Shiver, Recycling, and Other News

First things first: This past Monday we had another great planning session for our 2016 Shiver in the River. Just a reminder that we will have our Community Cleanup, the invigorating James River Jump, and an expanded Winter Festival. We’ve also added a great 5K Walk/Run. Part of our planning was plotting our course for this new Shiver in the River event. You’ll love it, as it meanders along the James, providing great river views, and will loop around Belle Isle. If you’re unfamiliar with the spot, it’s in the middle of the river, has a colorful history, and has become one of the best wildlife spots in Central Virginia. You’ll appreciate why it’s so important to keep Virginia beautiful.

Secondly, we’ve got our VIP package for those who register early to Shiver in the River. If you do it by December 1st, you’ll qualify for a chance at an overnight stay at the Hilton Richmond Downtown on either January 29th or 30th, valet parking, a $50 gift card for the Thirst & Fifth, and a $50 gift card for Penny Lane Pub.  Penny Lane is a Richmond institution, so you’ll want that. We’ve also added a weekend at a cabin in one of Virginia’s State Parks! The total package is valued at over $600, so get busy. Many folks have already started their fundraising and team building.

We also had a great response for America Recycles Day. We started ours on Friday the 13th, and it was far from ominous. At the Retail Merchants Association in Richmond, 178 people took advantage of our drive-through recycling services. We helped to shred 4,670 pounds of paper for 81 people, and 250 boxes, Goodwill took 12,000 pounds of electronics and other materials to be recycled and reused, TFC Recycling gathered 1 ton of recycling materials, and we hauled away 5 large containers of plastic bags.

But we weren’t the only ones getting into the spirit of America Recycles Day as dozens hosted events all over the Commonwealth. Folks in Manassas hosted a Landfill Day with education, events, and more. Virginia Commonwealth University began promoting their Single Stream Recycling Program for all residence halls. In Abington, they not only had a huge recycling event, they took donations for their local animal shelter and food for the local food bank. In Ashburn they took in a ton of electronics for recycling. It’s safe to say that on and around America Recycles Day Virginians kept a lot of stuff out of our landfills and made a sizable dent in litter prevention.

America Recycles Day, however, is just one day. Our mission, and your responsibility, is to do it every day.