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Using a 30 in Thirty Green Grant to Stub Out Butts!

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Each year, we’re able to give out a ton of Green Grants to groups and organizations across the Commonwealth for projects that align with our mission to keep Virginia beautiful. Since 2011, we’ve awarded over $203,000 for 260 projects. The Green Grant for the Town of Kilmarnock was one such award.

We’ll let them explain why they applied:

“The park opened in 2017 and we have been struggling with cigarette litter. Our Mayor and staff go to the park every day and within one week we have gathered 100’s of cigarette butts people have tossed in the park! Most of the litter is found in the grass off the sidewalks and even with designated smoking areas, people still are not placing their litter where it belongs. They are tossing it near children’s areas, vendor lots, and walking paths. 

This grant would allow our park staff to place more ash receptacles at our high traffic transition points with the phrase ” Park your butts here.” We think the slogan fits very nice with our park and will hopefully grab the attention of these guilty offenders. We also would be able to place informational signs on these receptacles and better educate people what they are doing to our park.”

This sounded like a worthy project, so we awarded them a Green Grant to get started:

“This project has been amazing! The results are great! We went from 100’s of nasty cigarette butts to NONE on the ground around the children’s areas in the matter of 9 weeks!  It has been such an amazing project for the park that we have had talks about introducing it to the Town and adding the signs and more urns to the sidewalks on our streets. The children’s areas are cleaner and parents have complimented on the no smoking signs and how happy they are to see no butts on the grounds where their children play. We added 3 no smoking signs around the Splash Pad as well as 2 informational signs when entering the children’s areas. As well as signs attached to the urns. Mr. Don’t Be A Butt has been very well received in our community and the project has been a huge success! It will continue at the park for years to come as well as hopes of moving it to other areas of the community.”

This is what we can do with the help of folks like you.

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How Clean is Your Festival?

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A while back, we read an article from the U.K. about music festivals. It seems a rumor had started floating around that if you were to leave your tent behind, festival organizers would come by and take down your tent, and then donate it to homeless folks and refugees. At huge festivals like Reading and Leeds, thousands of tents were left behind. Some marketers were even selling tents advertised as “festival tents,” implying that they were disposable.

Tents are not disposable, and they didn’t get donated.

Not only that, festival-goers seemed to have left behind everything else they touched while they were getting in touch with the music. The United Kingdom has historically had some pretty epic music festivals, but the country is only so big. Yet a report in 2015 estimated that their annual music festivals generated over 23,000 tons of garbage, and less than 50% of it was recycled.

We were pretty excited to be at the recent State Fair of Virginia. The State Fair was a big part of our early history, and it was great to return. Our presence there was small, but we talked to thousands of people about the importance of litter prevention, recycling, and keeping Virginia beautiful. We used the opportunity to hand out tons of pocket ashtrays and had a team traveling the fairgrounds reminding people to use the trash and recycling bins properly.

The week before that, we were at the Richmond Folk Festival. This, too, has become a regular event for us. A few years back, we helped to provide the City of Richmond with 100 recycling carts. They keep them in storage and pull them out for events just like this. We again had a great volunteer Green Team that got to enjoy a weekend of fantastic music as we helped to recycle and keep the Folk Festival environmentally friendly.

We’ve even helped NASCAR do a better job when they make their annual trips to Richmond.

Some friends of ours own a company called Haymaker Productions. They provide everything from generators to stages to lighting and ticketing for events like the Folk Festival. They’ve done everything from smaller events like concerts at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens to presidential inaugurations and Bonnaroo.

One of their services is helping to keep a big event environmentally friendly. They have generators and large vehicles that run on biodiesel. They offer a tracking service that tells a festival host exactly what the energy cost is for their event. They even have vehicles that are specifically designed for environmentally fragile areas – vehicles designed to leave an extremely small footprint.

We love a good outdoor event and we love good music. But your attendance should be like a walk in the mountains. Take nothing but pictures and memories and leave nothing but footprints.

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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

 

 

Keep Manassas Beautiful

Keep Manassas Beautiful Wins Final 30 in Thirty!

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Keep Manassas Beautiful has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $1,000 in the cigarette litter prevention category. Keep Manassas Beautiful strives to educate and engage residents to take responsibility for improving their community and environment through litter prevention, beautification and responsible recycling. With funding awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful, their first Cigarette Litter Prevention Program will raise awareness of new littering ordinances and educate the public about the proper way to dispose of their cigarette litter. Volunteers will use vending trays to walk around and distribute portable ashtrays to drivers and visitors to bars and restaurants in Downtown Manassas, and at public events.

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $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, we have 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.

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Prince George County Wins 30 in Thirty!

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The County of Prince George has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $500 in the Recycling category. The Prince George County Clean Community Day is held annually to dispose of household hazardous waste, tire collection, paper shredding, electronics, and other recyclables or bulky trash items, at no charge to county residents. There is also a litter cleanup through the Adopt-A-Highway program, with volunteers scheduled to be out on many local roads. Funds awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful will be used to cover the cost of shredding, tire collection, and other expense of the Clean Community Day. The goal of this project is to have as many citizens as possible participate in order to create awareness, and help reduce and recycle in the proper way.

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $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, we have 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.

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Virginia Clean Cities Wins 30 in Thirty

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Virginia Clean Cities has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $750.00 in the Community Beautification category. Virginia Clean Cities does weekly pickups of garbage in the inner streets of Harrisonburg, using trash can carts. Their project is to run an “artisan trash cart workshop” to gather volunteers and materials to design and create their own trash cart. Teams will sign up for designated streets, and create carts primarily from recycled items, but will be fully mobile to allow teams to collect garbage in their neighborhoods. Funds awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful will be used to purchase trash cans and wheels for the base of the trash carts, as well as a supply of trash bags. Teams will support and engage with local coordinated cleanup efforts with other organizations.

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $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, we have 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.

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Montpelier Foundation Wins 30 in Thirty

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The Montpelier Foundation has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $1000 in the Recycling category. The Montpelier Foundation wants to have a recycling option for the thousands of people that visit the home of James Madison. The Exchange Cafe in Montpelier’s Visitor Center is a top priority for installation of recycling receptacles because it receives some of the highest volume of waste of any area on campus. Funds awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful will be used to purchase dual trash and recycling receptacles for the cafe. The Foundation expects a significant volume of recyclable material will be removed from the cafe and sent for recycling on an ongoing basis.

Photo: Ethan Hickerson (mobelux)

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $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, we have 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.

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TWP – The Youth Movement Wins 30 in Thirty

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Teens With Purpose – The Youth Movement has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $1000 in the “Community Beautification” category. The goal of TWP – The Youth Movement is to develop a safe, welcoming neighborhood garden space for art, entertainment and learning in St. Paul’s Quadrant, the area with Norfolk’s highest concentration of low income public housing. They plan to transform vacant lots provided by the City of Norfolk to create sustainable neighborhood gardens, giving residents the opportunity to grow their own fresh produce, fruit and flowers, and to learn the health benefits of gardening and healthy eating. Funds awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful will be used to purchase fruit trees, berry plants, roses, and supplies needed for the garden.

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $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, we have 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.

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A 30 in Thirty for the Blue Ridge Parkway!

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Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $750 in the “Litter Prevention” category. The Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway conduct monthly cleanups that collect numerous bags of trash, discarded bottles, old tires and many other items littering the Parkway. Grant funds provided by Keep Virginia Beautiful will be used to purchase trash grabbers and shoulder waste bags, to make environmental cleanups easier for their retiree volunteers. These volunteers are a great asset to the organization, and by providing tools that are helpful, the Friends hope to support and grow the numbers of volunteers who can participate in litter removal. 

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $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, we have 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.

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Friends of Norfolk’s Environment Wins 30 in Thirty

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Friends of Norfolk’s Environment (FONE) has been awarded a 30 in Thirty Grant of $1,000 in the Community Beautification category. FONE is a group of dedicated volunteer community leaders who work to improve Norfolk’s environment through stewardship, education, and restoration. The goals of their project, “Food Desert to Sustainable Urban Micro-Farm,” are to restore a vacant lot, and create a sustainable neighborhood garden in the Villa Heights neighborhood of Norfolk. Funds provided by our grant award will be used to purchase seeds, vegetable plants, pollinator plants, fruit trees, and a metal 55-gallon trashcan for litter.

Government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $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, we have 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.

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