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Photo of native plants installed in a public place in Fredericksburg by Downtown Greens

Downtown Greens Awarded $750 Green Grant

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Photo of native plants installed in a public place in Fredericksburg by Downtown GreensDowntown Greens in City of Fredericksburg is awarded a $750 Green Grant in the Community Beautification category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th 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 & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification.

Downtown Greens is a non-profit organization in downtown Fredericksburg with a mission of making the lives of their community members better by connecting people with nature. Downtown Greens achieved that mission through land conservation and environmental stewardship of that land. For the past 30 years, they have worked tirelessly to provide safe and accessible green space to the residents of their community.

Funds provided by the Green Grant will be used to purchase native plants, such as American Alumroot, Golden Ragwort, Spreading Woodrush, Cardinal Flower, Hearts-a-Burstin’, and
Virginia Sweetspire.  They will also create custom educational signage.  By installing signage, it creates a record of which plants are intentionally installed there, what purpose they serve, and explain on-going management practices and ecological stewardship goals.

The focus of the Green Grant project area is one that has been cleared of the most invasive species, with work being done to install native plant species in that area to fill the voids. Another vital part of the project is to provide educational signage in that area, as well as free educational walks. The signage will not only help Downtown Green’s community, neighbors, and visitors to understand Downtown Greens’ mission and enhance the educational aspect of the space, but will also provide a map of the lower garden property.

Newport News Green Foundation logo

Newport News Green Foundation Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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Newport News Green Foundation logoNewport News Green Foundation in Newport News is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Community Beautification category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th 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 & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification.

The Green Foundation enhances the quality of life in Newport News, by preserving, transforming, and promoting green spaces. Since 2001, it has protected over 50 acres across 22 properties, contributing to the city’s sustainability and beauty.

The Foundation, in collaboration with a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, is launching a native habitat restoration project at the Hilton Ravine, a pocket park in the historic Hilton Village neighborhood of Newport News. This initiative aims to enhance the ecological health of the ravine by removing invasive species, planting native flora, and engaging the local community in environmental stewardship.

The Green Grant award will be used to enhance the ecological health of the Hilton Ravine by removing invasive species, planting native flora, and engaging the local community in environmental stewardship. Funds will be used to purchase native plants, educational materials, and other supplies for volunteers. Educational opportunities, such as workshops and interpretive signage, will inform the public about the importance of native habitats and sustainable land management practices.

Newport News Green Foundation photo of the Hilton Ravine that will be restoredSuccessfully executing this project will showcase our organization’s dedication to ecological restoration and community enrichment. Demonstrating tangible environmental improvements can attract new supporters, volunteers, and funding opportunities, strengthening our capacity for future projects.

The success of the Hilton Ravine restoration can serve as a model for similar initiatives across our other properties. With stewardship over 50 acres across 22 properties, we have the opportunity to replicate this project’s strategies, thereby amplifying our environmental and community impact throughout Newport News.

Office with sunlit window and wall with growing green plants

The Future Looks Green

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Office with sunlit window and wall with growing green plantsThis year’s Winter Symposium at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden offered a two-day professional development opportunity that was attended by several hundred in-person attendees as well as several hundred more virtual participants.  This year’s focus highlighted sustainable practices for the green industry that can help us adapt to our changing world.  Experts gave presentations on a variety of topics that affect how we create a sustainable future by reconnecting habitat corridors with native plants, exploring green plants for green buildings, and the possibilities of indoor agriculture, among other topics.  It came as no surprise that in order to keep Virginia beautiful, we need to keep Virginia green.

Matt Bright, Executive Director of the nonprofit Earth Sangha, worked with volunteers in Fairfax and school children in McLean to pull invasive species out of parks and public spaces so that the native understories will regenerate and be available for songbirds and pollinators – even without additional installation of native plants.  This is something that can be done in communities wherever you live in Virginia.  He believes that continuing to remove invasive species such as kudzu, English ivy, and Callery pear from our landscape,  and encouraging green roofs and balcony gardens can reconnect parks, stream buffers, and other existing corridors to improve the local habitat.

We learned about Biophilia – the instinctive bond between human beings, other living organisms, and living systems.  Chris Raimondi, Board Member of Green Plants for Green Buildings, believes that contact with nature is essential for human health.  He presented research showing that workers in office environments with natural elements, such as greenery and sunlight, report a 15% higher level of well-being, are 6% more productive, and are 15% more creative.  This funny YouTube video makes a point about the value of adding plants to your office indoor landscape.

Indoor farming is another field that points to a green future.  Ekene Tharpe, head grower at Babylon Micro-Farms, enlightened us about CEA, Controlled Environment Agriculture.  Unlike a head of lettuce that may have traveled over 1,000 miles to get to the grocery store, Babylon Micro-Farms has individual units that grow lettuce using hydroponics right at the location where the produce will be consumed.  Fresh microgreens are grown on cruise ships, at restaurants, and in clusters in inner-city warehouses, and are harvested at their peak for maximum flavor and nutrition.

There are so many ways to work towards a beautiful green future in Virginia!

The Mariners’ Museum and Park Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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The Mariners' Museum and Park LogoThe Mariners’ Museum and Park is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Community Beautification 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.

Founded in 1930, the mission of The Mariners’ Museum & Park in Newport News is to connect people to the world’s waters, helping visitors engage with nature, learn about the ecosystem, and how to protect it. Their 550-acre park, 167-acre lake, and award winning, 5-mile Noland Trail are free and open to the public; while admission to the museum only costs $1, and includes access to programs such as SOL-based presentations that serve over 15,000 students annually; Maritime Cultural Heritage Programming; and Life-long Learning lectures and workshops.

Recognizing the important role the Park plays in creating a vibrant community, they have made significant investments in the health of the forest, lake and wildlife.  One key challenge identified in a Dept. of Forestry’s care plan is the concentration of invasive species, such as English Ivy, which kills native trees along the Noland Trail causing them to fall, creating increased access and safety concerns for Park visitors.

Trees at Mariners' Museum Park covered in ivyThe Green Grant award will be used to complete Phase II of the Mariners’ Park Community Planting Project, which involves eradicating the invasive ivy on the trees and the grounds, and replacing it with a native Mayapple ground cover in an 8,000 sq. ft. area along the Noland Trail.  Mayapple will play a crucial role to help maintain ecological balance in the forest, provide a food source for native wildlife, and reduce runoff into Mariners’ Lake.

Funds will be used to purchase the tools and supplies needed for the project, such as a Gorilla Heavy-Duty Yard Dump Cart for work at the site, which is inaccessible by motor vehicle; rubber work gloves for staff and volunteers; and mature Mayapple Plants that will provide sufficient ground cover.

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

 

Logo for FOLAR

$1,000 Green Grant Goes to Friends of the Lower Appomattox River

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Logo for FOLARFriends of the Lower Appomattox Reiver are awarded $1,000 Green Grant to combat invasive species along the Appomattox River in Petersburg, as one of thirty awards being announced in June for our 12th Annual Green Grants Program.

The mission of FOLAR (Friends of the Lower Appomattox River) is to conserve and protect the Appomattox River for all to enjoy. They will focus on a bigger picture that involves developing awareness, cooperation, community support and public policy, and the overall economic strength of the region.

Building on FOLAR’s success in extending the Appomattox River Trail in Petersburg, FOLAR is launching a strategic, sustainable invasive species management program that will help to save trees and native plant communities, restore habitat that improves water quality, and engage community members in environmental education and stewardship through volunteerism.

The riverfront has had a strong industrial history and ownership, and much of the river/shoreline has been altered, making the area susceptible to invasive species and reduction of native plant communities, increased erosion, and neglected land management adversely affecting the composition and quality of the tree canopy and quality of the river. With such an enormous service area and a small staff, FOLAR’s Invasive Species Management Program will have an initial focus on river the City of Petersburg.

The Green Grant project includes developing a standing volunteer program that supports invasive plant removal, education, and strengthening native plant habitats. Grant funds will be used to purchase equipment and supplies needed for volunteers to remove invasive species that are choking native plants and trees in areas such as University Blvd Trailhead, Patton Park, and Rotary Park at Pocahontas Island.  All of these focus areas include bicycle and pedestrian trails and public river accesses for wading, fishing, and paddling.

Congratulations FOLAR!  We’ll be looking to see some pictures of the improvements you’re making for the Appomattox River Trail and the people who enjoy using it!

Ivy on tree

Invaded by Alien Species

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Ivy on treeSo what is all this we’re hearing about invasive or alien species in the landscape?  They are a plant that’s introduced into the landscape (either deliberately or unintentionally) to a new place, taking over and crowding out the native plants that belong there.  They are generally fast growers, very adaptable, and easily spread their roots or seeds.  They are unsightly, damage trees, and are harmful to wildlife.

Invasive plants also clog or prevent passage on trails and in State Parks, requiring difficult and continual hand removal.  Often, litter that’s blowing in the landscape gets trapped in the masses of vines, creating an eyesore and the need for more litter cleanups.

Kudzu, sometimes referred to as “the vine that ate the South,” is the most common example of an invasive plant that can be seen from the Interstates of Virginia.  In the early 1900’s, it was introduced to farmers as an inexpensive crop to grow for foraging and erosion control.  It was planted on purpose!  With good intentions, but it didn’t take long to get out of control.

And while you may think the ivy climbing up a tree or the side of the building may seem quaint and historic, English ivy can take over even mature trees, suffocating and killing the branches from the bottom up.  It can grow across the ground, choking out all other vegetation, creating an “ivy dessert.”

But surprisingly, English ivy is sold in many catalogues and garden centers!  The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) lists 90 invasive plants that “pose a threat to Virginia’s forests, native grasslands, wetlands or waterways,” and unfortunately, many of them are for sale at your local garden center.

What can you do about it?  A couple of things for starters.  One is to join in the efforts to clear invasive species from the landscape. Keep an eye on our Event Calendar for future opportunities.  You can also make an effort to learn more about invasive species, which will also help with distinguishing between invasive plants and their native “look-alikes.”  And you can plant native plants every chance you get!  Here’s a list of nurseries that sell native plants in Virginia.

If you’d like to get a free packet of Virginia native wildflowers, just take the pledge on our website to help us end litter, and we’ll send them right out to you!