In Honor of Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day, I thought a post about trees would be appropriate. Especially this tree…
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I have always had a fascination with big, beautiful trees having grown up in New England. Working at the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington, CT furthered that love and reverence for the giants of the forest. There we taught a class on the many uses and significance of various trees to the Woodland Indians of New England: green Birch tree branches used for tooth brushes, splits of the mighty Ash Tree woven into marvelous baskets, White Birch bark for wigwams, canoes and buckets, etc. However, recently I “stumbled” across a truly majestic tree in St Croix that really captivated me – the mighty Kapok at Villa Greenleaf.
The Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) or Silk Cotton tree is indigenous to the rainforests of South America and is now spread throughout the Caribbean, West Africa and even as far as the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian archipelago. Pollinated by bats, the tree sheds its leaves during the dry winter months with leaves and white or pink flowers remerging during the wetter spring months. It produces brown seed pods that contain a fibrous, fluffy white material that is 8-times lighter than cotton and 5-times more buoyant than cork. Before synthetics, the fibers were used in pillows, mattresses and because it is water-proof, were used in flotation devices. The leaves and bark can be used medicinally to cure a variety of ailments, including Type II diabetes. The Kapok’s straight trunk is supported by huge beautiful buttresses that can extend out 30-feet, surround the trunk and are covered with spikes protecting the otherwise smooth bark. Kapoks can exceed heights of 150 feet.
The Mayans revered the Ceiba (say-bah) as the tree of life whose roots extended to the underworld and branches reached up to support the heavens. It was used to make large and sturdy, sea-worthy canoes that allowed them to travel from island to island. In West Indian culture, this mighty behemoth was considered a sacred spirit tree. Referred to as the “God Tree”, “Devil Tree” or “Jumbie Tree” it is believed to be inhabited by spirits. Cutting down a Kapok would release the spirits and the culprit would be haunted for years.
Known as the “jumbie tree” to many natives, the kapok has long been considered a primary spirit tree of the West Indies. With its huge buttressed roots and gargantuan dimensions the kapok can’t help but draw the eye and fire the imagination. “In a traditional environment devoid of man-made wonders such as towers and temples, obelisks, and so forth,” writes Nicholls, “a ficus or kapok would stand out and it is not so surprising that these trees were identified as spirit trees.” Kapok trees were considered a holding place for departed souls and a place where the living could meet the dead. Eggs were thrown at certain kapoks that were known to be spirit trees in order to free a person’s shadow or soul that had been stolen by a jumbie. – Professor Robert W. Nicholls, University of the Virgin Islands
The incredible Kapok that anchors the property and is the logo symbol of Villa Greenleaf on St Croix has been estimated by experts to be approximately 350 years old making it one of the oldest and largest trees in the US Virgin Islands. Lovingly and carefully attended to, the tree’s breathtaking beauty can be marveled at while enjoying breakfast at the Villa/Bed and Breakfast. It’s been the subject of many artists and on your next visit to Villa Greenleaf I’m sure you’ll discover why.
Monkey No Climb!
Villa Greenleaf is a Bed & Breakfast nestled into the hills of Montpellier on St Croix. The property boasts 5 upscale accommodations, beautifully appointed with casual West Indian-style furnishings and each with its own private screen porch and rooftop sun deck. The villa pool overlooks a sweeping view of Judith’s Fancy & Salt River and out to the Caribbean Sea. Common areas offer plenty of opportunity for outdoor entertaining and the meticulously manicured grounds provide a classic Caribbean setting. Villa Greenleaf can also be booked as a private villa accommodating 10 guests and is the perfect setting for Executive Meetings, Family and Leisure Groups and Weddings. Contact us for more details!
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… Below is a reprinting of my blog entry from April 21st 2009, due to a technical difficulty, past blog entries were deleted. But this one was worth reprinting!!
An eco-tourism paradise: St Croix has plenty of green!
In honoring Earth Week 2009, here are a few of the ways that we at SunCelebrations are committed to keeping our island and our earth a little more green, as well as some tips for you to “green up” your wedding!
- In our office, we print as little as possible. As most of our clients are far away – we do most all of our planning via email and the internet – we are able to keep the majority of our correspondence and files electronic. Our Service Guides and portfolio are electronic pdf files and we use MS Outlook and OneNote to keep it all organized.
- When we do need to print – we use recycled paper – including really cool Banana Paper – and we print on both sides.
- For faxing, we use efax.com services. Again, keeping our files electronic. We can “fax” documents right out of our email and receive faxes as pdfs. These are kept in electronic folders on the main computer and are only printed if necessary.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is truly our motto! We repurpose decorator items for weddings. This also saves costs for our brides (reduces shipping costs when things are already here!). All of our weddings are unique, so we look at new and different ways to use items. For instance, most of our vases can also be used as candle holders!
- Speaking of candles… we have been investing in LED “votives” to rent to clients. These are an excellent alternative to traditional candles for a couple of reasons. Candles are typically made of petroleum products (unless you are purchasing “greener” beeswax or soy which are a little more costly), they also tend to blow out at outdoor venues. Today’s LED candles stay lit (for up to 48hrs) and are so lifelike they even flicker. LED lights use 1/10th of the power of incandescant lights, come in fun colors and are convenient to use at outdoor venues that may lack outlets. By renting LED candles, you can also avoid shipping costs. We even recycle the spent batteries! To purchase LED candles for your wedding visit:
100 Candles.com – Candles, Candle Holders, Soy Candles and more! - Gift bags are super popular with destination brides. It’s a nice way to say “thank you for travelling so far to celebrate with us” … we encourage our brides to purchase reusable shopping bags for their gift bags! They come in lots of fun colors, are very inexpensive and promote the use of reusable shopping bags. We love www.papermart.com They make great beach bags too!
- Buy local!!! For gift bags and other items, we encourage our brides to purchase from local vendors on St Croix. Again, being eco-savvy also means being economical. Buying local avoids a lot of shipping costs for our clients. It’s also a nice way to promote our local economy and to offer a keepsake or memento of the islands.
- Use Local flowers. We work with a very talented local florist, Gloria Powell of www.antilleslilies.com She is an expert at using local flora for weddings! She is versed on what is blooming at different times of the year and incorporates them into the flowers along with the color scheme and bride’s style. It can get very pricey shipping flowers here (they have to be flown in) – so this is a fantastic way to save some money and also get a really unique bouquet or arrangement. My brides are always thrilled with her artistry.
- Promote local farmers. Local produce simply tastes better and is better for you! We have recently teamed up with the chef at the VI Sustainable Farm Institute www.visfi.org – an ICO and USDA certified organic farm. They have been producing monthly “Slow Food” dinners that sell out in a heartbeat and so we’ve added them to our roster of chefs for private functions. We’re so excited to be promoting not only whole, organic foods, but also great people doing GREAT things in our community.
- And lastly, if you already have your home set up and aren’t in need of another toaster – consider requesting your guests make a donation in your honor in lieu of gifts. There are so many deserving local charities on St Croix as part of your legacy, leave a positive lasting impression by offering help to those who live here. Some of the excellent charities that we support are:
- FirstBook a grassroots charity committed to literacy by providing underpriviledged children in our community with BRAND NEW reading books. Ask us about donations directly to the local St Croix Chapter.
- St Croix Animal Welfare Center supports the homeless animals on St Croix and provides humane education to local schools and the community. I have 2 shelter babies – Teleulah & Boddhi. The SCAWC works with stateside “no kill” shelters to place even more animals in loving homes. If you would like to participate in their “Pets from Paradise” program and escort a puppy or kitten to a shelter in the states, contact us for more information. The shelter in St Croix will meet you at the airport, the shelter in the states will meet you upon arrival. Its so easy!!
Boddhi
- Teleulah
