Great Virginia Greenup Wrap Up
The Great Virginia Greenup (GVG) is a statewide event that occurs every year as part of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup. It takes place over three months, from the first day of spring to the first day of summer, and it provides a platform, resources, and incentives to engage individuals and groups across the Commonwealth to make their communities cleaner, greener, and more beautiful.
Keep Virginia Beautiful organized or assisted directly with over ten cleanups, including ones in Harrisonburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, Essex County, and Buckingham County during the GVG. They included corporate cleanups for Dominion Energy, Publix, and the Hourigan Group; a KVB Clean the Bay Day event in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; and cleanups with localities and various community groups. We also supplied materials (including GVG stickers and seed packets) for many other cleanups throughout Virginia, and our cleanup buckets sported the GVG event logo.
We also got the word out! We promoted the GVG at various community events, including the Suffolk Earth & Arts Festival; a Henrico County Gardening Fair; and at an Earth Day tabling event during a Richmond Flying Squirrels game. GVG wildflower seed packets were distributed at all cleanups and community events. Activities were promoted on social media with a GVG “Frame” that included the event logo and other sponsors. Sponsors were also recognized on the GVG webpage; in E-news; and in a blog post.
During this same time period, Great Virginia Greenup wildflower seed packets were mailed to 316 individuals who signed our online “No Litter” pledge. Fifteen individuals who reported their own cleanup activities were awarded prizes as part of the GVG. These included litter Cleanup Kits, and “On the Go”, “At Home”, and “Personal Care” Sustainability Sampler Kits. Winners represented every region of the state.
Here are some of the statistics of what we accomplished with your help:
- 640 total volunteers took part in KVB-sponsored cleanups and cleanups reported to KVB
- 1,500+ Wildflower Seed Packets were distributed!
- Overall, 2,700+ individuals were engaged as part of GVG campaign!
The GVG concluded in June with a CarMax volunteer engagement event. The volunteers assembled litter prevention kits and additional GVG wildflower seed packets for summer events — including distribution at the JamPacked Craft Beer & Music Festival on August 12th!
Thank you so much to all who conducted cleanups, who volunteered at employee engagement events, and to those who supported us in many ways, especially our sponsors: Dominion Energy, Waste Management, PepsiCo, Keep America Beautiful, and Virginia State Parks!
