Beckey Watson

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April 25 2024

$500 – $1,000 Grant Apply Through April 30

Beckey Watson Uncategorized $1, $500, $750, 000, Cigarette Litter Prevention, CLPP, Community Beautification, Composting, Green Grant Guidelines, Green Grants, Green Grants Application, Litter Prevention, recycling

We know that YOU can do great things in your communities, and WE want to help!

We’re awarding $500, $750, and $1,000 Green Grants to groups to improve the natural and scenic environment of Virginia. Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $307,000 for 415 programs and projects throughout the state. The program has been so successful because of the nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations, civic leagues, “Friends of” groups, Scouts, and others who see a need where they live, and apply for a grant to get it accomplished.

You can apply for a Green Grant in any of the four categories: Litter Prevention, Cigarette Litter Prevention, Community Beautification, and Recycling. The applications are evaluated and scored by a panel of experts in their fields, and in June, one Green Grant award is announced one each day, until all thirty awards have been revealed.

The general Grant Application Guidelines should be read before an application is submitted. Click here to start a 2024 Green Grant Application.

Applications are due before midnight on Tuesday, April 30, 2024!

Here are some past awards for inspiration:

Friends of a city park installed cigarette butt receptacles in the parking lot and at entrances to the park, to eliminate cigarette butt litter that can clog storm drains and harm wildlife.
A church parish started a composting collection program, yielding an average of 50 pounds of food waste that would have been sent to the landfill, but is processed to create rich compost.
Classrooms at an elementary school are collecting markers and pens to be recycled through TerraCycle.
A neighborhood civic league used grant funds to purchase litter grabbers, safety vests, gloves, and florescent hats for the safety of volunteers during their roadside cleanups.
Invasive species were removed and native plants installed along a hiking trail.

Please see our Green Grants webpage for descriptions of the categories, read the general Grant Application Guidelines, and click here to start a 2024 Green Grant Application.

We are grateful to the sponsors of our 2024 Green Grants Program: Altria, WestRock, and Village Bank!

April 15 2024

Three Green Things for April

Beckey Watson Uncategorized Earth Day, every day is earth day, Great Virginia Greenup, Green Grants, National Geographic, quiz, Scouts, word search

There are three green things to remember for April:

#1 Apply for a Green Grant

Attention Scouts, Friends-of groups, civic organizations, nonprofits, faith-based groups, and others! Now is the time to apply for a Green Grant to accomplish that sustainable project or start a new program! Get support for recycling bins in your classroom, cigarette butt receptacles in a problem area, native plants in a vacant area, or supplies for volunteers to pick up litter.

See our webpage for more details and apply by April 30, 2024 to be included in the judging process. Thirty grants will be awarded, with one being announced each day in June.

#2 Participate in The Great Virginia Greenup

It’s that time of year for the Great Virginia Greenup! The Great Virginia Greenup is a statewide effort to beautify the Commonwealth from the first day of spring to the first day of summer each year. You can organize a neighborhood cleanup; comb the beach for plastic that’s washed ashore; pick up litter at the playground; plant trees and flowers, especially native plants; or join other groups hosting events in many parts of the state. Just browse through our Events Calendar to see if there’s a group hosting an event near you.

If you participate in a cleanup or any green activity, we want to know about it! Report your results and we’ll enter your name to win a Sustainability Sampler kit!

#3 Every Day is Earth Day!

Earth Day was the brainchild of Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist who hoped to provide unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase ecological awareness. He hired Denis Hayes, a Harvard grad student, and together they organized the first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970. EARTHDAY.ORG continues to mobilize over 1 billion people annually to protect the planet.

Do you think you’re doing a good job with sustainability? Here’s a Trash Tracker to test how well you’re recycling in your home, a Word Search for recyclable items, and a National Geographic list of quizzes to test your Earth Day knowledge!

There are so many reasons to celebrate and love the Earth every day!

April 8 2024

The Great Virginia Greenup Is On

Beckey Watson Uncategorized

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!

March 25 2024

Need a Little Seed Money?

Beckey Watson Uncategorized $1, $500, $750, 000, cigarette butt receptacles, Fix-it-fair, Grant Awards, Grants, Green Grants, recycling, Seed money, Waste Reduction

Our 2024 Green Grant applications are now available on our Green Grant Program webpage! Each year we award thirty grants for environmental projects and programs to groups and organizations in Virginia. The Green Grants program empowers groups all across Virginia to make an environmental impact in their own communities. This is one of the ways we can engage the people who live in Virginia to improve our natural and scenic environment.

Applications can be submitted between now and April 30, 2024. Thirty awards will be announced, one each day, in June. Grant awards are available for $500, $750, or $1,000 proposals. You can read the general Grant Application Guidelines for more information, and can apply in any of the four categories: Litter Prevention, Recycling/Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

There is so much we can do within our own communities, and we hope a little seed money can help you start or enhance a program or try a new method of living in a more sustainable way.

Here are some ideas for projects and programs that you may need to solve a need for

Install cigarette butt receptacles in a no-smoking area or parking lot in your;
Host a Fix-it Fair to keep items out of the landfill that will have life left in them after small repairs;
Purchase grabbers, safety vests, and gloves for volunteers to clean up roads and the landscape;
Start a composting program with produce that would be thrown away at a restaurant or at a farmers market, to reduce food waste;
Supply your classroom with re-usable lunch boxes, water bottles, storage bags, cloth napkins, and utensils to see how much less trash you create each day.

Thank you for caring about the natural and scenic environment in your community, I hope that you’ll apply for a Green Grant this year. Please reach out to Beckey Watson at [email protected] if you have any questions about the program.

March 11 2024

Spring Fling

Beckey Watson Uncategorized Buy Nothing Project, Etsy, Goodwill, memory quilt, rags, socks, spring cleaning, t-shirts

Here in Virginia, we’re starting to get a day or two of warm enough weather to believe that spring will soon be here! It’s enough to get the birds building nests, and many people in the mood to spruce up their own nests too. Now is a good time to fling open your closets and drawers, and get started!

The EPA reports that Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste a year, equaling just over six percent of total municipal waste. Because clothing and home textiles make up a lot of that total, it could be one of the first and best things to address when you want to clean up and clear out your household for spring.

Start with something easy, like going through your drawers and closets to pull out old t-shirts, towels, and socks. T-shirts that hold a special memory for you, such as concerts, volunteer work, or sports teams can be made into a memory quilt from places such as this Etsy Shop in Virginia. Surplus kitchen and bath towels that are still nice can be donated to a charity that assists relocating immigrants, or worn towels can go to your local animal shelter.

And did you know that socks can help you reduce your carbon footprint? Along with old t-shirts and towels, old socks make excellent cleaning rags. Simply put them on your hand to wipe fan blades and blinds, or dust railings and shelves. Upcycling these items keeps you from using disposable wipes and refillable dusting wands, and it saves you money too!

It can be tempting to simply throw away old furniture, clothing, or toys that you don’t use anymore. But most of these items can be donated or upcycled instead of ending up in a landfill. Drop off clothes, toys, and furniture at Goodwill or other organizations who use your castoffs to benefit others. Some local charities will pick up your items, which is even easier than hauling them out to the curb. Check out the Buy Nothing Project online community that allows you to post items you no longer want for people come to pick them up – DONE!

Think of how much better you’ll feel once you’ve sorted out some of your excess stuff! It will put you on the right path to spring with cleaner drawers, closets, and living space, while avoiding the use of disposable items, and giving unused items a second chance to be useful.

February 26 2024

Sow what?

Beckey Watson Uncategorized flowers, gardening, native plant guides, native plants, USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, vegetables, Virginia Cooperative Extension Office

There’s nothing more beautiful to bring to the table than fresh produce you’ve grown yourself! If you’re an avid home gardener, you probably started receiving seed catalogues in January. But it’s not too late to plan a Spring or Summer flower or vegetable garden for this year.

So how do you know what to sow and when to sow it? Most of Virginia lies in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6 or 7, with cooler sections in the western and northwestern areas of the Commonwealth, and warmer zones in the eastern coastal areas. The plant hardiness zones indicate the typical date of the last Spring frost – so you don’t put any seeds in the soil or transplant plants too early. See the new 2023 Virginia Hardiness Zone map to identify your area’s USDA hardiness zone.

As for what to plant – that’s the fun part! You can choose your favorite fruits and vegetables, or try some new varieties. The Virginia Cooperative Extension office in your county will have free information and resources to help you choose, with a lot of information published online. Here’s a reference guide for recommended planting dates and amounts. Here’s a no-paper-was-wasted catalogue from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange to start browsing!

For flowers, it’s recommended to choose native plants that will attract and serve pollinators like bees and butterflies, which you’ll need to pollinate your flowers and vegetables in order to be successful. You can download free Native Plant Guides for your area of the state. You can also download the Virginia Native Plant Society’s list of nurseries that sell native plants.

Whether you dig up a large area in your yard, have a small raised bed in a corner of a small yard, or plant up containers and pots on a sunny patio, planting a garden is good for you! You’ll soak up some Vitamin D, which increases your calcium levels, benefiting your bones and immune system; it’s good movement that’s less boring than an exercise class; being outdoors provides stress relief, reducing depression and anxiety, as well as increasing happiness; and it helps you eat a healthier diet. Involve kids of your own, neighborhood kids, or Scout groups, and all the benefits will apply to them too.

So get sowing, and make your backyard, potted plants, or community garden a place of beauty this season!

February 19 2024

The Future Looks Green

Beckey Watson Uncategorized Babylon Micro-Farms, Biophilia, CEA, Earth Sangha, Green Plants for Green Buildings, hydroponic, indoor agriculture, invasive species, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, native plants

This year’s Winter Symposium at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden offered a two-day professional development opportunity that was attended by several hundred in-person attendees as well as several hundred more virtual participants. This year’s focus highlighted sustainable practices for the green industry that can help us adapt to our changing world. Experts gave presentations on a variety of topics that affect how we create a sustainable future by reconnecting habitat corridors with native plants, exploring green plants for green buildings, and the possibilities of indoor agriculture, among other topics. It came as no surprise that in order to keep Virginia beautiful, we need to keep Virginia green.

Matt Bright, Executive Director of the nonprofit Earth Sangha, worked with volunteers in Fairfax and school children in McLean to pull invasive species out of parks and public spaces so that the native understories will regenerate and be available for songbirds and pollinators – even without additional installation of native plants. This is something that can be done in communities wherever you live in Virginia. He believes that continuing to remove invasive species such as kudzu, English ivy, and Callery pear from our landscape, and encouraging green roofs and balcony gardens can reconnect parks, stream buffers, and other existing corridors to improve the local habitat.

We learned about Biophilia – the instinctive bond between human beings, other living organisms, and living systems. Chris Raimondi, Board Member of Green Plants for Green Buildings, believes that contact with nature is essential for human health. He presented research showing that workers in office environments with natural elements, such as greenery and sunlight, report a 15% higher level of well-being, are 6% more productive, and are 15% more creative. This funny YouTube video makes a point about the value of adding plants to your office indoor landscape.

Indoor farming is another field that points to a green future. Ekene Tharpe, head grower at Babylon Micro-Farms, enlightened us about CEA, Controlled Environment Agriculture. Unlike a head of lettuce that may have traveled over 1,000 miles to get to the grocery store, Babylon Micro-Farms has individual units that grow lettuce using hydroponics right at the location where the produce will be consumed. Fresh microgreens are grown on cruise ships, at restaurants, and in clusters in inner-city warehouses, and are harvested at their peak for maximum flavor and nutrition.

There are so many ways to work towards a beautiful green future in Virginia!

February 12 2024

The Great Backyard Bird Count 2024

Beckey Watson Uncategorized Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Creek Lake State Park, Birding, BirdNET, colorblindness, Great Backyard Bird Count, Hungry Mother State Park, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardener, Merlin, Natural Tunnel State Park, Powhatan State Park

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a citizen-science based count held every year from February 16-19, 2024. Spend time in your favorite places watching birds – in your own backyard or in public places – then report the birds you saw or heard! You only need to spend as little as 15 minutes (or longer if you choose), any of the days (or all the days!) to just watch and record the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit them to help scientists better understand and protect birds. Researchers all around the world use the data gathered each year from the Great Backyard Bird Count to study birds.

You don’t have to be a pro to participate — you’ll be helpful to the study if you record just one or two bird species that you are able to identify. Here’s a link to a Guide to North American Birds in the Southeast Region to help you identify birds often found in Virginia. It’s also very easy to use apps on your phone or tablet, such as Merlin or eBird. You can even record a bird you hear, and BirdNET app will suggest which bird is making the sound.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a wonderful opportunity to visit a state park, botanical garden, and other beautiful places in Virginia to participate. If you want to learn more before it kicks off, there’s a live webinar on February 13^th to get more details about this year’s GBGC.

Below is a list of a few events to consider, but please consult their websites for registration, any fees involved, or age restrictions before you go:

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach offers a Winter Waterfowl Walk on February 19, 2024. You’ll search for ducks, geese, and swans to observe, identify, and photograph on a one-mile walk.
Join rangers and Virginia Master Naturalists at Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield on February 18, 2024 from 11:00 AM to noon to learn how to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count on your own at home and at the park.

* Special notice: Natural Tunnel State Park is proud to offer red/green colorblindness correcting outdoor glasses by EnChroma during all offered programming; three protan red sensitivity and three deutan.

Because of its wide range of habitats that support many bird species, Bear Creek Lake State Park in Cumberland is the perfect place to come birding and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can join them on February 16, 17, 18, and 19, from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Hungry Mother State Park in Marion offers a unique experience on February 16 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. to journey out into the night to learn about how owls are specifically designed for night life. Or if you’re not a night owl, on February 17 from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. they’ll offer guided hikes to see what kinds of birds can be found to record for the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Grab your binoculars and head over to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on February 17 from 9 a.m. to noon to be a part of this year’s GBBC community science project; children can assist, too, and are welcome to help with a parent.
Come flock together at Powhatan State Park in Powhatan to help your feathered friends! On February 17 from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. They’ll assist you in identifying, counting, and submitting the birds you see using the eBird or Merlin apps.

For more information about the part you’ll play in this international event, view this on YouTube: Great Backyard Bird Count – when the world comes together to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds. And for even more places to visit near you, here are links to the experts in bird watching:

Audubon: About the Great Backyard Bird Count

DCR (Virginia Dept. of Conservation and Recreation): Count Birds for Science

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: The Great Backyard Bird Count

Programs and activities at Virginia State Parks: Events (virginia.gov)

Happy birding!

February 5 2024

Celebrating Black History Month in Virginia

Beckey Watson Uncategorized African American artists, Ben Lomond, Black Culture, black heritage, Black History Month, Black Life, Dawoud Bey, St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, VMFA

According to the “Virginia is for Lovers” website, Virginia is home to the longest continuous experience of Black life and culture in the United States, spanning more than four centuries — beginning before the first English settlement at Jamestown, through the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Emancipation, and the Civil Rights eras. You can travel our beautiful state in all directions, with an extra day in February this leap year to do it!

Enslaved people lived and worked at Ben Lomond from the colonial era to the Civil War. In addition to the main building, many of its original outbuildings survive and have been restored and open to the public. The original slave quarters, constructed of stone, a rare example in Northern Virginia. An exhibit on the enslaved experience at Ben Lomond can be seen in the slave quarters and included in the site tour.

Jamestown Settlement will exhibit its 2024 Black Artist Showcase on February 1 through 29. Originally limited to just one weekend, Black Artist Showcase is on extended view during Black History Month in February, connecting the past and present through vivid intersections of contemporary art and 17th-century history. Guided by the theme – “the beauty of our lives” – 22 Virginia-based artists present more than 30 original interpretations and reflections of family, faith, music, and social justice.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts celebrates Black artists and the stories they tell. The acclaimed exhibition Dawoud Bey: Elegy, on view through Feb. 25, 2024, invites visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of embedded histories on our present-day experiences. Visitors can discover the breadth and depth of VMFA’s growing collection of works by African American artists on display in the permanent collection galleries, free of charge.

Built in 1905, the St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall in Blacksburg is the only building remaining from New Town, a historic African-American community that thrived until the late 1960s. As the only place African Americans were allowed to congregate outside of local churches, St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall was the centerpiece of social gatherings. Now a museum, the lodge highlights the significant contributions of African Americans to the town of Blacksburg through an exhibit titled “From Civil War to Civil Rights”. The museum is free and open to the public by appointment.

There are so many ways to celebrate Black History Month in February, with Virginia offering unique opportunities to visit historic sites and learn more about significant accomplishments of distinguished Black Americans. Be sure to see the resources on Virginia.org for Black History Attractions to discover more destinations.

January 29 2024

Anniversary Celebrations Across Virginia

Beckey Watson Uncategorized anniversaries, Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Carter Family, Celebrations, City of Alexandria, Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail, Floyd Country Store, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Loudoun County wine industry, Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, Song of hte Mountains, state of Virginia, The Licoln Theatre, The Virginia Tourism Corporation, Virginia Beach Neptune Festival

After celebrating our organization’s 70^th Anniversary in 2023, we know how special it is to reach a milestone! So we can certainly appreciate the excitement of some well-known organizations and special events in Virginia who are having big birthdays in 2024. A check with our friends at The Virginia Tourism Corporation revealed plenty of special anniversaries, along with links to each for more information. There’s a lot to celebrate!

The City of Alexandria celebrates its 275th anniversary in 2024, marking the occasion with special events and programs celebrating the past and present. Activities include new exhibits, collecting and sharing of oral histories, and special editions of the annual Portside Festival and Alexandria Birthday Celebration.
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival celebrates its 100th anniversary April 26 – May 5, 2024 with the theme “Locally Grown, Globally Shared.” This is in reference to the farms and orchards that founded the Shenandoah Valley. Activities this year include an Apple Growers Luncheon, farm tours, and 100th birthday party, complete with apple pie.
The Carter Family Fold is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2024. Celebration concerts kick-off in March with special monthly concerts, leading up to a special “Appalachia Rising” concert on April 27, 2024 and a big 50th Anniversary musical event on August 3, 2024.
2024 marks the 50th anniversary for the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival. Celebrate the 50th Annual Boardwalk Weekend, September 27-29, with concerts scattered along 30+ blocks of the boardwalk, an Art & Craft Show with 200+ vendors, magnificent sand sculptures created by world-renowned international sculptors, an 8k race, a grand parade, and more!
The Floyd Country Store is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Friday Night Jamboree in 2024. The Jamboree has taken place every Friday night for four decades, inviting friends and family from all around the world to the one stoplight town of Floyd, Virginia.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden kicks off its 40th anniversary in 2024 with a year-long celebration featuring exquisite horticultural displays, art exhibits, community events, live music, and more, including Contemporary American multi-disciplinary artist Kyle Epps as an artist-in-residence from April-September 2024.
2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the Loudoun County wine industry. Loudoun is known as DC’s Wine Country and is home to more than 50 wineries and vineyards.
The Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024 with special concerts, programs, and square dances across Southwest Virginia throughout the year. The Crooked Road is also joining in the celebration of the Carter Family Fold’s 50th Anniversary.
The Song of the Mountains concert series is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024. Performances take place at The Lincoln Theatre in Marion.
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its grand opening in Historic Downtown Bristol throughout 2024 with various events and programming.

There’s so much to see and do in the beautiful state of Virginia! Start planning now!