Virginia State Tackles Butts with 30 in Thirty

Virginia State University has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $500 in the Cigarette Litter Prevention category. Virginia State will conduct a service project in October that will be run by the faculty and staff. The purpose of the project is to remove cigarette litter, trash and contaminants from campus storm drainage structures. The VSU campus has nineteen bio-retention storm-water structures designed to filter contaminants and improve water quality. These filters frequently are clogged with cigarette butts that have run off parking lots into the storm drainage. The service project will serve to educate students and staff on basic storm-water management and demonstrate the cumulative effect on water quality from discarding litter, particularly cigarettes. Their project will help the community foster an appreciation for maintaining good water quality practices and provide opportunities for student participation in practical sustainability efforts.

Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided over $110,000 to 140 organizations throughout the state. This year, for the first time, we are awarding 45 30 in Thirty Grants because of the generosity of our partners at Altria, Keep America Beautiful, WestRock Foundation and Trex. Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $500 to $1,000 telling how they are addressing these pressing issues:  Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, and Community Beautification.