The Great Virginia Greenup Is On
The Great Virginia Greenup is on!
Each year Virginia joins the ranks of the national effort from Keep America Beautiful in The Great American Cleanup that kicked off on the first day of Spring and will continue until June 20, 2024.
Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful states, “Keep America Beautiful has always believed in the power of beauty, and now we have the data to back it up. We’re calling on all Americans to join us to help make our nation cleaner, greener, healthier, and safer.” She states that the impact of a cleanup goes far beyond simply making communities look nicer. They point to new research that shows a correlation between greenspace and reductions in crime and gun violence, including a 2020 University of Virginia study, among others, that found if green space is well-designed and properly maintained, it has the potential to reduce violent crime and gun violence.
That’s one of the reasons we use the word “Greenup” instead of cleanup, because there’s so much more we can do in addition to picking up litter. You can clean up graffiti or transform graffiti-ridden walls into community murals, plant native trees and flowers that will benefit wildlife and pollinators, or host a recycling drive. Invite neighbors for a shared yard sale or swap to pass along your unused items, so instead of a trip to the landfill, they find new purpose.
In addition to feeling good about your Greenup accomplishments, and improving your community, Keep Virginia Beautiful has an additional incentive! Report the results of your cleanup or other activity using our online reporting form. Prizes of sustainable items we know you’ll love to try are awarded weekly for those who report their results! Congratulations to our most recent prize winners:
- A’risha J. in Franklin
- Kelly F. City in Norfolk
- Sherry K. in Gloucester County
- C’Fairson H. in Hampton
- Mark C. in Leesburg
- Ashleigh J. in Hopewell
- Jessica O. in Prince William County
- Karen L. in the City of Richmond
- Naomi C. in Roanoke
- Jody K. in Louisa County
If you don’t have a project in mind for yourself but would like to help out, you can join other groups — check out our Events Calendar to find things that are happening near you. If you’re hosting an event, you can add it to our calendar. And we have local affiliates across the state that are doing awesome work!
So get out there, cleanup and Greenup, report your results from now until June 20th, and feel good about what you’ve done for yourself and your community!
Thank you to our sponsors for their support!
