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Invest an Hour. The Great American Cleanup

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Don’t know if you heard, but we’ve got some stuff coming up.  Do you have a plan for the Great American Cleanup?

It used to officially be the Great American Cleanup, and that’s still the theme.  Given the success of last year, Keep America Beautiful has christened this year as National Days of Action!  We’re using it to mobilize some of the 8 million of us who call The Commonwealth home to spend some time during Earth Month (it deserves a month, doesn’t it?) making things a little cleaner.  You know; pick up some trash, plant a flower, paint something.

Our Event Central for this year is the Hampton Roads area.  Now, before all of you NOVA folks and mountain people get in a roar, there is a good reason for this:

 

  • Our version of the Hampton Roads area includes Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, goes as far west as Emporia and up the DelMarVa into Gloucester County.  We’re looking at around 2 million Virginians.
  • We have some great partnerships in place with the United States Military, some great public and private volunteers, and corporate partners like Pepsi, Waste Management, Troy-Bilt, and Solo.
  • Keep America Beautiful picked us.

 

Why did KAB pick us?  Because we did a fantastic job last year.  Using us, askHRgreen, and other groups, we brought together thousands of people for hundreds of projects across the state, and especially in the Chesapeake Bay areas, for clean, green, beautiful projects.  And it was an honor.

We’re in a pretty elite group.  KAB chose ten cities across the country to be incubators for this goodness, and we’re sharing the honor with big-name towns like Oakland, California, Houston, Texas, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It’s pretty special.

Our big event kicks off on Friday, April 27th with organization, projects, and a reception at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.  Things will pick right back up again on Saturday, with almost sixty projects taking place throughout the Hampton Roads area.  We have a thousand volunteers so far, but you can still get involved.

You don’t have to be in Hampton to help, though.

Last year almost 4 million volunteers spent over 5 million hours participating in the Great American Cleanup.  Think about that:  Everyone spent about an hour.  That makes it more manageable, doesn’t it?  It’s kind of like exercise.  Just 15 minutes a day can make you more fit.  $5 per week can add up to a summer vacation.  It adds up.

Start today, and choose to recycle something.  Spend a few moments tomorrow picking up some trash.  Devote part of an hour this weekend to greening up your yard.  Spend an hour during the Great American Cleanup Keeping Virginia Beautiful.

Before you know it, you’ll have invested a year.

 

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Fredericksburg’s Clean and Green Commission

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The City of Fredericksburg

Clean and Green Commission

Cigarette Butts are Litter Campaign

 

Do:

The Commission recognized that cigarette litter in the downtown historic and commercial section of the city had increased since smoking indoors had become against the law.

Did:

  • The Commission applied for a grant from Keep Virginia Beautiful.
  • Matching funds were received from the City of Fredericksburg and the DEQ Non-Competitive Litter Grant.
  • A task committee was formed.
  • A timeline and budget for goals was developed. (Appendix A)
  • Identified the worst littered areas by doing a scan and targeted businesses therein to support the efforts. The group initially approached the project by doing an initial scan over a 2+ block area. A total of 2,414 butts were picked up.
  • Handed out pocket ashtrays with education component. Some hand out on the street work was done but the significant impact came from the adopting of displays given to target businesses. The displays were made by the City Public Works Office.  Businesses that put out a display were visited and refilled as needed. 12 Businesses are currently in the display/handout program.
  • Receive permission from the City’s CPURC to purchase, get business adoption of and city installation of sidewalk ashcan receptacles.
  • Once approved by CPRUC a business proposal to adopt the cans was solicited to target businesses.

Results:

  • The Commission received fund support from 3 sources.
  • The Commission performed before and after scans of the target area.  A 35% reduction in cigarette litter was attained. Most impressive was the dramatic reduction in butts in areas that were high volume in the 1’st scan. (Appendix B )
  • 1,000 pockets ashtrays were distributed. 12 businesses are willing to stay on with this program once we receive the additional 2,000 pocket ashtrays on order.
  • Ten businesses agreed to adopt one sidewalk ashcan and keep it emptied.
  • Three also agreed to purchase a backdoor can for employee use. Those cans have been purchased and received.
  • Once the City Public Works puts these in place a 3’rd scan will be performed to see its impact.

Future:

The Commission desires to expand upon and sustain the program into the next year.

Goals include:

  • Perform additional scans to tangibly verify the impact of the efforts.
  • Apply for additional grant support.
  • Keep the pocket ashtray distribution displays active.
  • Add up to ten more sidewalk and employee cans to the area.
  • Display posters in the area.
  • Do window decals for businesses supporting the program.
  • Add the support of the City’s River Steward and the City police force.

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX A

Task Date(s) Comment
Task Force Meet 8/24/2011
Drafts for task force input notes on meeting 8/25/2011 Package for solicitation to businesses
budget , program components 8/30/2011 to try and encourage adoption of a
business proposal need CPURC approve 10/20/2011 sidewalk container for cigarette butts.
Develop Media Outreach week of 8/29 Anne, Nancy
press release OPED week of Oct 24 Anne
proclamation 11/8/2011 Paula
website 8/30/2011
posters
Sidewalk Container Component
Prepare for CPURC approval 9/10/2011 If task force agrees with draft
CPRUC meets 10/5/2011 will forward to Doug Fawcett
ID target businesses 8/30/2011
Prepare Business proposals dependent on week of 10/10
Visit businesses CPURC approval 10/24-10/25
Order ashcans week of 10/12
Pocket Ashtray Component
Identify area of study week of 8/29 Work with Anne Little
order pocket ashtrays 6/22/2011 1,000 delivery by 9/15/11
Get cards printed week of 9/6 1,000   use KVB model
Hand out displays ashtrays week of 10/24
Check on Businesses refill week of 11/14
Officer (River Steward) start with 50 ashtrays
Cigarette scan 1
Set potential date(s) 9/17 thru 10/1 Sat. preferably afternoon or Sun.
solicit volunteers 9/1/2011 Anne Little UMW students
Cigarette scan 2 11/20 0r 12/11 Must be same day of week and similar
timeframe as scan 1
Report to KVB 12/31/2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix B

City of Fredericksburg
Clean and Green Commission
Cigarette Butt Litter
FIELD SCAN DOCUMENT
Preliminary Scan Date:  09/25/11 Follow-Up Scan Date: 12/11/2011
# of Butts # of Butts
In Gutter or On # of Ash Total # In Gutter or On # of Ash Total #
Section # Designated Area Near Drain Sidewalk Receptacles in area Near Drain Sidewalk Receptacles in area
Section 1: 400 Block William St (rt side) 19 18 0 37 78 60 1 138
Section 2: 300 Block William St (rt side) 37 110 1 147 118 49 1 167
Section 3: 200 Block William St (rt side) 28 103 0 131 52 79 131
Section 4: 100 Block William St (rt side) 16 31 0 47 32 9 41
Section 5: 400 Block William St (lt side) 29 65 0 94 24 24 48
Section 6: 300 Block William St (lt side) 43 64 1 107 27 64 91
Section 7: 200 Block William St (lt side) 149 158 0 307 77 43 120
Section 8: 100 Block William St (lt side) 34 64 0 98 24 25 49
Section 9: 900 Block Sophia St (rt side) 25 26 0 51 23 14 37
Section 10: 900 Block Sophia St (lt side) 19 14 0 33 50 31 81
Section 11: 100 Block George St (rt side) 38 93 0 131 38 13 51
Section 12: 200 Block George St (rt side) 19 23 1 42 24 39 63
Section 13: 100 Block George St (lt side) 172 255 0 427 81 34 1 116
Section 14: 200 Block George St (lt side) 21 52 0 73 9 15 24
Section 15: 900 Block Caroline St (rt side) 249 19 2 268 51 43 2 96
Section 16: 900 Block Caroline St (lt side) 49 90 1 139 49 38 1 88
Section 17: 900 Block  Princess Anne St (lt side) 37 47 0 84 29 12 1 42
Section 18 900 Block Princess Anne St (rt side) 18 34 0 52 20 14 34
Section 19 500 Block William St. (lt side) 5 44 0 49 28 32 60
Section 20 500 Block William St. (rt side) 33 64 0 97 79 28 1 107
TOTALS 6 2414 TOTALS 8 1584

 

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1 By Youth in Manassas Garden’s for Good!

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Impact of Keep Virginia Beautiful Grant for 1 By Youth Manassas 2011 Reaches from Richmond to Washington, DC

On May 14, 2011, in Manassas, Virginia, 800 volunteers joined in a “one day, one community, one impact” neighborhood revitalization effort called 1 By Youth.  Volunteers repaired homes, cleaned streets, parks & waterways and transformed a three-acre field in the Point of Woods 1 & 2 and 3 neighborhoods into a thriving community garden and gathering place with the help of a Keep Virginia Beautiful grant, Habitat for Humanity, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and many local businesses and faith-based organizations.   In September 2011 in Williamsburg, the City of Manassas and community partners won the Virginia State Neighborhood Conference’s State Neighborhood Youth Group Effort of the Year 2011 for the 1 By Youth project that Keep Virginia Beautiful helped to fund with the $1,000 grant. In October 2011, in Richmond, the City of Manassas and community partners won the prestigious Virginia Municipal League President’s Award for the city’s five years of neighborhood revitalization projects, including the 1 By Youth project that Keep Virginia Beautiful helped to fund. In December 2011, in Washington, D.C., City of Manassas Neighborhood Services Manager Kisha Wilson-Sogunro was called to the White House to participate in the President’s Champions of Change program, a weekly panel and networking discussion with ten Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activists from around the U.S., who were being recognized for the work they are doing to better their communities.  She took the four AmeriCorps VISTA members with her who are working in the G

eorgetown South Community, site of the city’s 2010 1 By Youth project that preceded the one in Point of Woods. The 1 By Youth project in the Point of Woods 1 & 2 and 3 neighborhoods last May has had a lasting impact.  A couple was married in the memorial gazebo that was dedicated to the city’s only fallen police officer, Sergeant John D. Conner III.  The 30-plot community garden has had fall plantings and is now being protected over the winter, thanks to a continuing relationship between residents and the Master Gardeners from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, and plots are in the process of being rented out to residents for the 2012 spring planting season, as well as expanded.  The community also held several outdoor family movies in the gazebo area this past summer, so the project has generated much community building.  Between now and May 5, 2012, City of Manassas Neighborhood Services is recruiting community partners and volunteers for the Big Day of Serving Manassas on May 5 in the Bristoe Station neighborhood – moving the successful 1 By Youth model to the next area in need of revitalization.  For more information, contact Kisha Wilson-Sogunro at [email protected].

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Thinking too big for the Great American Cleanup?

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A recent survey asked Americans how they viewed our various states.  Did they like the state?  Would they visit?  It should come as no surprise to any of you that our fair Commonwealth ranked number five.  People like us.  They really do.  Now don’t you want to pitch in to keep us pretty for our red carpet walk?

Great American CleanupWe’re gearing up for the Great American Cleanup.  It will take place in April to coincide with Earth Day on April 22nd.  We kind of think of April as “Earth Month”, but that’s just us.  We’re partnering with askHRGreen and Keep America Beautiful to get things rolling in earnest in Hampton on April 27th, but those of you in other parts of the Commonwealth have every opportunity to make an impact.

Wise County is having theirs on April 21st.  They are having a cleanup at Guest River Gorge on the 19th of April.  Guest River Gorge is in the Jefferson National Forest and features some wonderful trails that follow some old rail beds to offer up some spectacular scenery.Guest River Gorge

Project Clean Stream is working with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to clean up some waterways on the 14th.  We know that they’ll do their part to protect the streams and rivers that feed into The Bay.  If the weather participates it is sure to be a great way to see some wildlife.

But what if you’re not the crowd type?  Agoraphobic?  Maybe there are things that you can do around your own home or neighborhood to make a personal impact.

Shortly after Hurricane Irene came through Virginia, some friends in Richmond got to know their neighbors a little better.  A resident of the historic Fan District stuck a little note in everyone’s door:

“Dear Neighbor:

Our recent storm wreaked havoc with our common alley, and we’re now all struggling to park our vehicles and reach our trashcans.  I will be working to clean up the alley on this coming Saturday morning.

Sincerely Yours, Sonny”

On Saturday morning, 85-year old Sonny marched outside with a handful of rakes and tree-trimmers.  His next-door neighbor met him with an urn of piping hot coffee.  The art student slackers at the end of the block came ambling down with several boxes of muffins and donuts.  By 11 a.m. a crowd of 40 or so people had gathered and by early afternoon they were eating pizzas and drinking beer.  Alley Cleanup accomplished.

A friend in the Northern Virginia shared a story of business owners banding together.  Local hooligans had been tagging stores and businesses with senseless graffiti.  The owners gathered at a café on a weekend morning and invited a member of the local police department.  Many of the business owners had security cameras that captured grainy video of the miscreants in action.  They shared the videos with each other, with the police, and then got to work.  Using paints donated by a local hardware store, they started at one end of the business district and began painting each other’s shops and stores.  Not only did they beautify the community, it brought their alliance as local business owners closer together.

Some friends in the Valley did their part in a typical small Virginia town.  A stretch of road featured houses every 50 yards or so, with each parcel backing up to farmland.  The farmland gave way to mountains, with a stream marking the boundary between man and nature.  Things from “town” were typically washed down stream with each spring thunderstorm, and the “crick” had become clogged with shopping carts and other trash.  Each storm would bring waters into the farmland.  The folks of the Valley got together to clean the “crick” of debris, beautifying their land and bringing some security to their livelihood.

Dog HydrantA small community near Virginia Beach prettified their area.  Everything in their area is above ground, and sometimes the infrastructure just looked ugly.  They got together with their local fire department and had a fire hydrant contest.  Each block came up with a plan to decorate their particular hydrant, and the winner won the ‘privilege’ of hosting a cookout.  A “Hydrant Tour” featured dogs, firemen, farmers, fish, abstract art, and a Super-Mario hydrant.  They proved that hydrants aren’t just for dogs.

It would be nice if we all connected with our communities for the Great American Cleanup.  But what each of us does makes a difference.

Maybe it’s what you do in your own yard.  Spring is a great time to plant some flowers.  Hit your own yard, or seed-bomb the patch of dirt in your sidewalk.  Spend an hour cleaning up the street in front of your house, or the alley behind your apartment.  Gather up the junk mail littering the porch.  Small things add up.

When you look at the mission of Keep Virginia Beautiful, it’s not complicated:  “To engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment.”  It’s what we look at every day.  We do this through our impact areas; litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, beautification, and education.  We don’t do this with a lot of money, an army of volunteers, or acts of congress; we do it with you.  With little actions that we take every day.

The Dalai Lama sums it up well when he says, “If you think that you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

April is almost here, so start pestering.

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Now We Just Need Some Bikes.

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The City of Richmond hired a new guy over the summer.  It wasn’t a huge announcement, but he helped to bring something huge to the table:  The 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale Road World Championships.  The UCI is an international bicycle road race.  It’s the first time that the event has been held in the United States since 1986, and is expected to bring $130 million to Central Virginia.  Not a bad start for Jakob Helmboldt, Richmond’s new bicycle, pedestrian and trails coordinator.

So what will all of these international cyclists and spectators see when they come to Richmond?  Not much.

Richmond currently has about three miles of designated bike lanes and just over 2% of Richmonders bike to work.  If you travel through the Fan district you can see that many of the students pedal to class, and the same thing happens in Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Harrisonburg, and other college towns across the state.  Richmond residents do, however, love their cars.  The fact that a major river cuts through the middle of the city doesn’t help matters, but still.

Most of us think of biking as a recreation.  They certainly do in Iowa, and they’ve gotten most of the state behind it.

In 1973, a writer for the Des Moines Register suggested to a fellow staff member that it might be fun to pedal across Iowa and write about it.  They invited some friends and planned some scenic routes and overnight stops.  About 300 people showed up at the start, 500 had joined by the middle of the trek, and over 100 riders completed the entire trip.  The coined the trek RAGBRAI, or the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, and it has become an annual event.RAGBRAI

The event has become so popular that they’ve limited the actual ride to 8,500 registrants.  If that seems like a lot, consider this:  most of the people who ride aren’t even officially registered.   They just like to ride.  In 1988, it was 23,000 people.  Over the last 30+ years more than 275,650 people have taken the trek.  People come from all over the world, and over 30 states and the District of Columbia have started similar rides.

CaBiThe District of Columbia, while not always synonymous with reason or sanity, has jumped the bicycle broom.  Washington started a bikeshare program, and has placed 1,200 bicycles at 140 stations across the city and into Arlington.  You can join for a day, a week, a month, or a year, and you just grab a bike and go.  As of December, they had almost 130,000 people hopping on.  The city of Alexandria doesn’t want to feel left out and in October approved a plan to bring the program into that waterfront neighborhood.

 

The University of Richmond has a program that started in 2009 with 35 bikes.  They’ve since added some mountain bikes and have a recycling program that rebuilds abandoned bikes and sells them to students for $25.  Not a bad deal.

The University of Virginia is trying to get a program going for Mr. Jefferson’s campus and the city of Charlottesville.  It would be one of the largest university programs in the country and feature over 100 bikes.  They hope to have theirs up by Spring of 2013.  What a great way to see the Rotunda!

The folks at Virginia Tech have done a ton of studies of bikeshare programs but do not have one themselves.  Perhaps it’s those darned mountains.  Either way, they have worked closely with the city of Blacksburg to make the area more bike friendly.

The studies that were done at Hokie U dispel the myth that people who bike or participate in bikeshare programs are elitist yuppie snobs.  By studying the demographics in cities like D.C., New York, Chicago, and Denver, they found that those eschewing the auto were a pretty mixed bag.  Riders were well represented by race, education, sex, and income, and the statistics matched up pretty well with their percentage of the population.

One thing that many point to as an obstacle is the up-front cost of starting such a program.  In order for it to be effective, it kind of needs to be cheap for the rider, and in the case of UVA, they’ve spent $35,000 on studies and logistics and are going to need another $500 thousand to get the necessary equipment to start their program.

If you’ve gone to the beach you may have rented a bike.  Great for you, but not a true bikeshare.  Perhaps the answer lies in Miami?

Miami partnered with a company from Canada called SandVault.  SandVault looks for innovative solutions for self serve shared resources.  You know, like a bikeshare.  The rack of bikes is wireless, so you can put it anywhere.  The kiosk is solar powered, so it adds a “green factor” and contributes to the movable feature.  They partner with some other folks to provide the bikes, so the city doesn’t have to be in the bike repair business.  Miami bought the ‘service’, SandVault makes some money, they then share some of the revenue with Miami, and the blue skies of South Florida stay a little more azure.  The neat thing about it is that Miami can move the bikes depending on demographics, events, weather, and need.  For a relatively decent cost to city residents.Miami DecoBike

The city of Richmond has taken the step of painting some bicycle lanes in town.  This is all well and good, but they’ve been talking about these sorts of things for years.  Trails have been promised, routes planned, studies conducted, and conferences convened.  They haven’t, however, put many feet on pedals.  Perhaps we need to organize a GRAOC (gray-ock), or Great Ride Across Our Commonwealth?  Maybe we need a “Critical Mass” type ride to the Governor’s Mansion?

One thing is for sure:  in a couple of years about a half a million bicycle nuts are going to swarm Central Virginia like locusts and they’re going to be expecting to see some cycling.  We need to saddle up and get in shape.

P.S.  Thanks for the rant Mr. Harper

(Featured Image Courtesy bikesbelong.org)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fauquier County Fights Plastic Bag Litter

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Fauquier County Grant from Keep Virginia Beautiful : Plastic Bag Reduction and Recycling Awareness

In April, 2010, Fauquier County applied for and received a $1,000 grant as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful 30 Grants in 30 Days program.  With the grant funds, Fauquier County designed and purchased reusable grocery shopping bags to give out at various events that occurred during 2011.  The purpose of the giveaway was to increase awareness about plastic bag litter and that the fact that reusable bags were better for the environment as a whole.  The first event where these reusable bags were handed out was at the Fauquier County Public School annual benefits fair in August, 2011.  Teachers and staff were very appreciative to receive our attractive bag but also receptive to the plastic bag recycling fact sheet that went along with it (FQ Plastic_Bag_Flyer).  After the benefits fair, teachers who missed out, wrote us and requested a bag.  This event led more schools to accept TREX’s challenge to collect from the community more retail plastic bags in the schools.

The second event where these reusable bags were handed out coincided with the county’s celebration of America Recycles Day on November 15, 2011.  This year, the county’s recycling mascot, Ed E. Earth the Nature Ranger Rabbit, handed out bags to residents at the county’s main waste and recycling collection facility and at three grocery stores in the Town of Warrenton.  This provided a wonderful opportunity to reach out to residents who otherwise did not know that plastic bags could be made into new items if only disposed of properly. Most residents were aware of the litter issue.  The county thanked Bloom, Safeway and Giant for the opportunity to share in heightening of the awareness for the need to recycle in general in Fauquier County.Fauquier County thanks Keep Virginia Beautiful for its grant funds and feels as though litter prevention and recycling campaign was successful.  Awareness is the key to success and if giving someone a small token to serve as a reminder of their needed participation.

Check out the awesome flyer that Fauquier County put together…FQ Plastic_Bag_Flyer !

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New Bill Introduced: Littering will cost you!

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Exciting Legislation coming up during this session of the General Assembly.  Delegate Joe Morrisey (D) is submitting a revision of our current litter laws! To read the full proposed bill, click here: HB114_01.03.12

Basically, he is taking away the prison time and up to $2500 fine and simplifying the litter laws to be very specific about how you dump your litter and trash, including from your vehicle, to be a flat $100 fine and community service ( to pick up the very litter disposed of improperly in the first place).  I think this is much more enforceable and cut and dry; you litter you pay$100!

This is definitely geared toward cigarette litter on the roadways.  Cigarette litter makes up 38% of all litter and costs our state millions of dollars to clean-up, not mention the countless fires started by cigarette butts.  Litterers beware, if you toss that butt…you are going to pay!

PICTURE ABOVE: Shows litter removed from a 1 mile stretch of 288…that’s unacceptable!

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30 in 30 in Action!

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We got an email from a friend in Manassas (thank you Cindy Brookshire!) who gave us an update on one of our 30 Grants in 30 Days Winners.

1 By Youth swarmed Point of Woods and Stonewall Park for a day of some truly amazing beautification.  You can read about it here. Over 600 volunteers from all over Virginia, Maryland and as far away as Pennsylvania jumped in with rakes, shovels, and other tools to revitalize a neighborhood and a park with cleaning, planting, painting, and creating a tribute gazebo and community garden to honor Sgt. John D. Conner III, the only Manassas City police officer to die in the line of duty.

The volunteers made upgrades to playgrounds, cleaned up woods and creeks, started the garden, and helped clean up some of the neighboring homes.  You can see more fantastic photos of the event (courtesy of Bill Corbett) here.

These fine folks had a host of contributors and donations, like music, meals from Chick-Fil-A, and visits from the George Mason Cheerleaders.  We played only a small part, but we’re glad to have been able to contribute.  We’re especially proud of 1 By Youth for the amazing gift that they were able to give this community.

We’d love to hear from some of our other winners and see some more successes at Keeping Virginia Beautiful!

Clean Fairfax

Clean Fairfax Bags a Grand!

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The Clean Fairfax Council has been awarded a $1,000 grant in the Plastic Bag Recycling Category.   The Clean Fairfax Council (CFC) will use the grant funds to create an annual Plastic Bag Recycling Day and Contest to coincide with their Harvest Festival.  Plastic bags are an insidious piece of the litter puzzle in Fairfax County and education is the key to combat this problem.  Reusable bags will continue to be given out for the residents of Fairfax and surrounding areas however this does not stop the problem of plastic bag litter.  Educating children, their parents, their teachers and their neighbors is the only way to change the behaviors of the community as a whole.  Teaching them that there are reuses for plastic bags and that they can easily be recycled and then made into something else like Trex decking is the key to the plastic bag litter puzzle.  For more information of the Clean Fairfax Council or their project, please contact Jennifer Cole at 703-324-5471.

The KVB grant program focuses greater resources and attention on individual localities throughout the Commonwealth and how they are addressing the issues of litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, beautification and education.

KVB provided the opportunity for government, non-profit and/or service organizations in Virginia to apply for one of (30) $1,000 grants in three different categories: 10 grants for plastic bag reduction and recycling, 10 grants for cigarette litter prevention, and 10 grants for community greening and beautification.  These grants are made possible by KVB’s partners, Walmart and Waste Management.

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment.  Our goals include becoming the leading statewide voice, providing a framework for improved communication and collaboration, cultivating and supporting sustainable programs, and engaging citizens by linking them to volunteer opportunities and information through these 5 impact areas:  Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction, Recycling, Beautification, and Environmental Education.

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Manassas Teams with 1 By Youth in $1K Win

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The City of Manassas and 1 By Youth have been awarded a $1,000 grant in the Beautification and Community Greening Category.  The KVB grant program focuses greater resources and attention on individual localities throughout the Commonwealth and how they are addressing the issues of litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, beautification and education.

The City of Manassas and 1 By Youth are partnering up to revitalize the Point of Wood Neighborhood.  With the help of over 1500 volunteers  they intend to use the grant to create a huge 3 acre sustainable community garden for the residents of Point of Woods.  In addition to the community garden:  graffiti will be removed, a memorial gazebo will be built, playgrounds will be refurbished, trash will be cleaned up, and homes will be painted.  Revitalization of an entire neighborhood creates a sense of community, belonging, and hope for the future.  The city of Manassas and 1 By Youth plan to do just that through beautifying and greening a neighborhood in need.  For more information on the City of Manassas, 1 By Youth or their joint project, please contact Lori Perez at 703-967-8863 or [email protected].

KVB provided the opportunity for government, non-profit and/or service organizations in Virginia to apply for one of (30) $1,000 grants in three different categories: 10 grants for plastic bag reduction and recycling, 10 grants for cigarette litter prevention, and 10 grants for community greening and beautification.  These grants are made possible by KVB’s partners, Walmart and Waste Management.

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment.  Our goals include becoming the leading statewide voice, providing a framework for improved communication and collaboration, cultivating and supporting sustainable programs, and engaging citizens by linking them to volunteer opportunities and information through these 5 impact areas:  Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction, Recycling, Beautification, and Environmental Education.