Blog

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Welcome To Green SXM

Whether you call St Maarten & Sint Martin home for a lifetime, a week, or even a day, Green SXM hopes to inspire you to make the best choices for the environment both in SXM and the world at large.

 The island has recently gone through an unscheduled rebirth in the form of hurricane Irma in September 2017.  While she caused untold destruction, nature came back first and with great abundance, and the island is slowly catching up.  All business, foundations, and activities featured here are currently active and many are working hard towards a sustainable future with eco-conscious tourism at its core.

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Cucumber and Zucchini Worms

Cucumber and zucchini worms on a leaf, in a flower, and close up of a tiny worm.

One of the hardest parts of growing cucumbers and zucchini in the Caribbean is dealing with caterpillars which eat the leaves of plants in the cucurbit family (Cucurbitaceae, including zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, and melons). These cucumber and zucchini worms can go from nearly invisible to over an inch within a week, eating up a whole plant in days! Early intervention is key!

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What is Growing on the Beach? A Guide to Caribbean Seashore plants in SXM

The quintessential Caribbean Beach looks very different today compared to 30 years ago. Coconut palm lined sleepy beaches used to grace all the brochures. However, the non-native coconut palm is only part of the story. There are many ‘wild’ beaches without a coconut in sight. Caribbean Seashore plants in SXM are an important defense against erosion. Which have you spotted?

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Soil Erosion in the Caribbean

On the left is topsoil from a recently cleared lot. On the right is the sandy dirt found 20′ away on land eroded over many years by clearing, development, and vehicles.

The soil on the left can hold its shape, absorb water, and support plant life. The dirt on the right doesn’t absorb any water. The lot is slowly becoming a dust bowl.

The dangers of soil erosion are not just limited to the Caribbean, but small island states like St Maarten / Sint Martin are going to be the first to suffer the consequences.

We live in paradise, surrounded by white sand beaches and protective coral reefs. The reef provides more than just calm beaches, it is responsible for the food on our tables. If we destroy the reef, we destroy our beaches. Then, we destroy our tourism economy. We erode our coastline. We subject ourselves to the wrath of Atlantic storms.

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#MadeInSXM – An Upcycled Compost Tumbler

The team behind Macro Micros have created an upcycled compost tumbler that can handle a large variety of waste. This is perfect for those who want to compost more than the typical household compost tumbler allows. The rugged construction would work great for community composting! The next step up would be aerated static pile compost, which requires significantly more space, time, and investment.

Their clever design is stacked, allowing compost to be added to the top tumbler, then moved to the bottom tumbler for maturing. The steel drum is rodent resistant, and holds enough volume to reach thermophilic phase composting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0o1MRXBFMT/


Contact them on Facebook if you are interested in having an upcycled compost tumbler made for you! They can be made from recycled oil drums or recycled HDPE rum drums.

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Community Composting for Apartments

Community Composting for Apartments: A small area can be incredibly efficient.

One of the most frequent questions we get is “My apartment block has a small shared space and we would like to set up community composting, what do you suggest?”

One of the first steps is to get an idea of how many of your neighbors would like to contribute, as the solution for 4-5 households is quite different to the setup and management required for 20! Many systems are scaleable; you simply add more tumblers!

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Do you Bokashi?

Our tropical climate makes composting possible year round, but it does lead to one hurdle: how to stop food waste from fermenting before it is added to the compost pile. In cooler climates, compost collection services are common. However, in hot climates food waste should not sit at room temperature for more than a day. Bokashi composting in the tropics is perhaps the most effective solution.

Rot - An essential part of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Why Compost?

Compost enhances soil and protects watersheds.

Compost can filter out storm-water pollutants by 60-95%.

Compost holds 5x its weight in water,
reducing storm-water runoff.

Compost protects the climate by sequestering carbon.

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Planting a Caribbean Wildflower and Pollinator Garden

The benefits of wildflower and pollinator gardens are so huge that farmers have started using strips of wildflowers between conventionally grown crops. The wildflowers don’t just help with pollination, they also attract predatory insects and wildlife that help keep crop-damaging insects under control. Creating a Caribbean wildflower and pollinator garden can be a great way to brighten up your space!

Celosia growing wildly in a St Maarten vegetable garden after Irma. The flowers attracted local pollinators and thinnings fed the chickens.
Celosia spicata (wheat celosia) growing wildly in a St Maarten vegetable garden after Irma. The flowers attract local pollinators and chickens love the young plants or dried flower heads full of seeds. Related to Amaranth, some varieties of Celosia are edible.
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Composting PLA Plastic at Home

Most PLA plastic is marketed as compostable. However, when you read the fine print, most compostable PLA (polylactic acid) requires industrial facilities to break down. We have successfully been composting small amounts of PLA in our Pilot Compost Project using aerated static piles, but we also want to know what a typical home tumbler can handle.

Not all PLA is compostable, or even biodegradable. However, PLA meeting EN 13432 should compost in ideal conditions (ie commercial composting) without leaving behind and residues which can be toxic to the soil. PLA with the TUV OK HOME Compost (Formerly vincotte) should compost in the conditions found in the typical home pile.

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