Great Virginia Greenup

Green letters saying The Great Virginia Greenup

Great Virginia Greenup Is Still On!

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Green letters saying The Great Virginia GreenupThe Great Virginia Greenup is still on!

Each year Virginia joins the ranks of the national effort from Keep America Beautiful in The Great American Cleanup that kicked off on the first day of Spring and will continue until June 20, 2024.

Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful states, “Keep America Beautiful has always believed in the power of beauty, and now we have the data to back it up.  We’re calling on all Americans to join us to help make our nation cleaner, greener, healthier, and safer.”  She states that the impact of a cleanup goes far beyond simply making communities look nicer. They point to new research that shows a correlation between greenspace and reductions in crime and gun violence, including a 2020 University of Virginia study, among others, that found if green space is well-designed and properly maintained, it has the potential to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

That’s one of the reasons we use the word “Greenup” instead of cleanup, because there’s so much more we can do in addition to picking up litter.  You can clean up graffiti or transform graffiti-ridden walls into community murals, plant native trees and flowers that will benefit wildlife and pollinators, or host a recycling drive.  Invite neighbors for a shared yard sale or swap to pass along your unused items, so instead of a trip to the landfill, they find new purpose.

In addition to feeling good about your Greenup accomplishments, and improving your community, Keep Virginia Beautiful has an additional incentive!  Report the results of your cleanup or other activity using our online reporting form.  Prizes of sustainable items we know you’ll love to try are awarded weekly for those who report their results!

If you don’t have a project in mind for yourself but would like to help out, you can join other groups — check out our Events Calendar to find things that are happening near you.  If you’re hosting an event, you can add it to our calendar.  And we have local affiliates across the state that are doing awesome work!

So get out there, cleanup and Greenup, report your results from now until June 20th, and feel good about what you’ve done for yourself and your community!

Thank you to our sponsors for their support!

Dominion Energy Logo   

 

Heart-shaped paper Earth surrounded by paper hands made with many different skin tone colors.

Three Green Things for April

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Heart-shaped paper Earth surrounded by paper hands made with many different skin tone colors.There are three green things to remember for April:

#1 Apply for a Green Grant

Attention Scouts, Friends-of groups, civic organizations, nonprofits, faith-based groups, and others!  Now is the time to apply for a Green Grant to accomplish that sustainable project or start a new program!  Get support for recycling bins in your classroom, cigarette butt receptacles in a problem area, native plants in a vacant area, or supplies for volunteers to pick up litter.

See our webpage for more details and apply by April 30, 2024 to be included in the judging process. Thirty grants will be awarded, with one being announced each day in June.

#2 Participate in The Great Virginia Greenup

It’s that time of year for the Great Virginia Greenup!  The Great Virginia Greenup is a statewide effort to beautify the Commonwealth from the first day of spring to the first day of summer each year. You can organize a neighborhood cleanup; comb the beach for plastic that’s washed ashore; pick up litter at the playground; plant trees and flowers, especially native plants; or join other groups hosting events in many parts of the state.  Just browse through our Events Calendar to see if there’s a group hosting an event near you.

If you participate in a cleanup or any green activity, we want to know about it!  Report your results and we’ll enter your name to win a Sustainability Sampler kit!

#3 Every Day is Earth Day!

Earth Day was the brainchild of Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist who hoped to provide unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase ecological awareness. He hired Denis Hayes, a Harvard grad student, and together they organized the first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970.  EARTHDAY.ORG continues to mobilize over 1 billion people annually to protect the planet.

Do you think you’re doing a good job with sustainability?  Here’s a Trash Tracker to test how well you’re recycling in your home, a Word Search for recyclable items, and a National Geographic list of quizzes to test your Earth Day knowledge!

There are so many reasons to celebrate and love the Earth every day!

Bald Eagle (300 × 300 px)

Cleaning Up Litter Makes a Difference

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The beautiful James River flows across the state, beginning in the Appalachian Mountains and running 348 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.  It was important for transportation for native Americans, Colonists, and the booming tobacco business.  But by the 1970’s, it was a mess.

It has taken over four decades to take the river from one of the nation’s most polluted rivers to one of its most improved.  With the help of the James River Association, the James River Advisory Council, the volunteers who cleanup, Citizen Scientists, and others who support these and other groups, the James River is now home to some of the largest populations of bald eagles, oysters, and Atlantic sturgeon on the East Coast.

Less litter in the landscape means less litter in the water.  Fewer cigarette butts going down storm drains means healthier streams, rivers, and Chesapeake Bay.   Clean water and a safe, natural habitat are what wildlife needs to thrive.  From the thousands of birds that migrate along the Eastern Shore, mammals, amphibians, and the deer and turkey that have rebounded from near extinction, we benefit from their circle of life.  We should always strive to provide them with a clean environment.

Want to see some wildlife up close yourself?  Check out the live cameras that are following falcons, eagles, and even fish, as they thrive in their natural environment.

Falcon chicks The Falcon Cam follows a peregrine falcon pair that nest in downtown Richmond atop the Riverfront Plaza building. The Richmond Falcon Cam has for years documented peregrine courtship rituals, territorial disputes, egg laying, hatching, and chick development. Along the way it’s become a popular resource for not only avid wildlife watchers but also teachers and the public in general.

Nest cameras provide live-streamed, high-definition insight into the movements of Bald Eagles living in the heart of Loudoun County. You can view the Eagle Cam on the Dulles Greenway’s website.  The website also features LIVE Chat Sessions with Loudoun Wildlife Eagle Cam Volunteers on Mondays 7:30–8:30 p.m. and Thursdays 8:30–9:30 p.m.

Check out the Shad Cam!  A live-streaming camera focused on the fishway at Bosher’s Dam provides visitors with a peek into an incredible journey of migratory fishes as they return to the 137 miles of the James River and 168 miles of its major tributaries to spawn in the spring. Shad Cam is live from March until September, and to date over 25 species including American shad, gizzard shad, quillback, and sea lampreys have been observed on camera.

YOU ARE making a difference!  With the Great Virginia Greenup still in full swing, and the Clean the Bay Day coming up on June 3rd, if you haven’t had a chance to join in a group cleanup, or go out on your own, now is a good time.  Clean landscapes and waterways benefit humans as well as wildlife!

Mother and daughter cleaning up litter

The Great Virginia Greenup Continues

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Mother and daughter cleaning up litter
Great Suffolk Cleanup

Every year Keep Virginia Beautiful takes part in the nationwide Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, which runs from the first day of Spring until the first day of Summer.  At KVB, we call our campaign the Great Virginia Greenup because that’s what people throughout the Commonwealth are doing – greening up our natural and scenic environment!

After all the excitement and activities for Earth Day in April, there tends to be a lull in cleanup activities.  So, we want to inspire you by telling you what’s been happening around that state to get you motivated to keep going!

In Suffolk, over 1,000 people participated in the first annual Great Suffolk Cleanup event! The cleanup campaign, organized by Keep Suffolk Beautiful, encouraged individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to choose a spot in Suffolk to pick up litter.  There were 450 Suffolk City employees, representing all city departments, and many local businesses, along with a number of other organizations, families, and individuals.  Together, they filled 1,369 bags of trash and removed 375 tires from Suffolk roadsides.

Group picture of students who picked up litter
Elementary School Students

The City of Manassas partnered with George C. Round Elementary School Student Council Association (SCA) to conduct a cleanup of the school grounds, the street in front of the school, Hastings Drive, and a nearby nature trail.  Litter pickers, safety vests, gloves and trash bags were provided to the students by the City of Manassas Department of Public Works.  Forty students and three adults participated in the cleanup!

People on a beach who cleaned up litter
Beach cleanup in Hampton Roads

A huge shout-out to Hampton Roads, where more than 2,400 volunteers spanned the region to participate in the Great American Cleanup.  All together they picked up 2,805 bags of litter, recovered 429 tires, planted 43 new trees and shrubs, and removed a total of 47 tons of litter from Hampton Roads communities!  Wow!

People cleaning up litter near water
Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful

On the other end of the state, Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful was in the water at the South Fork of the Holston River.  The were joined by Outdoor Adventures Center of Tazewell County, who provided canoes, which they brought to Abingdon Vineyards and Winery to be stored in a barn until cleanup day.   The Vineyard offered a discount for volunteers and also hauled off the litter and bulky items that were collected.  The 15 volunteers collected a tire, a large piece of metal, an inner tube, one shoe, and 14 bags of litter.

The Town of Dumfries Spring Cleanup was a success!  Hard-working volunteers collected 407 pounds of litter from the ground and labeled multiple storm drains. They’re making Dumfries a cleaner, safer county!

Large or small cleanups – what you do really does matter!  There’s still a lot of time for cleanups before the June 21, 2023 target date — get together with your family, friends, or groups.  Check out our Events Calendar for events you can join (or to add a relevant public event that you’re hosting).  Or find a KAB Affiliate near you and see what they’re up to!

Every day is Earth Day

Earth Day Activities

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Every day is Earth DayAlthough we believe that every day is Earth Day, as we approach the official anniversary date of Earth Day – April 22 – we want to give a shout out to some beautiful ways you can be involved in this month-long celebration.

Poster with Suffolk Festival informationThe Suffolk Earth & Arts Festival will take place on April 22, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church grounds located at 3488 Godwin Blvd. in Suffolk.  The outdoor event features live music, face painting and other family-friendly activities.  Suffolk Master Gardeners will conduct a plant sale and a rain barrel workshop.  Over 70 vendors will participate, including arts and crafts, local authors, animal rescue groups, and environmental outreach organizations. There will be a beer garden by Nansemond Brewing Station and food trucks offering delicious local food.

Buckingham County Anti-Litter Task for has a unique way of encouraging volunteers to clean up litter by offering prizes of gift cards for the greatest number of bags of litter picked up! Supplies of bags, vests, and litter grabbers are available for pickup at designated times on three evenings in April.  Register today and then grab your litter grabbers to pick up litter from April 11-30, 2023!  There is additional information on the registration form.

RVA Thriving Artists is hosting a free community get together to celebrate Earth Day on April 15th from 12-3 pm at Art Works 320 Hull Street (Parking is across the street at 317 Hull).  Enjoy refreshments and make art!  Activities include rock painting, pot decorating and planting succulents to take home.  Make a braided bracelet from recycled materials.  Please register to attend.

Don’t throw it out, make it beautiful!  Learn to paint furniture like a pro at Black Dog Salvage, 902 13th Street SW in Roanoke.  There are several classes in April, including “Revamp Your Lamp” and  “Intro to Furniture Paint.”  The hands-on classes will teach you everything you need to know to breathe new life into something you might have overlooked using water-based, low VOC paint.  All materials are provided.  See more details and registration information.

As the Great Virginia Greenup continues you can conduct your own litter cleanups, trail clearing, recycling, and tree-planting activities in your community.  Remember to report your activity and results and be entered to win prizes through June 21, 2023!

Boy cleaning yard in spring

First Day of Spring AND The Great Virginia Greenup

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Boy cleaning yard in springMarch 20th marks the first day of spring this year, so let’s shake off the indoor doldrums and head outside!

The date also coincides with the start of Keep America Beautiful’s annual nationwide campaign, the Great American Cleanup.  As a certified affiliate, we are participating with our efforts for the Great Virginia Greenup from the first day of spring to the first day of summer.

This event focuses on improving the places where we live, work, and play.  From March 20th to June 21st, we’ll be organizing and encouraging community improvement projects throughout the state.  You can clean-up or green-up your community on your own, with your family, friends, or groups.

Here are some of the activities that you could do to improve the natural and scenic environment near you:

  • Pick up litter from roadsides, neighborhoods, beaches, waterways, and parks to support cleaner communities;
  • Recycle old or unwanted items rounded up from homes and yards;
  • Plant trees, flowers, and community gardens to add beauty and provide for pollinators and wildlife;
  • Restore nature trails, parks, and playgrounds to encourage outdoor activity; remove invasive plants to allow native plants to fill in;
  • Rejuvenate business districts by painting over graffiti, clearing vacant lots, and trimming overgrown landscaping to boost economic development;
  • Check our events calendar for cleanup and other events.  Or check out one of our local state Affiliates to see if you can join in an event near you;
  • See this tip sheet on what to expect at a group cleanup event.

Once you’ve gone out there and made your impact, let us know what you’ve accomplished!  Please report your cleanup or other event on this short form.  We’ll enter your name in drawings that will be held throughout the Great Virginia Greenup!

We all have a part to play in making sure our communities are clean and beautiful.  The path to a cleaner, greener future starts with you.

Thank you to our 2023 Great Virginia Greenup sponsors:

Dominion Energy Logo
Waste Management Logo        KAB Trees Logo         I Love State Parks logo

 

Person picking up litter on beach

Great Virginia Greenup Continues

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Keep Virginia Beautiful continues with its work with groups and individuals through our Great Virginia Greenup campaign.  We’ll be working with Martins in the Winchester area to complete a special Green Up project in mid-June.  Stay tuned for the results.

We’re about half-way through our participation in Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, and we’re proud of the work that you’ve been doing!

For example, Hampton Roads Great American Cleanup had an amazing turn out this year, with over 1,400 volunteers showing up to clean up!  They also topped the record for pounds of litter collected, with more than 63,600 pounds (nearly 32 tons) of litter from public spaces!

That’s a lot of litter, and a lot of work – thank you Hampton Roads!

The cleanup attracted a diverse group of volunteers including military service members, schools, civic leagues, sororities/fraternities, faith communities, business communities, and more! Small groups of friends and family cleaning up their own corner of Hampton Roads has become especially important since the ongoing pandemic limited large gatherings.

Another large-scale cleanup event coming up is Clean the Bay Day, on June 4th.    ThePerson picking up litter on beach Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its partners are hosting more than 200 cleanup sites across Virginia, including in Northern Virginia, the Richmond Area, the Shenandoah Valley, Hampton Roads, and the Eastern Shore. Thousands of volunteers will join in that Saturday morning to remove a massive amount of litter and debris from parks, streams, beaches, and trails.  You can find a cleanup location near you on this map.

The most common items removed include plastic bags, bottles, aluminum cans, and cigarette butts. Since 1989, Clean the Bay Day has engaged more than 158,200 volunteers, who have removed approximately 6.64 million pounds of debris from nearly 7,750 miles of shoreline in Virginia.

Thank you in advance for all the cleanup efforts!  Please report the results of your Greenup efforts here!

Make Spring Cleaning Your Spring Greening

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Box of clothes to donateThe Great Virginia Greenup continues with group cleanups, individual cleanups, tree plantings, trail clearing, and more!

We believe that spring greening goes hand-in-hand with spring cleaning!  Another way to Green Up is to think of all the things in your life that you need to clean up and clear out.  But don’t head to the landfill with them – REUSE, REPURPOSE, RECYCLE!

Repurposing or donating unused items is a good example of “one person’s trash in another person’s treasure.”  You can get some extra space in your garage by donating an unused bicycle to make another child happy.  The car in your driveway that hasn’t started in a year could be donated to an organization that will repair and sell it to benefit a nonprofit.  And all the wrong-sized clothes in the back of your closet could go to people looking for those crazy-looking jeans from the 1980’s.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some suggestions:

Wheels for Wishes will pick up your old car, boat, RV, bicycle, camper, and more, and use it to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  There are many chapters across the state.

When you donate your old clothes and other goods to The Salvation Army, those items are sold at their Thrift Stores, and the proceeds are used to fund Adult Rehabilitation Centers.

If your knitting, scrapbooking, and other craft supplies are crowding out the corners of your room, there are people just waiting to find it at Scrap Creative Reuse Center in Richmond.

If larger items are on your list of things to get rid of,  you can hire College HUNKS (that’s short for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable Service) in many locations to take care of your moving, junk removal, or donation pickups.

And if you’re interested in making a little money, Smith Iron and Metal in the Richmond area will accept scrap metal for recycling, often paying you for certain types of metal.  In the Staunton area you can contact Recycle Management; and “Don’t Trash It, Cash It” is the motto of Elite Recycling in the western part of the Commonwealth.

Did I miss anything?  You’re sure to find other items to recycle in the Virginia Recycling Directory!

So let’s continue to make progress with our Great Virginia Greenup!