$1,000 Green Grant Goes to Barns of Rose Hill

Barns of Rose Hill in Clarke County is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Recycling and Waste Reduction category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.    

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address environmental concerns in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification. 

The Barns of Rose Hill is a nonprofit community arts center in Berryville whose mission is to enrich lives through the arts, education, and community in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.  With over 120 performances, exhibits, and community events each year, the Barns also houses two gallery spaces that feature rotating exhibitions, and it serves as the official Visitors Center for the Town of Berryville and Clarke County.

Last fall, the Barns took the step to eliminate the sale of single-use plastic water bottles at events. Guests are now encouraged to bring their own reusable bottles. But when the refrigeration compressor failed on the water fountain, it was no longer able to fill water bottles.

Funds from the Green Grant award will be used to retrofit their fountain with a new bottle filler.  Rather than replace the unit entirely — resulting in unnecessary cost and landfill waste — The Barns of Rose Hill will retrofit the existing fountain with a bottle filler and a new compressor. The addition of a bottle filler will make refilling easier and more sanitary for patrons, while also allowing them to track the number of plastic bottles saved through its built-in Green Ticker digital monitoring system.

By choosing to retrofit instead of replace, they’re keeping waste out of landfills and leading by example for other green venues across Virginia. This upgrade will significantly boost reusable bottle usage among patrons, aligning with their goal of reinforcing the Barns as a green venue.