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2024 Green Grants Award #16: Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter

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Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter logo with a drawing of hands holding a heartCongratulations to the Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter (WATTS) for their $1,000 Green Grants award to improve Cigarette Litter Prevention at their facility!

WATTS began serving adult men and women whom other homeless organizations have refused shelter fourteen years ago. This Evening Shelter program is operated from November through March and primarily serves Winchester, Frederick, and Clarke Counties and secondly, surrounding Northern Virginia counties.

Beginning in 2020, WATTS added a new initiative, the Daytime Shelter program, consisting of Warming and Cooling Centers. They operate from December through March, July and August. Located at a church in the Winchester area, guests can get a reprieve from the harsh Virginia winter and summer temps and access the WATTS counseling staff that provides necessary resources and support to achieve self-sufficiency.

WATTS submitted a proposal for the Green Grants category of  Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP). The smoking area at the Daytime Shelter is used by smokers and by the counseling staff, to meet with guests.

Area near brick church building that will hold benches and cigarette butt receptaclesThe WATTS Daytime Shelters are a daytime, cold, and hot weather facility that operates when precipitation, wind, temperature, and wind chill or heat become dangerously extreme. Its primary goal is preventing death and injury from exposure to these weather conditions, reducing the population of homeless individuals who are left outside during extreme temperatures.  The program hopes that fewer urgent care or emergency room visits are required.  Its secondary goal is to connect individuals with transitional support to break the cycle of homelessness.  The estimated attendance for this year is 350 guests

The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program will give homeless individuals a place to go and sit, to enjoy being both indoors and outdoors– with no judgment. Often, they are discouraged from sitting in public parks and public buildings based solely on what they look like. Specifically, the outdoor smoking area at the WATTS Daytime Shelter will allow them space and time to reap the benefits of spending time in nature.

Grant funds will be used to purchase two Smoker’s Outpost receptacles to collect cigarette butts safely, and two six-foot outdoor park benches from Global Industrial to provide seating for smokers.

The project makes a big difference to the local homeless community for the 350 adult men and women attending the WATTS Daytime Shelters this year, as well as reducing the amount of cigarette butts left on the ground.  WATTS will start recycling cigarette butts with TerraCycle waste management company.

Thank you WATTS, for the work you’re doing in the community, and for caring about cigarette butt litter.  You can learn more about the free and easy recycling programs offered by TerraCycle here.

Sunset on a beach with words Keep Middlesex Beautiful

2024 Green Grants Award #2: Keep Middlesex Beautiful

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Sunset on a beach with words Keep Middlesex BeautifulCongratulations to Keep Middlesex Beautiful for their $750 grant award for Cigarette Litter Prevention!

Located on the Middle Peninsula, Middlesex County is well known as a destination for camping, boating, and the Oyster Festival.  But all the beautiful and scenic environment they offer doesn’t just happen on its own!  Keep Middlesex Beautiful! (KMB) is a volunteer committee chartered and sponsored by the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors established to serve, support and inspire a litter-free and beautiful Middlesex County.

Cigarette litter in Middlesex (as in Virginia, the USA, and globally) continues to represent the largest single contributor (by number) of litter in the County. Whether it is roadside butts, or butts flicked at entrances of our parks, trails and public area, Middlesex County and Keep Middlesex Beautiful aim to reduce, if not eliminate, cigarette butt litter through the strategic placement of free standing cigarette butt receptacles in key public points throughout the county including: Middlesex County Dog Park; Old County Courthouse, Woodward Building, Heritage Trail, Canoe House Beach Park, Middlesex County Skate Park, Deltaville Community Association Center, Middlesex County Museum, Mill Creek Boat Ramp.

Green Grant funds will be used to purchase and place free-standing cigarette butt receptacles at transition areas at these locations, where cigarette butt litter most often occurs.  These efforts will further reinforce anti-littering messaging and activities throughout the County. Coupled with their Great Middlesex Green Up, and Middlesex Recycles! Program, this No Butts About It! initiative will enhance their overall mission.

Many people may not realize that cigarette butts are recyclable! Terracycle offers Cigarette Waste Free Recycling program where participants collect butts, download a free shipping label, and send it to Terracycle to recycle.  They are given a second life when they’re made into picnic tables, outdoor chairs, and other useful items.

Thank you Keep Middlesex Beautiful for caring about cigarette butt litter in the landscape and waters of our Commonwealth!

 

 

Green background with words Time is running out! Apply for a Green Grant before midnight, April 30; clock with legs running, KVB logo, tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/2fxd59nf

$500 – $1,000 Grant Apply Through April 30

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Green background with words Time is running out! Apply for a Green Grant before midnight, April 30; clock with legs running, KVB logo, tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/2fxd59nfWe know that YOU can do great things in your communities, and WE want to help!

We’re awarding $500, $750, and $1,000 Green Grants to groups to improve the natural and scenic environment of Virginia.  Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $307,000 for 415 programs and projects throughout the state.  The program has been so successful because of the nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations, civic leagues, “Friends of” groups, Scouts, and others who see a need where they live, and apply for a grant to get it accomplished.

You can apply for a Green Grant in any of the four categories:  Litter Prevention, Cigarette Litter Prevention, Community Beautification, and Recycling.  The applications are evaluated and scored by a panel of experts in their fields, and in June, one Green Grant award is announced one each day, until all thirty awards have been revealed.

The general Grant Application Guidelines should be read before an application is submitted. Click here to start a 2024 Green Grant Application.

Applications are due before midnight on Tuesday, April 30, 2024!

Here are some past awards for inspiration:

  • Friends of a city park installed cigarette butt receptacles in the parking lot and at entrances to the park, to eliminate cigarette butt litter that can clog storm drains and harm wildlife.
  • A church parish started a composting collection program, yielding an average of 50 pounds of food waste that would have been sent to the landfill, but is processed to create rich compost.
  • Classrooms at an elementary school are collecting markers and pens to be recycled through TerraCycle.
  • A neighborhood civic league used grant funds to purchase litter grabbers, safety vests, gloves, and florescent hats for the safety of volunteers during their roadside cleanups.
  • Invasive species were removed and native plants installed along a hiking trail.

Please see our Green Grants webpage for descriptions of the categories, read the general Grant Application Guidelines, and click here to start a 2024 Green Grant Application.

We are grateful to the sponsors of our 2024 Green Grants Program:  Altria, WestRock, and Village Bank!

Altria Logo        WestRock Logo             Logo for Village Bank

Man unloading a large dumpster

Free Use of a Dumpster for Your Cleanup

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Man unloading a large dumpsterWe’re still celebrating our 70th Anniversary of our organization with 35 Green Gifts for you!  We want to give you access to the tools needed to get out there and improve the natural and scenic environment of Virginia!

Sometimes you need more than buckets or trash bags to tackle large jobs.  We’re grateful for support from Dumpsters.com to help you tackle that project!  They will provide free delivery and use of a roll off dumpster, which is a large, open-top waste container.  The containers also have a swing door allows the user easier access to load large or heavy items from the ground, instead of throwing them in from the top.

Dumpsters are ideal for large projects, such as:

      • Items from illegal dumping sights
      • Trail clearing of large branches, debris, and invasive species
      • Clearing debris from an abandoned house

Please be mindful not to include items that can be repurposed, donated, or recycled, including cardboard or metal that may have scrap value, to keep those types of items out of the landfill.

If this sounds like something your group is ready to tackle, please apply for a Green Gift from Dumpsters.com before October 15, 2023.  Please see the guidelines on our website.

We have other Green Gifts were giving away too!

On the opposite side of large-scale cleanups is small – very small litter.  Did you know that nine out of ten pieces of litter on the ground in the U.S. were under four inches in size, and cigarette butts continue to be the single most littered item in America (Keep America Beautiful 2021 Litter Study).  In case you need to explain it to people who think that cigarette butts decompose, you can tell them that cigarette butt filters are made of cellulose acetate, a man-made plastic material that contains hundreds of toxic chemicals that are dangerous to wildlife and waterways.Cigarette Butt Cup Ashtray, Wall-mounted Receptacle, and Pouch

One other category of Green Gifts that we’re giving away is for those of you who are concerned about cigarette butt litter.  We’d like to help restaurants, businesses, libraries, municipalities, and others start a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.  We will give away the needed supplies, including a mounted receptacle, 10 car cup ashtrays, and 50 pocket ashtrays, to encourage others to collect cigarette butts, along with our support for your program.

Then the next step after collecting them is to send the cigarette butts (at no cost) to TerraCycle, a company dedicated to recycling the hard-to-recycle items.  The process the cellulose acetate plastic in cigarette filters into pellets, and create new items, like sturdy benches for your public spaces.

If this sounds like something your group is ready to tackle, please apply for a Cigarette Litter Prevention  Green Gift before October 15, 2023.  Please see the guidelines on our website.

Green Gifts logo of a gift with leaves for a ribbon and KVB logo

Green Gifts for You

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Green Gifts logo of a gift with leaves for a ribbon and KVB logoIt’s hard to believe that our organization has been striving for a cleaner, greener Commonwealth for 70 years!  What started out in 1953 as the Virginia Anti-Litterbug Council, became Keep Virginia Beautiful, Inc., a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful.  We’ve enjoyed the support of our Board members, volunteers, event participants, sponsors, local Affiliates, allied partners, and donors.  We’ve come a long way together!

One of the ways we’re celebrating this year is by offering YOU gifts – Green Gifts!  We want you to have the resources to reduce waste and beautify Virginia.

Applications for Green Gifts will be accepted between September 15 – October 15, 2023, and decisions will be announced by the end of October.  The form is very short, and won’t take long for you to tell us what you would like to accomplish with a Green Gift!

Schools, faith groups, scouts, civic, and other organizations are invited to apply in the category that best suits their needs.  (Awards will not be made to individuals.)  You may apply for more than one category, but each group may only receive one award.

  • Trex Bench  To beautify to a public space to encourage community gathering
  • Glasdon Recycling Bins  Set of 6 recycling bins to start or add to your recycling program
  • Dumpsters.com  Use of a roll-off dumpster for large-scale cleanups (check for areas served)
  • Cigarette Litter Prevention Program   Supplies, including a mounted receptacle, 10 car cup ashtrays, and 50 pocket ashtrays, to encourage others to collect cigarette butts to be recycled
  • Dogipot Pet Waste Station  To encourage proper disposal of pet waste in a public area

If you’d like to learn more, click HERE for details and photos of the Green Gifts that will be awarded.

Please review the full Green Gifts Guidelines before applying.  The application form is at the bottom of the Green Gifts webpage.

If you have questions about the Green Gift campaign, please contact Beckey Watson, Development Director, [email protected].

Thank you for joining in our mission to improve the natural and scenic environment of Virginia! We are grateful to our sponsors for supporting our Green Gift campaign:

Trex logo, grey oval                           Glasdon logo

   Dumpsters.com logo               PepsiCo Logo         
Keep America Beautiful - Green Trees Logo

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!

City of Manassas Park, Virginia Logo

City of Manassas Park Awarded Green Grant

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City of Manassas Park, Virginia LogoThe City of Manassas Park is awarded a $500 Green Grant for their Cigarette Litter Prevention efforts, 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 City of Manassas Park, located just southwest of Washington, DC, has a newly built complex that includes City Hall, a public library, three restaurant spaces, and a plaza. Many residents and guests visit the plaza, and improperly discarded cigarette butts can be a problem if littered on the ground.

With funds provided by this grant award, they will purchase and install cigarette butt receptacles in the needed locations. After receptacles are installed, the City’s Public Works staff will remove the waste, weigh it and send it to Terracycle for recycling.

According to Keep America Beautiful’s 2020 nationwide Litter Study, cigarette butts account for 88% of litter 4″ or smaller.  Cigarette filters don’t break down naturally and will persist in our environment when littered. Removing this litter from our communities through organized cleanups is just the beginning of keeping cigarette butts out of our retail areas and waterways. After hosting a cleanup, collecting them at home, or with a cigarette receptacle, cigarettes butts can be sent to TerraCycle to be recycled using a free shipping label.   Want to learn more about recycling cigarette butts and other items?  Visit TerraCycle for more information.

Thank you Manassas Park, for tackling the cigarette butt litter problem!  We look forward to your results.

Logo for the City of Newport News

City of Newport News Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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The City of Newport News is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant for Cigarette Litter Prevention as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program!

Logo for the City of Newport NewsThe City of Newport News is located where the James River meets the Chesapeake Bay. The goal of the City of Newport News is to properly dispose of cigarette butts in their motels, so the cigarette litter does not get into their waterways.  Because all storm water drains lead to a body of water in the City of Newport News, when cigarette butts are littered on the ground, in parking lots, or tossed in bushes, the are swept away by rainwater into the storm drains, and into surrounding waterways.

The City of Newport News is home to eleven motels where the doors to the rooms face outside.  Most of the hotels have designated smoking rooms. By offering those motels wall-mounted cigarette receptacles for their smoking room, guests would be encouraged to smoke outside the hotel room and to properly dispose of their cigarette butts in the receptacles instead of littering them.

Funds provided by the Green Grant program will be used to purchase wall-mounted cigarette butt receptacles.  Participating hotel management will be asked to measure the amount of cigarette butts they have littered before and after the installation of the receptacles.  They expectation is that they will  have less cigarette butt litter on the ground, parking lots, and landscaping.

With cigarette litter being the Number One most littered item in the state, we applaud the City of Newport News for working to reduce cigarette butt litter and prevent it from traveling to our beautiful James River and Chesapeake Bay.

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.

Three Green Grant Award Plaques on display

Green Grant Applications are Going… Going…

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If you’ve been thinking about applying for one of the thirty Green Grants that will be awarded, now’s the time to complete your application and submit it by April 30, 2023!

The online application form is short and simple!  Just tell us a little about your organization, your contact information, explain your project or program, tell us your budget, and state how you’ll measure your results!  You can request a grant that suits the size of your project for $500, $750, or $1,000.

  • Are you tired of cigarette butt litter in front of your business, library, or park?  Apply for a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program grant to get the supplies, tools, and information you need to combat the cigarette butt litter problem!
  • Did you take part in a cleanup during Earth Month, and need litter grabbers, vests, or other supplies for your group to conduct future cleanups?  Apply for a Litter Prevention grant!
  • Does your school need a water refill station to avoid single-use plastic bottles?  Or want to host a Community Fix-it Fair to repair people’s items instead of adding them to the landfill?   Apply for a Recycling grant!
  • Is there a vacant lot in your community that’s overgrown with invasive species and would be transformed into a public green space with some improvements?  Or an area that would benefit from painting over graffiti?  Then apply for a Community Beautification grant!

Here are some of last year’s awards, showing off the Keep Virginia Beautiful award plaques:

Student with recycling box in classroom“Everyone at North Branch School in Afton, from age 3 to adult, focused on recycling items they would normally put in the trash. We filled three zero waste boxes that hold a large variety of items, in addition to one box for pencils and markers.”Frederick County Green Grant Plaque Award

“Frederick County’s Clean Sweep/regional jail trustee crew enthusiastically canvassed the library’s trail around Bowman Library each month. During July 10,329 butts were collected; followed by 3,305 butts in August and 4,310 in September. The installation of cigarette butt receptacles and signage will hopefully continue to reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter.”

Water fountain and refill station“The Northern Virginia 4-H Educational & Conference Center in Front Royal was able to defer the use of 5,942 plastic disposable water bottles by installing the reusable water bottle refilling station.  Reducing the use of disposable water bottles decreases our carbon footprint and plastic burden on landfills and also saved our participants money by not having to purchase bottle waters.”  

Get inspired by reading more about other grant projects and programs using THIS LINK to see a list of the 2022 Green Grant Awards.

REMEMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR GRANT APPLICATION BY APRIL 30, 2023!

 

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