihoods across the globe can never be overstated, as it is real, being a point of reflection as we enter 2021- calling all of us to action. ...

“What if you were a teacher but had no voice to speak your knowledge? What if you had no language at all and yet there was something you needed to say? Wouldn’t you dance it? Wouldn’t you act it out? Wouldn’t your every movement tell the story?” While you are reading this text, think about how we could all live a Symbiotic life – a life for all to ...

I was looking for an internship for my school, and opportunities to study abroad. With Richmond Vale's program I got both at once, as well as a chance to explore my interest in sustainable communities I work as an environmental educator, teaching subjects like ecology, wildlife identification, and sustainability. I learned a lot in practice from my...

What did you do before coming here? 7 graduated from high school and worked to save up 1 finished a BA degree 1 a journalist and social worker 3 worked as an economist, cook and waitress. 1 returned from travelling 1 teaching English as a foreign language What made you take the decision to join? That it is about environment and living sustainable T...