award

Page County Solid Waste Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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Page County, Virginia, LogoPage County Solid Waste is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant for their Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community. Grants must focus on one of the following priorities: Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Page County is a small, rural county bordering the Shenandoah National Park with a population of 23,000 people. The Solid Waste department runs two landfills  and two citizen drop-off areas. They accept trash and recycling from three towns, county citizens, and surrounding counties.

Concerned about the amount of cigarette butts littered, they will launch a “No Butts About It” campaign in an effort to raise awareness and reduce cigarette butt litter.  With funds provided by the Green Grant award, the Solid Waste department of Page County will purchase cigarette butt receptacles to encourage proper disposal of cigarette litter.

With funds received from the Green Grant award, stationary receptacles will be purchased and placed at the county’s convenience sites, and mounted receptacles will be installed at community buildings.  They will also distribute auto ash trays at different events throughout the year, such as Earth Day, Ruritan talks, and a Hazardous Waste event.  As part of the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP), they will count cigarette butts collected in the targeted areas before the installation of the receptacles, and compare that to the number of butts found littered after the receptacles are in place.  ArcMate trash grabbers will also be purchased for the safety and convenience of those picking up the littered cigarette butts.  The data that is collected will be compared and analyzed to determine any patterns of littering behaviors.

Thank you Page County Solid Waste Department for addressing the problem of cigarette butt litter — the Number One most commonly littered item in the state!

Keep Middlesex Beautiful Logo

Keep Middlesex Beautiful Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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Keep Middlesex Beautiful LogoKeep Middlesex Beautiful is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant to improve Recycling at community gatherings, as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community. Grants must focus on one of the following priorities: Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Keep Middlesex Beautiful (KMB) is a volunteer committee chartered and sponsored by the Middlesex County Board of Supervisor, established to serve, support, and inspire a litter-free and beautiful Middlesex County. Their initiatives for this year are to reset waste management culture within the County by implementing county-wide clean ups and reinstating recycling programs at events in the County. KMB serves a rich diversity of people in small villages, towns, and rural farmlands throughout Middlesex County.

Plastic plate of oyster with drink in aluminum canFunds provided by the Green Grant award will be used to purchase recycling receptacles to be used at major events in Middlesex County, including the Urbanna Oyster Festival, Wings and Wheels, Arts in the Middle, and Deltaville’s Groovin’ Concert Series. They will also install visual aids at each recycling bin to identify which items are recyclable, as well as entryway signs at the event venues to help patrons understand the importance of recycling. These efforts will make a significant impact on the overall reduction of recyclable items being sent to county landfills.

Keep Middlesex County Beautiful plans to implement and record the amount of items recycled at each event.  A secondary goal will be to, where possible, eliminate single-use plastic items, and where not possible, ensure proper selection of plastics to improve overall recycling rates.

Group of people with litter grabbers and trash bags after doing a litter cleanup

Lynnhaven River NOW Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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Group of people with litter grabbers and trash bags after doing a litter cleanupLynnhaven River NOW is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community. Grants must focus on one of the following priorities: Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Lynnhaven River NOW, headquartered in Virginia Beach, was established in 2002 with the mission of restoring and protecting their waterways and natural areas. Their programs focus on community awareness and engagement, as well as restoration and advocacy. They have 12,000 members, including families, businesses, faith communities and over 100 schools.   Their goal is clean and healthy Virginia Beach waterways and their objectives are to identify and reduce sources of contamination in the waterways; reduce nutrients, sediments and chemicals running off of lawns, parking lots, roadways, farmland and out of our septic systems; to educate and engage the community and partner organizations in restoring and protecting our waterways and natural areas; and to restore lost habitats such as oyster reefs, salt marshes, native plants, forests and other buffers that help to filter polluted runoff and protect our waterways and their marine life.

Lynnhaven River NOW logoVolunteers and members of Lynnhaven River NOW regularly conduct cleanups throughout the city. In 2022, volunteers collected 10,000 pounds of debris from waterways, wetlands, and natural areas.  They typically do between 30 and 40 cleanup events each year!

Funds provided by the Green Grants program will be used to purchase cleanup tool, such as wheelbarrows, litter grabbers, children’s litter grabbers, and safety vests to replace broken equipment and provide the additional equipment.  Volunteers need the equipment to do the work safely and efficiently.

Our judges agreed, and their proposal was funded for a 2023 Green Grant!  Thank you, Lynnhaven River NOW, for the work you’re doing!

Soldier shooting during target practice

Attention! Fort Barfoot Awarded $1,000 Green Grant for Recycling

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Soldier shooting during target practiceThe Department of Military Affairs at Fort Barfoot, near Blackstone, is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Recycling Category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

The Virginia National Guard is a unique dual-status force with a federal mission to provide a combat reserve for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to fight our nation’s wars and a state mission to provide a response force that answers the call of the Governor to defend the commonwealth. Currently, Fort Barfoot uses plastic targets on their ranges during target practice. The plastic is not recyclable and creates a waste problem.

With funds provided by the Recycling Green Grant award will test a plant/hemp-based plastic target. Hemp is a sustainable agricultural crop that requires minimal resources to grow and can have a fibrous structure that acts as a reinforcement for materials. If the plant/hemp-based plastic targets are successful after testing, it will solve the plastic target waste problem, not only here in Virginia, but at other training facilities across the country.

A testing report will be provided to Keep Virginia Beautiful at the end of the trial use of the plant/hemp-based target. Records will be kept to track the weight and number of regular plastic targets that would have been sent to the landfill.

Our appreciation goes out to the soldiers who train at Fort Barfoot for their service and their concern about plastic waste!

Railroad bridge in St. Paul, Virginia

Town of St. Paul Awarded $500 Green Grant

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Railroad bridge in St. Paul, VirginiaThe Town of St. Paul is awarded a $500 Green Grant in the Cigarette Litter Prevention as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community. Grants must focus on one of the following priorities: Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Founded in 1911, the Town of St. Paul it is one of the smallest of the six towns in Wise County. Many people visit the town of St. Paul because of their location and the many natural resources of the area.

With cigarette butts being the number one most littered item in Virginia, the Town of St. Paul wants to reduce the amount of cigarette butts littered on the ground. Although they have multiple cigarette butt receptacles throughout Town, there is a need to place more outside of local downtown businesses and in the park. Funds provided by the Green Grants Program will be used to purchase and install three permanent cigarette butt receptacles.

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve the natural and scenic environment.  Since 2011, the Green Grants Program has provided $282,000 for 385 programs and projects throughout the state.  Funding is made possible through generous support from  Altria, as well as additional sponsorships from WestRock and Village Bank.

Raised beds in demonstration garden

Hanover Master Gardeners Awarded Green Grant

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The Hanover Master Gardener Association is awarded a $750 Green Grant in the Community Beautification Category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Raised garden beds in demonstration garden Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community. Grants must focus on one of the following priorities: Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Hanover Master Gardener Association is a corps of volunteer educators trained to teach best practices in home gardening and sustainable landscape management in the community. Their newly constructed Horticultural Learning Center, located on Rt. 54 in Ashland, will be a space for public education, demonstrating research-based gardening practices that can be incorporated into the home setting.  It includes raised beds created with different materials.  They contain perennials, vegetables, and native plants.

Funds provided by this grant award will be used to purchase and install a drip irrigation system for watering at the Horticultural Learning Center.  Rainwater will be harvested from the gutters of the adjoining Taylor Complex building. This will demonstrate water-wise gardening, with ideas and information that homeowners can use in their own backyards.

Future plans include an open-air classroom that will offer seating and shelter where people will attend lectures, workshops and demonstrations with a view of the surrounding gardens. Garden produce will be donated to a local food pantry. The Horticultural Learning Center will be created and cared for by Hanover Master Gardeners.

Since 2011, the Green Grants Program has provided $282,000 for 385 programs and projects throughout the state.  Funding is made possible through generous support from  Altria, as well as additional sponsorships from WestRock and Village Bank.

 

Work of Life Program Awarded $1,000 for Recycling

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Logo for Work of Life at John Handley High SchoolWork of Life at Handley High School is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Recycling category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 13th Annual Green Grants Program!

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Located in Winchester, Virginia in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, the Work of Life program is a group of senior students with disabilities who are preparing for working in the community, including Autism, Intellectual disability, and speech and language disabilities.  Students learn about social/emotional skills, vocational work, and daily living skills. They perform work within the school that includes filling plasticware containers for lunch, help at a clothes closet, and sell coffee and snacks. All of the students work in the public sector as well.

Funds provided by this grant award will be used to purchase ten 23-gallon recycling bins with lids, recycling signs, and an industrial digital scale to measure the impact of their recycling program. Each week, students in the Work of Life program will collect recyclable items from the classrooms, such as plastic bottles, paper products, and cardboard boxes.

This is a wonderful opportunity to educate students about the value of recycling!  Thank you Handley High School for the work you’re doing!

Community Garden and Skate Board Ramp

Verdant Richmond Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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Community Garden and Skate Board RampCongratulations to Verdant Richmond for their Community Beautification grant award of $1,000 as part of our 13th annual Green Grants Program!

Verdant Richmond was founded in 2017 to address the condition of Richmond’s parks and public green spaces.  They applied for a Green Grant in order to improve a small but extremely active Richmond City Park.  The site hosts a Skatepark, Community Garden, and a Children’s Play Space.  The goal is to improve the public green space that supports skate park users, playing children, the ecology and biodiversity of the site, to deepen interdependence between neighbors.

As the skatepark has grown over the past decade, the overall look of the park is somewhat disjointed, with some of the skate ramps covered in vibrant murals, while others are worn, peeling, or defaced. The skaters, neighbors and gardeners believe the space would benefit greatly from cosmetic improvements and a cohesive look.

Each year on June 21st, skateboarders from around the world celebrate Go Skateboarding Day. This year, Gardeners and Skaters are coming together at Maymond Community Garden to refresh and add to the murals that cover the park in the days leading up to Go Skateboarding Day. A group of local artists will paint fresh works inspired by the vibrant colors of the nearby garden flora to create a space that is visually pleasing to the eye and welcoming to community members of all ages.  It is anticipated that 300-400 people will attend Go Skateboarding Day.

In preparation for the event, Verdant Richmond will coordinate their largest ever skate and garden volunteer cleanup. There is a lot of litter and construction debris at the site.  They expect to have over 50 volunteers participate in the re-painting and cleanup work days.  They will repaint approximately 3,600 square feet of walls and ramps at the Skate Park/Garden site, with approximately 15 murals by 15 local artists.

What a beautiful way to cleanup a public green space, we’ll have to check it out!

 

06-03-23 Pulaski Co. (300 × 300 px)

Pulaski County is Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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We’re pleased to announce that Pulaski County, in Southwestern Virginia, is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in Litter Prevention as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification..

The goal of Pulaski County is to involve the general population in their litter program called, “One Bag Challenge.” This is an ongoing challenge to all citizens, civic groups, Boards, Towns, county departments, and agencies to pick up One Bag of Trash from roadsides or wherever they find litter.  Citizens and groups picking up are asked to submit pictures of themselves with the litter they’ve cleaned up from the location.  The pictures are posted on the Pulaski County Clean Community Council Facebook page.

The County anticipates that hundreds of people will participate to remove bags of litter, tires, discarded furniture, appliances, and other items from the landscape.

The funds awarded for the Green Grant will be used to purchase supplies necessary for participants to safely cleanup litter.  Litter grabbers, gloves, vests, and bags will be given to individuals for the One Bag Challenge.

Thank you, Pulaski County, for the work you’re doing to encourage litter cleanup!

06-02-23 Art Guild

Art Guild of Greene Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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The Art Guild of Greene is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Recycling Category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program!

The Art Guild of Greene has been a supporter of the art departments in the five Greene County School District since it was organized in 2012.  It support the teachers financially each semester in order for them to purchase supplies that are not covered in the school’s budget.  Each art teacher has been “adopted” by an Art Guild Of Greene Board Member, who keeps in touch with them to stay aware of the needs for that department.

Through this contact, it was discovered that the Primary School’s art teacher’s classroom is located in a trailer that doesn’t have running water.  The teacher transports water to the classroom for each class session, disposing of it outside after classes have ended.  The teacher also uses disposable hand wipes to clean the students’ hands after they participate in art projects.

With funds provided by this grant award, The Art Guild of Greene a rain barrel will be installed to capture rain draining off the art classroom roof, and will provide clean running water in trailer to use when painting and washing the students’ hands.  When the rain barrel water is collected and connected to the sink and drain, it will provide the water necessary for painting and other art projects, and eliminate the need for disposable hand wipes.

Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation Department made a donation  of the rain barrel.  Gutters will be installed on both the front and the rear of the Art Trailer, with connected downspouts that feed into the rain barrel; and an existing  sink will be modified with a functioning drain system beneath the trailer onto the asphalt foundation by a local plumber.

Having water available from the rain barrel to the Art Trailer for students to use for their art work will not only be easier on the art instructor, it will eliminate the need for disposable hand wipes, and reduce the amount of paper towels in the classroom.

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