Student Ambassadors Greenup

Girl with dog with bucket of litter they picked upThank you to everyone who has submitted their cleanup and greenup results for the Great Virginia Greenup!  Or you can get back out there until June 20, 2024 to improve our natural and scenic environment with your efforts to clean up, beautify, recycle, paint or other green deed, and report it here.  You’ll be entered to win a one of our Sustainability Sampler Kits!

Two girls and a dog picking up litter along a road.We’re happy to share these photos of some of our members of our Student Ambassadors for Virginia’s Environment (SAVE) program.  One cleanup took place in Washington County.  They partnered with Keep Southwest Beautiful to picked up over 19 bags of litter along North Fork Road!

On the other end of the Commonwealth in Virginia Beach, Student Ambassadors had fun in the sun while cleaning up the landscape (see picture below)!  There were 23 volunteers and members of the Surfrider’s Club, and they picked up six bags of litter.  We appreciate all their efforts!

Group of young ladies who are cleaning up litter near a beach

We’re so proud of the leadership shown by the members of our pilot Student Ambassador program, and the example they’re setting for fellow high school students.  SAVE (Student Ambassadors for Virginia’s Environment) is modeled after best-practice student ambassador programs successfully implemented by other Keep America Beautiful (KAB) state affiliates.  An abbreviated pilot program was launched during the second half of the 2023/2024 school year and will conclude in June.  Its success has prompted the continuation and expansion of the program for the 2024/2025 school year.

Student Ambassadors are expected to organize and implement two litter cleanups and host a school-wide or community educational project or event. For a one-page overview of the program refer to the SAVE Program Overview; or for more details on the requirements of the program, please see the SAVE Handbook.

If you know someone who would like to apply for the 2024-25 school year, there’s more information on our website and applications can be found here.  For any questions about the program, please reach out to Cristi Lawton, Executive Director, at [email protected].

And don’t forget to get out there during the Great Virginia Greenup — get involved and report your cleanup!