30 IN 30

April 11 2022

Grant Applications Now Open

Beckey Watson Uncategorized $1000, $500, 30 IN 30, funds, Grant Awards, Grants, Green Grants, projects

Our Green Grants program is one of our favorite ways to engage the people who live in Virginia to improve our natural and scenic environment. We know there are so many innovative ideas out there, and we will fund thirty of them this year.

The grant applications are now open online! Grants of $500, $750, or $1,000 will be awarded to groups, such as schools, parks, counties and towns, environmental groups, associations, nonprofits, and service organizations in four categories: Litter Prevention, Cigarette Litter Prevention, Community Beautification, and Recycling. Just select the category that matches your project or program and submit an application before April 30, 2022. Here’s a little more detail about the categories.

Litter Prevention

Grants are awarded to groups that aim to clean up, prevent, or reduce litter. Funding will support cleanup supplies, cleanup events, including water cleanups. Studies show that an area that does not contain litter less likely to become littered in the future. The purpose of these grants is to support sustainable prevention and reduction of litter in Virginia. Litter Prevention Grant Application

Cigarette Litter Prevention

Cigarette butts account for over 30% of all U.S. roadway litter and storm drain litter. Grants are awarded for projects that include public education and awareness of the issue of cigarette litter, placing cigarette butt receptacles at transition points (such as entrances to public buildings), and/or distributing pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers. Cigarette Litter Prevention Grant Application

Community Beautification

The purpose of this grant is to support beautification efforts within Virginia’s communities. Grants are awarded to groups who create projects or programs that beautify and benefit the community, such as community gardens, renovating vacant lots, removing or repainting graffiti, creating green public spaces, and community revitalization projects. Community Beautification Grant Application

Recycling

Grants in the Recycling category are awarded to groups that implement or expand programs to reduce waste, increase recycling, and other inventive ways to reuse or repurpose recyclable/non-recyclable items in Virginia. Funding will support recycling receptacles, fix-it fairs, re-usable produce and shopping bags, water refilling stations, and other efforts to eliminate the dependence on single-use items. Recycling Grant Application

Please visit our Green Grants page for more resources to inspire your projects, and follow this link to see last year’s Green Grant Awards for great examples.

If you have questions about the Green Grants program, or are interested in attending a virtual Q&A session, please contact Beckey Watson, Development Director.

November 1 2021

Green Grant Results Are In

Beckey Watson Uncategorized 30 IN 30, award, Barn Quilts, Beautification, Green Grants, Pocket Park

Every year, Keep Virginia Beautiful award thirty grants to support environmental projects, and announces them one each day during the month of June, through our 30 in 30 Green Grants Program. The final reports are starting to come in – and we’re impressed to see the results!

On June 28, we awarded a grant to the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce in the Community Beautification category. The Chamber works to promote economic development, workforce training, tourism, and activities that enhance business and civic leadership. Their proposal was to turn a small, town-owned lot in Stuart into a vibrant pocket park. The lot is next to the popular Tony’s Pizza Restaurant, and highly visible from the main thoroughfare. The Chamber used their grant funds to purchase large planters to plant flowers in the new park, as well as paint and other supplies. The Patrick County Barn Quilt group created large Barn Quilts especially for the pocket park.

The work was completed this summer, and Tony’s Pizza Pocket Park is officially up and running! The Patrick County Chamber of Commerce planted over 40 different flowers and shrubs in the space. The picnic tables were painted and the whole area was pressure washed. Beautiful Barn Quilts depict local history and heritage, and provide a colorful backdrop.

The area is open to the public for all to visit and enjoy. Members of the community have taken notice, with several people writing to the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce to thank them for the work.

If you have an idea for a beautification project in your community, we encourage you to apply for 30 in 30 Green Grants next spring. For more information on the program, please visit our website, or contact [email protected]. You can also sign up to receive our monthly eNews to be the first to learn about our giveaways, grant opportunities, and events.

June 6 2021

$1,000 Award Goes to the Patrick Henry’s Red Hill

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized 30 IN 30, award, Green Grants, recycle, recycling

Today’s 2021 Green Grants award goes to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, in Charlotte County, who will receive $1000 for its Recycling project. We’ll be announcing one award each day during the month of June.

Every year, 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.

The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation promotes educational and research programs studying the life and legacy of Patrick Henry. The foundation is located at Red Hill, Patrick Henry’s last home and burial place, which has been converted to a historic site and museum. The foundation is responsible for restoring, maintaining, and sharing Red Hill with the public.

Recycling is an important way to help keep Red Hill as beautiful as when Patrick Henry moved there in 1796. The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation will use grant funds to purchase and install recycling bins and supplies. One will be placed at the picnic area where school children and adults can recycle plastic, cardboard, and aluminum from their lunches. Another will be placed outside the Visitor Center for staff and visitors to use each day.

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve the natural and scenic environment. Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $254,500 for 320 different environmental programs and projects all across the Commonwealth, due to the generosity of their partnership with Altria, as well as additional support from Coca-Cola, WestRock and Keep America Beautiful.

June 5 2021

Scott County is Ready to Cleanup!

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized 30 IN 30, cleanup, Cleanup supplies, Green Grants, Litter Prevention

Congratulations to Scott County Litter Control, who is today’s award of our 2021 Green Grants! They will receive $500 for its LItter Prevention project. We’ll be announcing one each day during the month of June.

The Scott County Litter Control office fields concerns and complaints regarding litter and illegal dumping throughout the large rural county. The Litter Control Officer also organizes and conducts volunteer cleanup projects, as well as provides informational presentations to the public, including school group presentations and staffed tables at community events.

Grant funds will be used to purchase litter grabbers and cleanup supplies to use at various community cleanup operations throughout Scott County. Many of the volunteers that come out to cleanup events include families of all ages, so providing tools will make their job easier and their efforts safer.

June 4 2021

Don’t Leave Your Butts Behind

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized 30 IN 30, cigarette butts, Cigarette Litter, CLPP, Grant, Grants, Green Grants, Tazewell

We’re excited to announce today’s award of our 2021 Green Grants goes to the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office in Tazewell County, who will receive a grant award of $1000 for its Cigarette Litter Prevention project. We’ll be announcing one each day during the month of June.

Every year, 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.

The Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office is a full service law enforcement agency that has developed a strong initiative to clean up Tazewell County. They have partnered with several Tazewell County civic organizations to create and support cleanup events. Their “Don’t Leave Your Butts Behind” campaign will tackle the issue of cigarette butt litter.

The Sheriff’s Office will use their grant funds to purchase six cigarette butt receptacles to place at strategic points at county buildings. By providing people with a place to properly dispose of cigarette butts, it will reduce the amount of cigarette butts being thrown on the ground.

June 2 2021

Special Spotlight of Green Grant Awards!

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized 30 IN 30, Beautification, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Grants, Green Grants, Northern Neck, Petersburg, Richmond, trails

Because 2020 was a year that brought the national spotlight to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we decided to create a special focus of our Green Grants this year to add five additional grant awards specifically to diverse groups and underserved populations. This will raise our grant award commitment to 35 grants in 30 days! Each Wednesday we will announce two organizations on the same day that are doing great things for this important segment of our population.

Today we recognize Pretty Purposed, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to empowering girls, ages 9-14, through mentorship and activities that promote healthy physical, social, and emotional development. Pretty Purposed, in Petersburg, will receive a grant award of $1000 for its Community Beautification project.

Pretty Purposed will enhance the community space at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, located in the heart of Petersburg, because the church provides in-kind space to the nonprofit. Grant funds will be used to purchase hanging plants, soil, raised garden beds, supplies to build a bench, and start-up costs for a Little Free Library. This project will provide beautification for the community, and will foster gardening skills, provide healthy food, and build leadership skills for program participants.

Pretty Purposed is dedicated to being a safe space where girls can grow and glow. We look forward to seeing their Community Beautification project come to life!

Today we also recognize The Friends of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail, a 501(c)3 nonprofit group of volunteers who aim to protect the 16-mile Dahlgren Railroad Heritage just south of the Potomac River in Virginia’s Northern Neck.

There are areas on the Dahlgren Trail that need raised bridges or boardwalks to ensure safe and equitable access for those with limited mobility. Funds from the Green Grant will be used to build a raised boardwalk in a chronically muddy and sometimes impassable section of the trail. This area is located at approximately mile 1.9, which is one of the most commonly visited and used sections of the Dahlgren Trail, near the trailhead.

30in30 2021 posts - Partnership for a New Phoebus

June 1 2021

First Green Grant is Awarded to Partnership for a New Phoebus

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized 30 IN 30, award, awards, Beautification, Green Grants, Hampton, rain garden, shore

We’re excited to announce the first award of our 2021 “Green Grants!” We’ll be announcing one each day during the month of June.

Congratulations to the Partnership for a New Phoebus, located in Hampton, who will receive a grant award of $1000 for its Community Beautification project!

Partnership for a New Phoebus will improve the flood resiliency, landscape aesthetics, and overall amenities of their new waterfront park. The neighborhood’s small waterfront green space, the Phoebus Waterfront Park, was formerly a vacant business and parking lot that stood on historically significant land. Rain gardens will be installed to purify storm water draining into the Chesapeake Bay, and serve as a pollinator garden. Native marsh grass along the shore will be installed to act as a natural safeguard against erosion. Grant funds will be used to purchase an acre’s worth of seeds and plugs for restoring the salt marsh, as well as native pollinator plants.

May 10 2021

Here Comes the Judge

Beckey Watson Uncategorized 30 IN 30, award, awards, Beautification, Cigarette Litter, environment, green, Green Grants, litter, Litter Prevention, recycle, recycling, Virginia

Thank you to everyone who submitted an application for our 30 in 30 Green Grants Program! We had a good response in all four categories, outlining projects that were varied and purposeful. They clearly demonstrate the needs in communities, and show what can be done with dedication and some funding. The judges certainly will have a tough time evaluating and scoring this year’s proposals!

We’d like to thank this year’s panel of judges for their expertise in their fields. They take time from their busy days to read, evaluate, and score applications for their respective category. We will compile their scores to determine the top applications, and announce one grant award each day during the month of June on our website and social media channels.

Judging Panel for 2021 Green Grants

Community Beautification Category
Renesha Chiles, Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
Lane Guilliam, former KVB Board member, Wilton House
Nancy Heltman, Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
Eunice Kulesza, former Sr. Env. Comp. Specialist at FAREVA
Kathy Emerson, Local Artist
Chris Vassey, Attorney, KVB Board member

Litter Prevention and Cigarette Litter Prevention Categories
Carol W. Doss, Former KVB Board member, Keep SW Virginia Beautiful
Kris Ferguson, KVB Board Member, Ferguson Environmental Consulting
Julia Hillegass, KVB Board Member, Agricultural Reserve City of Virginia Beach
Kendra Norrell, Community Outreach Coordinator, City of Richmond
Suzanne Taylor, Dept. of Environmental Quality

Recycling Category
Chris Conley, Afton Chemical
Jake Hughes, WestRock
Rebecca Johnson, WestRock
Roseann Lee, WestRock
Ravi Menon, Afton Chemical
Douglas Sharo, KVB Board Member, Sustainability Manager, WestRock
Cathy Warner, GHD
Julie Williams-Daves, Dominion Energy

We are also very grateful to this year’s sponsors: Altria, Coca-Cola, WestRock, and Keep America Beautiful! We sincerely appreciate the financial and other support they provide.

Follow THIS LINK to see the list of last year’s Green Grant Awards. Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $254,500 for 320 different programs and projects throughout the state.

April 26 2021

Get Green Money!

Beckey Watson Uncategorized 30 IN 30, Beautification, cigarette butts, Cigarette Litter, environment, Grant, Grants, green, Green Grants, litter, Litter Prevention, plastic bags, recycle, recycling, reduce, reuse

This is the last week that we’re accepting applications for our 30 in 30 Green Grants Program, so what are you waiting for? Get your online application form submitted before midnight, April 30^th!

Do you have a business or organization that is tired of cigarette butts on the ground? One of the categories for grant funds is Cigarette Litter Prevention. Cigarette Butts are the most littered item in the world! They do not biodegrade and fade away harmlessly; cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, which is a form of plastic that does not go away, and they contain toxic chemicals. Although small, they move with the rain across streets and parking lots, into storm drains, and into our beautiful waterways. Did you know that cigarette butts can be recycled? Learn more about Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, and how Terracycle turns cigarette waste products into usable products. Then apply for a Cigarette Litter Prevention Green Grant if it’s a good fit for your business or organization!

Do you belong to a Scouting group, faith organization, or school PTO? Another category we’re awarding grant funds for is Recycling. The first thought that comes to mind is the blue bins with the chasing arrows recycling symbol on the side – and those are very useful! But there is much more to recycling these days, it’s not just about cardboard and paper. Plastic produce and checkout bags, dry cleaning bags, package wrap, bread wrappers and more can all be kept out of the landscape and landfill by recycling them. Many stores across the state, such as Giant, Food Lion, Kroger, Target, and Staples will accept the bags you bring to them. Repurposing is another form of Recycling. Could your group host a “Fix-it Fair” where handymen and women repair items that may otherwise be added to the landfill? Or repurposing items for art, if you know a group that would have that talent and ability!

The two other categories for Green Grant awards is Community Beautification and Litter Prevention. Check out our webpage to learn more, and get your applications submitted before the April 30^thdeadline!

April 12 2021

What Would You Do With $1,000?

Beckey Watson Uncategorized 30 IN 30, awards, cigarette butts, Cigarette Litter, Clean Fairfax, Grant, Grants, Green Grants, recycle, recycling, Richmond, Southwest Virginia

That’s the question we ask this time of year as we launch our 30 in 30 Green Grants Program. What would you do with a grant of $500, $750, or $1,000 to improve the natural and scenic environment in your community? To give you some inspiration, here are the results of three of the Green Grants awards the judges chose for 2020.

The City of Norton in Southwest Virginia applied for a grant in the Cigarette Litter Prevention (CLPP) category. They targeted an area in Downtown Norton where there was an abundance of cigarette butts littered on the ground. They did a scan of the area and picked up 1,365 butts in August. They installed 12 cigarette butt receptacles in the area, and did a second scan about a month later. They only found 16 cigarette butts after the installation of the receptacles! They also handed out 50 pocket ashtrays to citizens at a farmer’s market, city hall, and their community center.

The Friends of Bryan Park in Richmond saw a need to reduce the number of recyclable bottles and cans that were being thrown in the trash cans near a public athletic field. A team of volunteers routinely sorted out the bottles and cans from the trash, estimating that approximately 340 cans and bottles were being thrown away each week. They applied for a Green Grant to purchase five recycling bins to be placed at the most active locations at Parker Field. After a 5-week pilot project, 1,700 cans and bottles were collected in the recycle bins – success!

In a “think outside the box” way, Keep Prince William Beautiful in Woodbridge hosted a Fix It Fair last Summer. Their grant application in the Recycling category wanted to offer community members an opportunity to bring broken items to determine if they could be repaired instead of being thrown out and added to the landfill. With the help of nine skilled “fixers” and several volunteers, they were able to successfully repair items brought to the Fix It Fair, including wooden and metal furniture, bicycles, jewelry, clothing, televisions, computers, and even a beloved stuffed octopus who was in need of repair. By holding their fair outdoors, they were able to offer the event within COVID guidelines, and were very happy with the results.

So, what would you do in your community with a Green Grant? Applications are now being accepted!