Silver Beach
In just under 1.5 miles, I collected 10 pounds of trash. One plastic piece was pretty
heavy and accounted for most of the weight, but I did fill 3 grocery bags full.
In just under 1.5 miles, I collected 10 pounds of trash. One plastic piece was pretty
heavy and accounted for most of the weight, but I did fill 3 grocery bags full.
REI pulled 850lbs of trash and 4 mattress out of area of Neabsco boardwalk on Oct 5th 2019, from there adopted site.
I nominate friend, jogger and all around good egg Cristin Emrick who picks up litter on a regular basis all around Smithfield. She regularly says, its not her litter, but it is her town. She usually combines her cleanups with some jogging, hence the Swedish custom of plogging.
KVB Adopt-A-Highway, Beautification, Cigarette Litter Prevention, Featured, Litter Prevention, News, NoVA, Press, Roanoke Valley, Shenandoah Valley, Southwest, Waste Reduction
It’s not what you think: we’re not talking about growing and harvesting people.
Virginia’s economy is driven by a number of factors. Long a magnet for tobacco farmers, agriculture remains a key factor in our economy. Northern Virginia, once our dairy capital, now hosts giant technology firms and defense contractors. Work for the federal government, in fact, has a huge impact. Virginia has the highest defense spending per capita of any state in America.
But when you look at Northern Virginia, you often ignore what else happens there: Wineries. People travel to Virginia to visit wineries – from Stafford to the Route 5 Corridor, along the Northern Neck and nestled against the Blue Ridge Mountains. And when we mention agriculture, we would be remiss to ignore the $11 million pumpkins brought to Virginia in 2018. We shipped pumpkins around the world, and folks from Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and further visited Virginia to pick their own gourd.
We shared an article recently about the loss of coal jobs in Southwest Virginia. That’s been horrible for their economy. But a booming new economy is growing around those who’ve long known that areas like Tazwell, the Roanoke River Gorge, and Catawba offer some of the best rock climbing around.
Virginia has it all when it comes to tourism. One could spend the morning surfing in Virginia Beach, bike the Capital Trail into Richmond, and spend the afternoon rock climbing somewhere along Skyline Drive. When people come to Virginia so kayak and hike, to ski and sail, they spend money. They stop for gas. They stock up on supplies at our local markets. They take a break for a meal in your local restaurant. The rent the equipment they need and buy the equipment they don’t have.
Tourism in Virginia generated $26 billion in visitor spending in 2018.
That’s Billion with a “B.”
That was a 4.4% increase over 2017, and it grows every year. It supported over 235,000 jobs, making it the sixth largest employer in the Commonwealth. With the incredible number of people who either work for or with the federal government in Virginia (from the shipyards of Norfolk to the military contractors in Fairfax), that’s a huge number.
That’s one of the reasons why we’ve been giving away cleanup kits and cigarette butt receptacles through September, and now again in October. Eliminating litter creates better, healthier, and more productive neighborhoods. It makes that autumn drive to enjoy the foliage a more enjoyable excursion for our out-of-state visitors.
And that’s like money in the bank.
All photos courtesy of Dave Parrish Photography
Thanks to a $1,000 grant from KVB’s “30 in 30 Green Grants”, the Virginia Zoo purchased a secure ECO-CELL cell phone recycling box. Tablets, phones and accessories can be recycled in this box and the minerals in these devices will help protect animal habitats in the African Congo from being mined.
The Virginia Capital Trail Foundation hosted a Trail-wide cleanup on September 28th. This brought together 75 volunteers who collected 52 bags of trash!
Children recycle old cell phones in the Virginia Zoo’s ECO-CELL box. Tablets, phones and accessories can be recycled in this box and the minerals in these devices will help protect animal habitats in the African Congo from being mined.
Dave Haynes pick up 25 bags of trash, a bale of old fencing, and an old projection screen TV. All picked up on the 13, 14,and 15 of September, 2019.
The Smithfield Va. Wharf Hill Chuggers run club spends many weekends each year keeping our local town beautiful.
The animal shelter’s mascot, Zoe, recycles her plastic bottles each week and encourages others to do the same!