Menu

litter grabbers

Green and black logo for Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature

$1,000 Green Grant Awarded to Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature

, , , , , , ,

Green and black logo for Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature in the United States is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention 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 Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature (SCAN) is a non-profit organization that was established in 2004 to inspire and foster exploration of the arts and nature. SCAN owns a 13-acre property just to the north of Scottsville’s center that was the site of a small farm. Since obtaining the land, the non-profit organization’s goal is to create an outdoor public space where people in and around Scottsville can explore nature and enjoy the arts. They’ve already created an ecologically self-sustaining landscape with amenities such as an outdoor amphitheater, apiary, children’s play spaces, and nature trails. 

Photograph of people gathering out in a fieldHowever, their battle with litter is ongoing. On both the land itself and the roads that surround it, they’ve found that continual vigilance is required to keep litter at bay. With funds awarded by the Green Grant, SCAN will purchase equipment and supplies such as litter grabbers and safety vests to support their ongoing, volunteer-driven litter cleanup campaign.  

Because the land was once a farm, they’ve worked diligently on the restoration of the lush and beautiful native meadow ecosystem that once stood on this site, such as planting 100 native trees along the main road. The presence of litter works against to the efforts of the restoration, and the success of their litter cleanup campaign is a high priority.

We wish the Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature much success as they continue to help keep Virginia Beautiful!

Man using power tools to build a picnic table

2024 Green Grants Award #20: Richmond Community ToolBank

, , , , , ,

Man using power tools to build a picnic tableCongratulations to the Richmond Community ToolBank for their $1,000 Green Grants award for their Community Trash Grabber Program for Litter Prevention!

Richmond ToolBank serves community-based organizations by providing tools, equipment, and expertise to empower their most ambitious goals.  Their flagship program is the ToolBank Tool Lending program.  Through this program, they provide access to over 10,000 tools to community-based organizations that do important work in Central Virginia that would otherwise not be feasible without these tools.

The Community Trash Grabber Program will empower community organizations to tackle litter and cigarette waste in parks, neighborhoods, schools, and other community spaces. This program removes a financial barrier for organizations and community groups by waiving the tool handling fees for trash grabbers, vests, and pop-up trash cans specifically for projects aimed at picking up litter and cigarette waste. ToolBank will promote this program through newsletters, social media, and postings around their warehouse.

All Richmond ToolBank tool orders are placed through their system which records the number of volunteers’ equipment, project size, and location. Through this system, reports can be easily pulled to track how many participants are participating, where, and what equipment they have.  They expect this to be a widely-used program among our current member organizations. Trash grabbers are one of our most popular items that we lend out at ToolBank, and with a higher inventory we can equip more projects and volunteers in and around Richmond.

With funds provided by the Green Grants award, Richmond ToolBank will purchase 60 sturdy trash grabbers and 16 pop-up trash cans.  These tools will provide groups with a safe and efficient way to host a litter cleanup, and will empower community organizations to tackle litter and cigarette waste in parks, neighborhoods, schools, and other community spaces. The program removes a financial barrier for organizations and community groups by waiving the tool handling fees for trash grabbers, vests, and pop-up trash cans specifically for projects aimed at picking up litter and cigarette waste.

The Trash Grabber Program will strengthen Richmond ToolBank’s commitment to empowering communities. By addressing litter issues, the program aligns with our mission of supporting neighborhood revitalization and fostering civic engagement.

Thank you for the work you’re doing, and help others to do, in your community!

People cleaning up litter at a bus stop

RVA Rapid Transit Awarded $750 Green Grant

, , , , , , , , ,

RVA Rapid Transit LogoRVA Rapid Transit in Richmond is awarded a $750 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention Category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

A nonprofit that is not GRTC or part of any City, County, or State government, RVA Rapid Transit is an organization committed to improving the experience of transit riders in the Richmond community.  They believe that no one should wait for the bus without a place to sit and protection from the elements.  One of the ways they improve the experience of transit riders is by keeping bus stops clean and litter-free.

The “Better Bus Stop Program” will focus on improving the cleanliness of bus stops throughout the Richmond area.  They’ll partner with local volunteers and community organizations to regularly clean and maintain bus stops, ensuring that they are free of litter, debris, and other unsanitary conditions.  To accomplish this, they will provide volunteers with the necessary equipment to ensure that the collected trash is collected in a safe and convenient manner.  They will engage in outreach efforts to educate transit riders about the importance of keeping bus stops clean and encourage them to join our efforts.

People cleaning up litter at a bus stopThrough the “Better Bus Stop Program”, RVA Rapid Transit plans to create a cleaner and more pleasant transit experience for all riders, while also promoting community involvement and environmental stewardship.  They believe that this program will have a positive impact on the community and look forward to implementing it with the support of this litter prevention grant.

Funds provided by the Green Grant award will be used to purchase supplies for “Adopt-A-Stop Kits” that included litter grabbers, protective gloves, safety vests, and trash bags. The Adopt-a-Stop program is open to civic associations, organizations, and individuals, 18 years or older, throughout the Richmond Region.  A Bus Stop Adopter makes a one-year commitment to regularly complete litter pick-up at and around the bus stop and clean the glass on the bus shelter at least twice during the year.

 

 

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

Lynnhaven River NOW Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

, , , , , , ,

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!

Cleanup supplies on the Eastern Shore

Eastern Shore Waste Watchers Awarded Green Grant

, , , , ,

Eastern Shore VA Waste Watcher is awarded a $500 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention Category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Cleanup supplies on the Eastern ShoreEvery 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.

Eastern Shore VA Waste Watchers is an independent, non-profit volunteer community group that promotes the responsible disposal of waste on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. They focus on Eastern Shore litter and trash pick-up along our highways, shorelines, and other crucial points. They conduct annual litter surveys, organize road and water clean-ups, and sponsor a children’s essay contest. In addition, Eastern Shore VA Waste Watchers supports County agencies such as VDOT and Public Works in their efforts to keep the Shore litter-free.

Funds awarded for Green Grants will be used for their “Help Keep the Shore Litter-Free” program, whose goal is to support a cleaner, healthier Eastern Shore. They will purchase supplies needed for safe litter cleanups, such as safety vests, litter grabbers, gloves, and hand sanitizer.

If you’d like to learn more or volunteer to help, Waste Watchers meets the second Wednesday of every month at 11am in the Public Works building in Accomac. Everyone is welcome.

Thank you Waste Watchers, we appreciate the work you do!

06-03-23 Pulaski Co. (300 × 300 px)

Pulaski County is Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

, , , , , , , ,

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!