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LITTERBUG SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE!

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Get your Litterbug Shirt!

Wear part of history with our “retro” DON’T BE A LITTERBUG shirts for only$25….$15 of this campaign goes directly to KVB!

Keep Virginia Beautiful is turning 60 this year, and we are taking a look back, as we leap forward. “Don’t be a litterbug!” You recognize the phrase. Chances are, you may be a flower child of the 70s, or a tree hugger of today. I remember “don’t be a litterbug,” vividly. It was my introduction to Litter Reduction, and what has ultimately led me to join the Keep Virginia Beautiful Team.

Your support is fundamental in continuing to deliver our message: engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment. With the purchase of your “don’t be a litterbug” t-shirt, you are making a statement to others that you support keeping the Commonwealth of Virginia a most righteous place to reside.

Help us bring it back! Be loud, be proud; but “don’t be a litterbug.”  https://www.bonfirefunds.com/fund/dont-be-a-litterbug

If you live in Richmond, you can pick yours up for free (location to be announced) jnsoh1870

Thank you,
The KVB Team

 

 

30in30

30 in 30 in 2012

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“30 in 30” is back!  KVB is proud to bring back our very successful and highly anticipated “30 grants in 30 days” program.  We would like to thank our generous sponsors this year because without them, these grants would not be possible; Thank you Capital One and Waste Management.

The 2012 “30 grants in 30 days” program  is once again designed to help communities, schools, parks, neighborhoods, and civic groups battle Virginia’s environmental issues on the front lines.  These grants are categorized in 3 areas; (1) Cigarette Litter Prevention, (2) Plastic Bag Litter Prevention and Recycling, and (3) Beautification and Community Greening.  Thirty grants ranging from $500 to $1000 will be awarded to 30 geographically different areas around the Commonwealth within the 3 categories, to be dispersed amongst small to large communities, schools to universities, city parks to state parks, civic clubs to environmental groups.  We have chosen April as the perfect month for this program to coincide with Earth Day.

Grant submissions will accepted thru Friday, March 30, 2012.  In early April, winning proposals  and grant amounts will be determined.  Then starting  April 16, 2012, winners will be announced daily for 30 days.  Grant recipients will have until November 5th, 2012 to complete their projects and/or events.  Reports regarding these projects will then need to be completed through our website by December 3, 2012.

If you are ready to engage and unite Virginians to improve your natural and scenic environment, please fill out the following grant application.  Thank you for all that you do to Keep Virginia beautiful!

Apply for 30 in 30 Grants here!

richmond

RICHMOND RECYCLES DAY – Nov 15th

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Keep Virginia Beautiful Brings National Recycling Celebration to Richmond

KVB and RMA hosts Recycling Event to celebrate America Recycles DaySM

On Tuesday November 15th, Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB) is joining thousands of local organizers holding recycling events across the country to celebrate America Recycles Day, the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States.  KVB will host an electronics recycling and document shredding event – Richmond Recycles Day! In addition, paper, plastic bags, bottles, cans, and cardboard will be collected for recycling.  The event is from 10:00am to 3:00pm at the Retail Merchants Association (RMA) Building at 5101 Monument Ave in Richmond near Willow Lawn.

 

Residents and businesses can bring up to one pickup truck full of electronics from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm or until the trailers are full.  In addition to document shredding, recycling collection will include aluminum and steel cans, cardboard, paper, plastic and glass bottles and plastic bags.  Participants who bring ten used plastic bags for recycling will receive a handy, reusable bag (one per person, while supplies last). The recycling events are supported by Waste Management, LG Electronics USA (LG),  Keep America Beautiful, TFC Recycling, Central Virginia Waste Management Authority(CVWMA), Gone 4 Good Shred, and Trex.  Waste Management will transport the electronics to one of their U.S. regional recycling centers and break the product down into saleable commodities such as plastics, metals and glass. Downstream vendors will further process the commodities into reusable forms and new products will be made from the recovered materials. LG Electronics hopes to incorporate some of those recovered materials back into its own products.

 

The following items will be accepted for electronic recycling: Cell phones | Computers/CPUs | Computer monitors | Computer peripherals (mouse, speakers, etc.) | Consumer electronics (DVD players, alarm clocks, etc.)| Fax machines | Home and office phones | Keyboards |Printers | Stereos |Televisions | VCRs.

 

The following items will not be accepted: Any unit with sludge or liquids | Dehumidifiers | Household hazardous waste |Large appliances (refrigerators, stoves, washer dryers, etc.) | Microwaves | Non-decontaminated medical equipment | Smoke alarms and detectors.

 

The following items will be accepted for all other recycling purposes: Office paper | Plastic bags (grocery, bread, dry cleaning) | Plastic bottles | Aluminum and steel cans | Cardboard. [glass bottles and jars]

 

“We are very proud supporters of KVB’s America Recycles Day event and commend their efforts to promote recycling in Richmond.  Recycling is the easiest thing we can all do to save energy, conserve natural resources and create green jobs.  Collectively, through events like these, we aim to make recycling bigger and better 365 days a year,” said Brenda Pulley, Vice President of Recycling Programs at Keep America Beautiful and national program manager for America Recycles Day.

 

For more information about all things green in Virginia, visit KeepVirginiaBeautiful.org.  To find the nearest drop off for all your recycling needs including batteries, CFLs, household hazardous waste, etc., visit www.earth911.com.

 

 

About America Recycles Day
America Recycles DaySM is a national program of Keep America Beautiful, and is the only nationally recognized day and community-driven awareness event dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S. Since its inception in 1997, communities across the country have participated in America Recycles Day on November 15 to educate, promote environmental citizenship, and encourage action. Learn more at AmericaRecyclesDay.org.

 

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of over 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. To learn more, visit kab.org.

 

About Keep Virginia Beautiful

KVB is a 58 year old organization whose mission is “to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment”.  Our goals include becoming a statewide voice, providing a framework for improved communication and collaboration, cultivating and supporting sustainable programs, and engaging citizens by linking them to volunteer opportunities and information through our 5 impact areas: Litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, beautification, and education.

 

About LG Electronics USA Inc.

LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, all under LG’s “Life’s Good” marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

 

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com. Waste Management Recycling Services is a subsidiary of Waste Management and is the largest residential recycler in North America. WM Recycle America’s business lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing, commercial and residential customers.

 

About Retail Merchants Association

The Retail Merchants Association is a Richmond, Virginia-based trade association that represents retailers and related businesses.  The RMA provides its members with resources in advocacy, networking and information to enhance their image and profitability. Founded in 1906, the RMA is the business association of choice for successful retail businesses and allows its members to utilize the RMA’s Think. Shop. Buy. Local® campaign, which encourages shoppers to think about the many advantages of shopping locally and to buy local whenever possible.  The Retail Merchants Association is well-known for its signature events such as the First Friday Forum, the annual Valor Awards honoring our local First Responders, and the annual Retail Marketing Expo held each August.

 

30in30

Congrats to Our 30 IN 30 Winners!

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In honor of Earth Month, Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB) awarded “30 Grants In 30 Days” during April, 2011.  Ten grants in 3 different categories; Cigarette Litter Prevention, Plastic Bag Recycling, and Community Greening and Beautification were awarded to multitude of different entities all around the Commonwealth.  Schools, State Parks, Cities and Towns, Universities, Environmental groups, Associations, KVB Affiliates, and historic neighborhoods comprised the 30 award winners from the Eastern Shore to the far Southwest of Virginia.  These grants were made possible by KVB’s partners, Walmart and Waste Management.
KVB is proud to announce our “30 in 30” Grant Winners:

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment.  Our goals include becoming the leading statewide voice, providing a framework for improved communication and collaboration, cultivating and supporting sustainable programs, and engaging citizens by linking them to volunteer opportunities and information through these 5 impact areas:  Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction, Recycling, Beautification, and Environmental Education.  For more information on KVB and these grant winners, go to https://keepvirginiabeautiful.org/outreach/grants.

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A Bag’s Life Winner Has Been Announced!

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A silent cinema spoof featuring two squabbling teenage girls with big ideas on recycling and a short flick about a happy-bag-turned-sad-sac have each been named grand prize winners in the A Bag’s Life video contest for Virginia high school students.

Laura Fowler and Tori Hayes, students at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, will pick up $1,000 for their winning “Save the Bags!” in the reuse category. The black and white video tallied nearly 3,800 online votes, the most in the field of 10 semi-finalist entries posted on the www.abagslife.com website.

Check out the full story, along with the winning clips HERE!

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Downtown Roanoke WINS $1,000 Grant!

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Downtown Roanoke has been awarded a $1,000 grant in the Cigarette Litter Prevention Category.  The KVB grant program focuses greater resources and attention on individual localities throughout the Commonwealth and how they are addressing the issues of litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, beautification and education.  In honor of Earth Month, Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB) is awarding “30 Grants In 30 Days” in April, 2011.

Downtown Roanoke Inc (DRI) will partner with the City of Roanoke, and AdFed to create a Cigarette Litter Prevention Signage Campaign.  DRI’s litter prevention program was established 2 years ago with the installation of cigarette butt receptacles throughout Downtown Roanoke.  In order to continue to create awareness of this program, they hope to further educate the public about the hazards of cigarette litter through creative signage at various hot spots and merchant locations.  Their initiative meets the intent of the grant by raising awareness about cigarettes as litter, and encouraging the public to keep our streets clean.  For information Downtown Roanoke Inc. and their project, contact Lyndsay Smith, [email protected] or (540) 342-2028.

KVB provided the opportunity for government, non-profit and/or service organizations in Virginia to apply for one of (30) $1,000 grants in three different categories: 10 grants for plastic bag reduction and recycling, 10 grants for cigarette litter prevention, and 10 grants for community greening and beautification.  These grants are made possible by KVB’s partners, Walmart and Waste Management.

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment.  Our goals include becoming the leading statewide voice, providing a framework for improved communication and collaboration, cultivating and supporting sustainable programs, and engaging citizens by linking them to volunteer opportunities and information through these 5 impact areas:  Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction, Recycling,Beautification, and Environmental Education.

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America Recycles Day and “A Bags Life” Launch

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“A Bag’s Life” Creates Buzz at America Recycles Day at VA Capitol

(Richmond, VA) – Nov. 15, 2010 – A statewide plastic bag recycling awareness campaign in Virginia called A Bag’s Life, which includes an interactive and educational website (www.abagslife.com/VA), mobile app with nearly 800 drop-off sites by zip code, and video contest was launched today during America Recycles Day at the Capitol. Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB),Virginia Retail Federation (VRF), Virginia Recycling Association (VRA), American Chemistry Council (ACC), VA Department of Environmental Quality, and the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources were among those in the public-private partnership who kicked off the program.

A Bag’s Life, through quirky messaging like “Don’t treat me like trash,” and “Gimme a second chance,” encourages Virginians to reduce, recycle and reuse their free grocery bags.  It also reminds consumers that other bags like those used for dry cleaning, newspapers and bread, as well as wraps used on products like paper towels or bottled water also can be dropped off at many retailers for recycling.

“America Recycles Day has been set aside as a day when we individually pledge to take extra steps to reduce waste and make recycling work at home and in our communities,” said Mike Baum, executive director of Keep Virginia Beautiful. “By taking the extra time to bring grocery bags back to the store to be recycled, people are giving that bag a second chance to be made into something else like outdoor decking, park benches, or even new bags. It’s a simple earth-friendly practice that can yield tremendous results.”

Margaret Ballard, vice president, Advocacy for the Virginia Retail Federation, noted that while plastic bag recycling programs are not new to Virginia, a statewide educational initiative that partners public and private groups toward the common goal of recycling plastic bags is unique. The VRF was instrumental in obtaining state funding for the first Plastic Bag Recycling project in the state — in Isle of Wight County.  Isle be Green was kicked off in September 2009, and to date more than 1 million plastic bags have been recycled in the county. Nationwide, plastic bag recycling is on the rise, with more than 832 million pounds recycled in 2008.

“Retailers across Virginia are well aware of the impact plastic bag litter has on our roadways and agricultural environment in Virginia,” said Margaret Ballard, vice president, Advocacy, Virginia Retail Federation.  “That’s why nearly 800 retail stores are offering their locations to consumers as drop-off sites to recycle these bags. Recycling not only helps clean up plastic bag litter, but supports economic resources for our Virginia-based partners like Trex, the Winchester-based manufacturer of plastic building materials.”

Trex joined in the A Bag’s Life Virginia launch, as well as Hilex Poly, a plastic bag manufacturer with facilities in Richmond.

A Bag’s Life also includes a video contest and social networking element to fire up support for recycling.  The easy to use recycle location finder lists the nearest drop-off points and the Google Maps option makes recycling plastic bags and wraps easier than ever before. The plastic bag icon on the website is designed to take on a life of its own, smiling when it’s happy, frowning when it’s not. Website copy suggests that individuals should step up and do their part to address litter and waste rather than blame the bag if it’s not being recycled or reused.

About A Bag’s Life in Virginia

A Bag’s Life is a public educational campaign that unites non-profits, business, community and government organizations around the common goal of promoting the three R’s as they relate to plastic bags — reduce, reuse and recycle.  Partners include: Keep Virginia Beautiful, the Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Retail Federation, Virginia Recycling Association, Trex and the American Chemistry Council. For more information visit www.abagslife.com/VA

Additional Resources and Links:

Bag Blog & News: http://www.abagslife.com/VA/news

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/A-Bags-Life

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abagslife/VA

Meeting @ Rice Center

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It was a pleasure to be invited by Mike Baum, KVB’s Director, to the annual meeting for Keep Virginia Beautiful, held this year at the Rice Center, VCU’s research facility on the James River.  I’d never been to the center before, but was amazed as I drove up…first of all, for the scenic beauty of the site, but also because of the architecture of the building.  The first building to earn Virginia’s highest sustainability/green endorsement, this place is amazing!

Between the solar-powered building to its water reclamation system, this place is a model by which all other public buildings in the state will be judged.  And rightly so!  It was great seeing everyone there, and look forward to a rewarding 2011.  The new site launch is on track for the first quarter…stay tuned, many things in the works!

Here’s a quick panorama I shot with my iPhone (Lisa Clary and Mike Baum in the foreground):