April 2026 brought a series of impactful activities under the PROMAR Project, bringing together students, community members, and local organizations across Tortola and Virgin Gorda in a shared effort to protect the marine environment of the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

The month's activities began on 11 April at the Little Dix Farmer's Market on Virgin Gorda, where 20 individuals participated in an interactive educational session on the dangers of ocean pollution, including the devastating effects of ghost fishing. A highlight of the event was a match-up game that challenged participants to learn how long everyday plastics take to break down in the environment. The activity proved both informative and engaging, driving home the long-term consequences of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems.

Earth Week, celebrated in the final days of April, brought further activities, starting on 22 April – Earth Day 2026, when the PROMAR team joined forces with the Ministry for Environment and two local schools to host a Beach Beautification Day at Long Bay, Beef Island. In total, 55 students took part in weeding and clearing debris from the Ministry's vegetation restoration site, while also learning about the natural habitat, local trees, and birds of the area. By removing plastic litter from the site, participants helped newly planted, dune-stabilizing trees to thrive, but also prevented that waste from reaching the ocean.

On 24 April, a coastal clean-up in Road Town brought together 17 students and 12 adults, who collectively gathered approximately 35 kg of waste. Of this, five bags weighing 4 kg consisted of plastics, predominantly bottles, cups, bags, and wrappers. Volunteers fanned out from Queen Elizabeth II Park donning gloves and using litter pickers, with children carrying blue bags for plastic waste and adults using black bags for other rubbish.

The April activities were also covered in a radio interview on JTV Channel 55 and in a BVI Beacon article, which highlighted Green VI's Earth Week theme "Planet vs. Plastics" and the link to PROMAR's work to prevent marine litter. The coverage also emphasized the value of practical, everyday actions, from "reduce, reuse, recycle" to rethinking consumption choices, using reusable bags, and composting organic waste, alongside hands-on community clean-ups that help people see plastic pollution for themselves.

Check bellow the photos from the events: