$1,000 Grant goes to Groundwork RVA!

To help today’s youth understand urban waterways and how the impact we have on rivers impact the source of drinking water for the city, Groundwork RVA was awarded a $1,000 grant as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 12th Annual Green Grants Program.

Groundwork RVA’s mission is to cultivate the next generation of urban conservationists. They work with youth and communities to facilitate environmental, economic, and social well-being in neighborhoods by changing places, lives, and systems, believing that a greener Richmond works for everyone in the city.

The Green Team is Groundwork RVA’s high school-aged program.  They work as a community-based conservation leadership program that emphasizes urban environmental restoration, job readiness, and service-learning.

This summer, the Green Team plans to embark on a mission to better understand urban waterways and the impact that individuals have on the river that serves as the source of drinking water for the city.  The Green Team will tour Richmond City water treatment facilities to understand what happens to the water before it reaches people’s homes, and once it leaves.

Several key litter cleanup locations will be identified and adopted by the Green Team. The cleanup sites will consist of locations accessible by foot as well as river islands that are only accessible by boat. The youth will visit these sites weekly to perform litter cleanup and maintenance. By including these locations, they are accessing areas that many litter cleanup groups are not able to visit.  It also gives their team an opportunity to experience, grow in comfort, and help clean the river. In addition to the weekly litter cleanups, they plan to work with the Forge makerspace at the Science Museum of Virginia to design litter prevention signs.

Green Grant funds will be used for boat rentals to reach river islands, and to purchase litter grabbers, work gloves, and other cleanup supplies.

Thank you for the work you’re doing with our youth Groundwork RVA, and congratulations!