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Our 30 in Thirty Green Grants Recap for 2019!

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The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment. We believe in a shared responsibility to end littering, improve recycling and beautify communities.

To honor that commitment to the Commonwealth, we funded thirty grant recipients – one each day in the month of June – for our “30 in Thirty Green Grants” program. These grants were given to schools, parks, counties and towns, environmental groups, associations, and Keep America Beautiful affiliates in four different categories:   Community Beautification, Cigarette Litter Prevention, Litter Prevention, and Recycling. Since 2011, we have provided $230,000 for 290 different projects throughout the state. We are grateful for the generosity this year of our partner Altria, as well as additional support from Keep America Beautiful and Coca-Cola.

Throughout the next year, each of these Green Grant Winners will update us on their successes in putting their funding to good work. We appreciate THEIR commitment and especially their partnership in keeping Virginia beautiful.

And now, here are our 2019 Winners!

(Listed by Organization – Category – Amount – City)

Keep Manassas Beautiful   – Cigarette Litter Prevention  – $1,000  – Manassas

Harmony Hall Farm HOA    – Litter Prevention  – $750  – Wicomico Church

Deep Creek Middle School  – Litter Prevention  – $1,000  – Chesapeake

Real Chances, Inc.    – Community Beautification  – $1,000  – Richmond

Rappahannock Group Sierra Club    – Litter Prevention   – $1,000   – Fredericksburg

Friends of Norfolk’s Environment   – Community Beautification  – $1,000  – Norfolk

Frederick County Recycling    – Recycling  – $750  – Winchester

Virginia State University   – Cigarette Litter Prevention  – $1,000  – Petersburg

Sacred Heart Center  – Community Beautification  – $1,000  – Richmond

Virginia Capital Trail Foundation  – Litter Prevention – $750 – Richmond

Pennington Partners  – Cigarette Litter Prevention – $1,000  – Pennington Gap

Friends of Twin Lakes State Park  – Recycling  – $1,000 – Green Bay

Belvedere Elementary School   – Community Beautification  – $750 – Falls Church

City of Waynesboro Stormwater Program  – Cigarette Litter Prevention  – $500  – Waynesboro

Cove Ridge Foundation   – Recycling  – $1,000  – Duffield

Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities  – Community Beautification – $1,000 – Washington

Hanover Arts and Activities Center  – Community Beautification  – $1,000  – Ashland

Friends of Peak Creek, Inc.  – Cigarette Litter Prevention  – $500 – Pulaski

Albemarle County Public Schools  – Recycling  – $1,000 – Charlottesville

Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad  – Community Beautification – $1,000 – Virginia Beach

Town of Hillsville, Virginia  – Recycling – $1,000  – Hillsville

Clean Valley Council – Cigarette Litter Prevention – $1,000 – Roanoke

Virginia Zoological Society  – Recycling – $1,000 – Norfolk

Va. Dept. of Environmental Quality – NOVA   – Cigarette Litter Prevention – $500 – Woodbridge

Seeds of Change Organization  – Litter Prevention – $500 – Richmond

Dickenson County Chamber/Visitor Center  – Community Beautification – $1,000 – Clintwood

Isle of Wight County – Litter Prevention – $1,000 – Isle of Wight

Keep Virginia Cozy, Inc. – Recycling – $750 – Richmond

Clean Fairfax – Recycling – $1,000 – Fairfax

Soil Cycles HVA – Recycling – $1,000 – Harrisonburg

 

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All of our 30 in Thirty Winners for 2018!

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To honor our commitment to the Commonwealth, we announced our “30 Grants in Thirty Days” recipients for 2018 each day in the month of June. This year, we awarded 30 grants in the amounts of $500 to $1,000. These grants were given to schools, parks, counties and towns, environmental groups, associations, and Keep America Beautiful affiliates in four different categories:   Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, and Community Beautification. Since 2011, we have provided $203,000 for 260 different projects throughout the state. We appreciate the generosity of our 2018 partners at Altria and Keep America Beautiful.

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment through five impact areas: Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction, Recycling, Beautification, and Environmental Education.

Please see each of the winners below with links to their project description.

The 2018 “30 Grants in Thirty Days” award winners are:

 

 

Category Organization Name Address
Cigarette Litter Prevention Town of Kilmarnock/Town Centre Park Kilmarnock
Community Beautification York County Beautification Committee Yorktown
Recycling George Mason Elementary School Richmond
Recycling State Fair of Virginia/Meadow Event Park Doswell
Litter Prevention Keep Suffolk Beautiful Suffolk
Cigarette Litter Prevention askHRgreen.org Chesapeake
Community Beautification Scottsville Elementary School Scottsville
Recycling Randolph-Macon College Student Government Assoc. Ashland
Community Beautification Northumberland Assn. for Progressive Stewardship Heathsville
Cigarette Litter Prevention The Town of Purcellville Purcellville
Litter Prevention Center for Natural Capital Orange
Community Beautification Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Richmond
Recycling Town Of Big Stone Gap Parks and Recreation Big Stone Gap
Cigarette Litter Prevention The Augusta Garden Club Staunton
Litter Prevention Petersburg Battlefields Foundation Prince George
Cigarette Litter Prevention Friends of Kiptopeke State Park Cape Charles
Recycling City of Lexington Lexington
Litter Prevention Habitat For Humanity of Winchester-Frederick-Clarke Winchester
Litter Prevention Activities Committee at DEQ Valley Regional Office Harrisonburg
Recycling SCRAP RVA Richmond
Litter Prevention King George County King George
Recycling Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Chesapeake
Litter Prevention Heart of Virginia Council, BSA Richmond
Community Beautification Friends of Norfolk’s Environment (FONE) Norfolk
Litter Prevention Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway Roanoke
Community Beautification TWP-The Youth Movement Norfolk
Recycling The Montpelier Foundation Orange
Community Beautification Virginia Clean Cities Harrisonburg
Recycling County of Prince George Prince George
Cigarette Litter Prevention Keep Manassas Beautiful Manassas

 

 

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The State Fair of Virginia Wins 30 in Thirty!

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Today’s 30 in Thirty Grant goes to the State Fair of Virginia and Meadow Event Park! They have been awarded a grant of $1000 in the Recycling category.

The State Fair of Virginia will use the grant funds to purchase recycling bins to be placed in strategic areas throughout the grounds during events. Meadow Event Park attracts guests from all across  the Commonwealth, and these receptacles will give patrons the opportunity to dispose of their plastic waste responsibly. Recyclable products will be collected and taken to the local recycling center.

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for 30 in Thirty Grants of $500 to $1,000 describing how they plan to tackle an environmental concern in their community regarding Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided over $178,000 to fund 230 environmental projects and programs all across the Commonwealth, due to the generosity this year of our partners at Altria and Keep America Beautiful.

 

Harold J. Neale, W.B. Speck, Earl Shiflet, Wilbur M. Gaunt, Mavis M. Gibbs_preview

Old Enough to Retire – Too Busy to Do It

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We had a bit of a quiet celebration this past Saturday. March 24th was our 65th Birthday. Back in 1953, we were born from a desire to do something about roadside litter. And after 65 years, one would think that it’s time to relax. To rest on one’s laurels. Maybe do a little fishing. Ponder retirement…

But we can’t.

In 1953, a group of businessmen around Culpepper began discussing the scourge of litter gathering along the roadways and byways of Virginia. In the early Spring, they started a campaign to “Keep Virginia Clean” and adopted the slogan “Don’t Be a Litterbug.” National leaders started to take notice, and the first cleanup effort of the “Virginia Anti-Litterbug Council” showed that people actually gave a darn, and what these Virginians were doing was a sustainable model. Keep America Beautiful was founded later that same year, and by 1956 we had officially adopted “Keep Virginia Beautiful” as our moniker. While many equate our mission (and that of Keep America Beautiful) with the famed commercial of the “crying Indian,” Iron Eyes Cody wasn’t the only celebrity to join the cause. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson championed beautification as her pet cause, and in 1967 Lassie joined her as the mascot of a nation-wide anti-littering campaign.

Amine Kellam and Paul Sanders of KVB with Iron Eyes Cody

Seems like after 65 years we would have made a sizable dent in our litter problem, no?

In 1953, around 3.5 million people called Virginia home. As of last year, our numbers had swelled to almost 8.5 million. That’s a lot more people buying stuff, generating trash, and sadly, creating litter. While our mission has evolved to include recycling, education, beautification, and more, fighting litter is still a core part of what we do. In 1953, our posters said, “Your Personal Example Means Everything!” That’s as true today as it was over six decades ago.

At our recent Shiver in the River, volunteers gathered over a ton of litter and recyclables right here in Richmond. We are once again accepting applications for 30 Grants in Thirty Days, which will provide funds to groups that want to do their part. Since 2011, we’ve given out $178,000 for 230 projects. As a part of this year’s grants, we’re giving out 65 free cleanup kits for folks who want to want to make their own impact in their part of the Commonwealth. Over the last year, we’ve worked with VDOT to become the stewards of the state-wide Adopt-a-Highway program…

Which is kind of fitting, isn’t it? After 65 years, we’re still trying to stop roadside littering.

So as the weather warms a bit, we may do a bit of fishing. We’re thinking of a few road trips to the mountains and perhaps the beach. Smith Mountain and Claytor Lakes are looking really good right about now.

But we’re not retiring. We can’t.

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This is How 30 in Thirty Works

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Back in the Spring, we gave away a parcel of grants to deserving groups and organizations across Virginia for their programs to address litter prevention, cigarette litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, beautification, and education. Thanks to some help from our friends at Altria and MeadWestvaco, instead of a single grant each day, we were able to give out 35 grants over thirty days.

One of those recipients was Friends of the Rappahannock. They had a well-developed plan to hold a minimum of five cleanups in and around their part of the Rappahannock River.

And they just completed a doozy.

Partnering with the City of Fredericksburg and the University of Mary Washington, they started with graffiti removal – not just along the river, but IN IT!

That guy you see in the wetsuit wielding a power washer like an anti-graffiti light saber is their programs manager Bryan Hoffman.

They’re not done yet, though. They have a HUGE cleanup on September 9th. It will cover multiple sites along the river, and spread through Fredericksburg and the neighboring counties. If you’re in the area, you should give them a hand – both figuratively and literally!

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A Change of Sea

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We’re really screwing up our oceans. But first, a word from our sponsor:

A very big thank you to all who submitted a proposal for our 30 Grants in 30 Days program. We’ve received dozens upon dozens of proposals from all over Virginia, and each one is a unique and worthwhile effort towards improving our natural environment and keeping Virginia beautiful. We’re excited to see these groups get to work, and will begin announcing winners on the 15th.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program:

We’d like for you to try an experiment:

Pour a cup of water into a pan. Pour a gallon of water into a second pan. Put the pans side-by-side on a stove. Next, put a teaspoon of food coloring into each pan. Now, begin to heat them. First, how noticeable is the coloring in the cup of water? Can you even tell a difference in the gallon? And how long does it take each to boil?

So imagine our oceans – millions of square miles with billions and billions of gallons of water. And we’re changing it.

A few times this summer, areas around Virginia Beach were closed for swimming due to dangerous levels of bacteria in the water. The major contributor to this was farm runoff, and, well, us. There’s a popular children’s book called Everyone Poops, and it explains our most basic bodily function in toddler language. Everyone does, and it goes somewhere.

In 1997, Charles Moore was captaining a yacht through the Pacific for a race when he noticed some bits of plastic floating by. It was a bit unusual to see in the open ocean. He soon noticed more, and more, and more. Returning scientists found the Pacific Garbage Patch – a man-made collection of debris and chemicals the size of Texas that has been gathered by an eddy in Pacific currents. Much of the plastic is microbeads, such as the practically invisible things that make your exfoliating facial wash, but much of it is fishing buoys, tires, and bottles. At one point, there is a veritable ecosystem; a plastic “island” that will support the weight of a man, with a reef of fishing nets, shores, and beaches. It has become home to a variety of shellfish and seaweed that shouldn’t be at home in the middle of an ocean.

In Alaska, there are thousands of miles of pristine wilderness coastline. Today, it’s lined with refrigerators, buoys, soccer balls, and shipping containers. It’s all detritus from the devastating Japanese tsunami. The people of Japan certainly had no intention of spoiling Alaska’s wild places, but it goes to illustrate that what goes in here comes out over there.

And then there’s the elephant in the room.

As our global temperatures have risen, the surface temperature of the oceans has risen. This has caused our oceans to expand, and has melted historically frozen parts of our poles. Records show that our average global sea level has risen about 8 inches over the past 100 years or so, and that trend is most likely speeding up.

In Norfolk, many churches put out a “tide chart” for parishioners, so that they’ll know if they’ll be able to get to services. Most of Norfolk is flat, and pretty close to sea level. Norfolk is also sinking, likely the result of development and pumping out ground water. So when high tide hits in Norfolk, much of the city finds itself dealing with “nuisance flooding.” During a storm or particularly high tide, this flooding is no longer a nuisance, but property destroying and potentially deadly. Near the Chrysler Museum the Hague river floods on a regular basis. Before 1980, it happened about 100 hours per year. The new normal is up to 300 hours per year. The museum just underwent a fantastic renovation, and much of the work was dedicated to sealing up the basement and moving important infrastructure upstairs.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that the population most threatened by a rise in sea levels in New Orleans. Coming in a close second is Norfolk and the rest of Tidewater. This week in 2005, thousands died in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed their defenses. Remember that?

via Smith Mountain Lake Visitors Center

Leave Nothing But Wake.

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I’ve walked a ridgeline in the cool of morning. The valley below was bathed in a soft, blue fog, with rounded hills rising like the backs of whales across the valley. Stopping to rest, I cooled my feet in a pool of clear, crisp water that bubbled from a pile of limestone. After some granola and a fresh drink, I walked on, the only evidence of my passing a few dry leaves overturned in my wake.

I’ve camped with a farmer. After a day of digging potatoes and shucking corn, I pitched a tent in the oak grove that stood between his house and barn. The air was thick with the smell of freshly cut hay and the deep, dark scent of black, loamy soil. As I lay in front of my tent in the dew-fresh grass, staring at the stars, I was lulled by the muted clucks of chickens and the harmonious lowing of cows – a subliminal gospel hymn to the goodness of the earth. In the morning, I bade my thanks, packed my gear, and moved on, the only evidence of my sojourn a square of matted grass.

I’ve been on the beach at dawn. A freshly picked peach and a mason jar of Graves Mountain cider would steel me for a day of surf. The sun was a paper-thin sliver on the horizon as I sat in the sand. I dug my feet into the cool shore, and feeling the pulse of the ocean, the sun rose, filling my face with warmth. Crystalline reflections danced across the water as dolphins made their daily commute in search of baitfish. I rose and went for my board, the only evidence of my meditation some footprints in the sand, soon to be washed away by the coming tide.

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Like many, Fourth of July found me seeking out the water. I joined my family at Smith Mountain Lake for a week of swimming, campfires, laughter, argument, fishing, and boating.

At dusk, from the end of our dock, we could see out of the mouth of the cove, into the deep waters of the main channel. Across the lake blue-green mountains dropped steeply into the lake. Beneath our feet, fish lazily swam circles around the pylons of the dock; perch, spot, catfish the size of dogs, and the occasional bass.

Floating into the cove we saw a gelatin blob bobbing at the surface. What the heck? A turtle? A dead fish? A jellyfish? At Smith Mountain Lake?

A plastic grocery bag.

We would see more of these, along with all of the other expected detritus of a week of boating – plastic stoppers, broken styrofoam from a cooler, fishing line, long-discarded balls and floats and toys. While out on a kayak, we encountered watermelon rinds, bottle koozies, apple cores, and more plastic.

One evening a storm blew through. Anything not lashed to our dock was blown into the water, and we spent the next morning fishing our gear from the end of the cove. It’s understandable that things would be lost in the water. While we were gathering our things, we filled a bag with trash that had joined our floats and tubes in our little corner of the lake. While out boating, we had a cooler for beers and cold drinks, and a separate container for our trash. While sunning on our dock, we kept a close eye on our bottles and cans, and the refuse from lunch was accounted for and carried back up the hillside to our house.

There is a common adage when hiking: “Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints.”

The next time that you find yourself enjoying the water, repeat this to yourself over and over:

“Take nothing but memories and leave nothing but wake.”

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The Year That Was

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We don’t know about you, but we had a pretty good 2013.  There is still much to do to Keep Virginia Beautiful, and we continue to look to you for support, both in your acts and with your continued donations.  Many of you across the Commonwealth helped to spread our message, committed your time to cleanup and beautification projects, and took tiny steps in your own back yards to make Virginia a more beautiful place to live, work, and play.  Rest assured, all of those efforts combined for a great swell of good deeds.

So here’s how it panned out:

In January, we reminded you that 2013 was the 60th Anniversary of Keep Virginia Beautiful.  We launched and revived a few programs to help everyone ring in our Diamond birthday.  With the instruction that you can pick up a lot of litter in 60 seconds, plant quite a few flowers in 60 minutes, and $60 buys several recycling bins, we asked all of you to Give 60.  You did, and continue to do so.  We also brought back our Keep Virginia Beautiful Awards through our Get Caught in a Beautiful Act campaign.  As you were out and about, many of you took photos and videos of your Acts, submitted them to us, and we shared them.  That’ll live on in the years to come.  We also invited you to the biggest party we’ve ever thrown, our Gala.  We planned our 3rd annual Golf Tournament, and got ready for another year of 30 in 30 Grants.  Plans were made to celebrate our birthday in high cotton for the entire year.

In February, we took a look at our Coastal waters.  Virginia is brimming with streams, lakes, and rivers, and the stuff we put in these waters goes somewhere.  We met some like-minded folks at the Virginia Marine Debris Summit to look at where this stuff was coming from and what we can do about it.

In March, we geared up for the Great American Cleanup, and learned how much impact each individual can make.  Together, they become an army of environmental activists.  Millions would get involved, thousands would host events, and hundreds of groups got organized.

To coincide with Earth Day, we opened nominations in April for our 30 in 30 Grants.  This is a real signature initiative for us.  Individuals, groups, businesses, and localities got to apply for a grant for a program that addressed one of our focus areas:  Litter prevention, Recycling, or Beautification and Community Greening.  The awards would go for things like community gardens, playground renovations, and outdoor classrooms.  We would eventually announce one winner each day for 30 days.

In May our Executive Director talked about our history.  He pointed out that our entire organization, and to a large extent Keep America Beautiful, is the result of the persistence of one ornery citizen who was tired of looking at trash.

Our first 30 in 30 winner got the news on June 1.  Briar Woods High School in Ashburn asked for some seed money to plant some trees and native plants in an unused courtyard.  The end result would be an outdoor classroom and inspirational reading and writing area.  Over the course of the next 29 days, we awarded thousands for similar projects.  Much of this money went to schools and educational initiatives.  Since we began 30 in 30, we’ve awarded almost $70,000.  Look for it to start up again in the Spring.

We love a cleverly crafted television ad, and in July shared a new spot from Keep America Beautiful.  “I Want To Be Recycled” revealed the lonely life of a piece of litter that didn’t want to end up in a gutter or on a roadside.  It yearned for a new start.

August, and the dog days of Summer, saw us doing a great deal of planning for our Gala.

September is when most of our children go back to school, and it was no different for us.  Many of our conversations start with “Did you know” and it made us realize that we’re not street sweepers or thought leaders or activists.  We’re educators.

October was all about celebrating and fun times.  We hosted our Gala at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  We ate, drank, auctioned, danced, and were merry with several hundred of our friends:  YOU!  We recognized some leaders, saw some amazing art, and in the end raised over $75,000 towards our programs, like putting recycling bins in our State Parks.

We got our hands dirty a bit in November.  Ellwood Thompson’s is a grocer with stores in Richmond and Fredericksburg, and they agreed to let us bag groceries for the day.  We got to meet many of you, and Ellwood’s donated almost $2,500 to help us out!

Just before Christmas, we announced our Beautiful Act winners. They cleaned up gardens, planted outdoor classrooms, and started an oyster bed, among other things.  One winner, a little girl named Savannah, submitted a video asking what it would take for every school in Virginia to recycle.  Good question, Savannah.

And so we prepare for our New Year and a successful 2014.  We already have some plans and events in place.  But how will we beat our 2013?

 

 

 

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30 Grants in 30 Days is Back!

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2013 GRANT SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

KVB is proud to bring back our very successful and highly anticipated “30 Grants in 30 Days” program.  We would like to thank our generous sponsor for 2013; Lowe’s Home Improvement.  Without them, these grants would not be possible!

The 2013 “30 Grants in 30 Days” program  is once again designed to help communities, schools, parks, neighborhoods, and civic groups battle Virginia’s environmental issues on the front lines.  These grants are categorized in 3 areas; (1) Litter Prevention, (2) Recycling, and (3) Beautification and Community Greening.  Thirty grants of $500 will be awarded to 30 geographically different areas around the Commonwealth within the 3 categories, to be dispersed amongst small to large communities, schools to universities, city parks to state parks, civic clubs to environmental groups.  These grants will be awarded in the 30 days of June.  Please fill out the grant application below.

Important Dates:

Application Deadline: May 15,2013

Applicants Notified: Starting May 31, 2013

Winners Announced Daily: June 1 through June 30, 2013

Grant Projected Completed By: October 31, 2013

Results Reported By: November 15, 2013

Categories:

  • Litter Prevention – Grants will awarded to parks, communities, government or non-profit entities that implement programs within targeted geographic boundaries in Virginia to reduce litter. Funding would support educational outreach materials,  and clean-up events.  The purpose of these grants is to support sustainable prevention and a measurable reduction of  litter within Virginia’s communities.
  • Recycling – Grants will be awarded to schools, parks, communities, government or non-profit entities that implement programs within targeted geographic boundaries in Virginia to reduce waste and increase recycling. Funding would support educational outreach materials, receptacles, and recycling launch events.  The purpose of these grants is to promote waste reduction and a measurable increase in reuse and recycling within Virginia’s communities.
  • Beautification and Community Greening – Grants will be awarded to schools, parks, communities, government or non-profit entities within targeted geographic boundaries in Virginia which support programs that beautify and clean including community gardens, restoring vacant lots, highway and shoreline enhancement, plantings, and graffiti abatement. Funding would support community clean-ups, revitalization projects, and sustainable neighborhood gardens.  The purpose of these grants is to support beautification efforts within Virginia’s communities.

 

2013 Sponsor

 

 

 

 

 

 

To apply for a “30 in 30” Grant, https://keepvirginiabeautiful.org/outreach/grants/

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Happy Birthday KVB…KVB turns 60 on 3/24!

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KVB TURNS 60!  How did we get here…

By the early 1950′s, Virginia’s roadways had become a dumping ground for people’s trash and the Commonwealth realized that it needed to find a solution to this ever growing problem.  Thus, in the spring of 1953, the national “Don’t Be a Litterbug” slogan was adopted and the Virginia Anti-Litterbug Council was formed.  The purpose of this organization was “to encourage the proper disposal of empty containers and all other forms of trash that mar Virginia highways, farms, and public places”.  By the end of that year, Keep America Beautiful (KAB) was incorporated to fight the litter problem on a national level.  KAB used the first major clean-up project developed by the VA Anti-Litterbug Council (the Culpeper District Project) as the testing ground and measuring stick for the nation.  In 1956, the VA Anti-Litterbug Council changed its name to Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB) and became an official affiliate of KAB.  During the next several years and throughout its history, KVB has expanded its efforts to include educating the public, media publicity, and local clean-up campaigns.

In 1960, KVB established a Board of Trustees to assist the President in determining and carrying out the policies and programs of the organization.  A new educational campaign, “The Governor’s Program to Keep Virginia Beautiful” and new stricter anti-litter enforcement statutes were adopted.  By 1965, KVB created a system of annual awards to cities, counties and towns for “outstanding achievement in the field of litter prevention”.  As the 70′s arrived, KVB, equipped with a full-time executive director and secretary, began to consider the need for total environmental improvements throughout the Commonwealth.  Armed with the support of other water and air pollution groups, as well as many local businesses, the State Health Dept. and the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, KVB embarked on a vigorous campaign to clean-up Virginia’s waterways and establish 56 sanitary landfills (while closing 33 unauthorized dumpsites).  KVB continued to receive state and national awards for its sustained superior achievements in its environmental programs and anti-litter campaigns, gaining prestige, support and national acclaim.  In 1976, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Litter Control Act to help implement and fund the Division of Litter Control (DLC).  DLC helped establish a grants program to localities for education, control, prevention and elimination of litter.  The DLC and KVB worked together to promote anti-litter campaigns and create the Clean Virginia Awards.

By 1980, 68% of VA localities had implemented some form of the DLC/KVB anti-litter model.  KVB had earned every major award and had become “the finest state effort in America!” according to the President of KAB.  Again, KVB’s Board sought to expand its role which resulted in several new programs; college and university litter control, Certificate of Recognition for litter-free businesses, and Keep Virginia Beautiful Landscape excellence awards.

The 1990′s saw the annual presence of KVB at the State Fair of Virginia, continuation of Landscape Excellence awards, and renewed energy to prevent roadside litter prevention. Cigarette Litter became the most common type of roadside litter and the national Cigarette Litter Prevention Programs began to take shape in the Commonwealth.

There was also a national shift created to emphasize recycling and the important role it plays in litter prevention and waste reduction.  Throughout the 90′s, VA Governors recognized the importance of “Keeping Virginia Beautiful” and proclaimed the first week in April, “Keep Virginia Beautiful Week”, to encourage litter pick-ups, recycling events, and community beautification efforts.

With the start of the millenium, KVB was going through changes as an organization and its effectiveness as mainly a volunteer run group.  As the decade progressed, the “need” for a strong voice in Virginia was becoming more apparent.  A Steering Committee of key stakeholders representing litter prevention, recycling, beautification and environmental education started to have informal conversations.   A capacity-building grant from the Altria Group in Richmond helped spearhead the efforts.  The result in 2009 was the completion of a process to launch a three year strategic plan for addressing important needs and goals for Virginia. The first year of work on this ambitious Keep Virginia Beautiful Strategic Plan has been completed, and much has been accomplished.  A new board of directors comprised of 18 individuals has come together to help take the next steps to move the plan even farther toward reaching our overall mission:  To engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environments.   Michael G. Baum was hired as Executive Director in March of 2010.

KVB Executive Directors, Through the Years

  • Paul Sanders 1969-1982
  • Earl Shiflet 1982-1995
  • John S. Bailey 1995-1996
  • Robert Hundley 1996-2010
  • Michael Baum 2010-present

KVB Presidents of the Board of Directors, Through the Years

  • A.B. Burton 1955-1961
  • W. Calvin Falwell 1961-1963
  • Iva Massie 1963-1967
  • Earl Shiflet 1967-1973
  • Giles Miller 1973-1979
  • Brooks George 1979-1983
  • John Adams 1983-1985
  • Maurice Rowe 1985-2009
  • Alisia Rudd 2010-2012
  • Kim Hynes 2012-present

 

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