Richmond

June 28 2024

2024 Green Grants Award #28: Birdhouse Farmers Market

Beckey Watson Uncategorized $1000, Birdhouse Farmers Market, Green Grants, greenhouse, healthy eating, Randolph Community Center, Randolph neighborhood, Richmond

Birdhouse Farmers Market, in the Randolph neighborhood of the City of Richmond, is Green Grants announcement #28 for $1,000 to accomplish their Community Beautification plans!

Birdhouse Farmers Market, established in 2007, is the hub of healthy, food-related community activities designed to strengthen the local food system and improve the health and well being of the community. They also support the community with an educational garden space called Birdhouse Community Garden, which is adjacent to the market area. At Birdhouse Community Garden, everyone is welcome to visit and learn about local foods, gardening, native plants, healthy eating, and wholesome cooking.

“Sprouts and Blooms” is a program designed to give the residents of Randolph more direct access to gardening activities, while learning how to grow food, beautify the neighborhood, and care for the environment. Funds provided by Green Grants will be used to purchase a 6×10′ greenhouse kit, pots and trays, seeds, and other supplies. Area residents and volunteers will construct the greenhouse from a kit and set up tables and other necessary equipment inside. The greenhouse will then be incorporated into monthly community workdays during the summer.

Once completed, students participating in the summer day camp (June-Aug) and after school program (Sept-May) at Randolph Community Center (RCC) and seniors at RCC will be invited to plant and tend flower and vegetable starts for planting both at Birdhouse and for distribution through the Randolph Neighborhood Association (RNA). Birdhouse will provide both instruction and the materials and supplies required.

Sprouts and Blooms will be an ongoing project, allowing the RCC youth gardening programs to continue gardening throughout the winter to learn how to successfully grow plants in a greenhouse and keep the greenhouse clean. It will also give any Randolph resident a place to engage with their community by learning how to grow plants for themselves and for distribution to their neighbors.

The addition of the greenhouse will allow the Birdhouse Community Garden to offer year-round community education, engagement, and garden activities that usually ended at the end of November without access to a greenhouse onsite.

We are confident that the greenhouse will be a Beautiful addition to Birdhouse Farmers Market and the Randolph neighborhood!

June 29 2023

RVA Rapid Transit Awarded $750 Green Grant

Beckey Watson Uncategorized $750, Adopt-a-Stop, Better Bus Stop Program, Green Grant, Litter cleanup, litter grabbers, Litter Prevention, nonprofit, Richmond, RVA Rapid Transit

RVA 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.

Through 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.

May 22 2023

Cleaning Up Litter Makes a Difference

Beckey Watson Uncategorized Bosher's Dam, chicks, Clean the Bay Day, Dulles Greenway, Eagle Cam, Eagles, Falcon, Great Virginia Greenup, James River, live cam, Loudoun County, peregrine falcon, Richmond, Shad, The James River Advisory Council, The James River Association

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.

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 3^rd, 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!

June 19 2021

$1,000 Grant for Friends of Bellemeade Park

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized cleanup, Green Grants, litter, Litter Prevention, reduce, Richmond, School, waterway

Congratulations to today’s award of our 2021 Green Grants: Friends of Bellemeade Park, in Richmond, will receive a grant award of $1000 for its Litter Prevention project! We’ll be announcing one Green Grants award each day during the month of June.

Friends of Bellemeade Park was formed to develop a piece of land adjoining Bellemeade Elementary School into a viable outdoor space for the children of the school and surrounding community. The six-acre park had been overgrown, a dumping ground for household furnishings and tires, and was bisected by a creek full of trash and assorted debris. Friends of Bellemeade Park cleaned up the area and now plans to establish a learning campus with programming to provide hands-on environmental education for the children and community.

Friends of Bellemeade Park will use their grant funds to install a stream buffer to manage erosion and litter in the creek, as well as wheelbarrows, litter grabbers, and other supplies and tools for volunteers to use during cleanups.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $500 to $1,000 describing how they plan to tackle an environmental concern in their community regarding Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification. Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $254,500 for 320 different environmental programs and projects all across the Commonwealth, due to the generosity of their partnership with Altria, as well as additional support from Coca-Cola, WestRock and Keep America Beautiful.

June 16 2021

Improving Lives of the Underserved

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized Beautification, bus, bus stops, dimentia, garden, Green Grants, litter, Litter Prevention, memory care, Richmond, senior citizens, Underserved

A special focus of our Green Grants this year is to support diverse groups and underserved populations by adding five additional grant awards, for a total of thirty-five awards, with one announcement being made each day in the month of June. Today, KVB recognizes two organizations that are working to improve the lives of the communities they serve.

The first award goes to Primeplus Senior Center, which helps seniors and disabled residents through issues such as food shortages, transportation, exercise, socialization, and education, with payments based on a sliding scale for low-income participants.

Dementia in any form is scary, for both the person with dementia and the family caregivers. Research from Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests gardening as a great activity to help maintain physical and emotional well-being. With a $1,000 grant provided by Keep Virginia Beautiful’s Green Grants, Primeplus will create a Therapeutic Walking Garden that uses the gentle stimulation of the five senses to enhance feelings of comfort and maximize a person’s potential to focus, improving communication and memory. They will purchase hanging baskets, elevated containers boxes, garden carts, among other things, and ADA approved mulch that will make it easier for seniors in walkers and wheelchairs to navigate the garden.

The second Green Grant award goes to RVA Rapid Transit, a nonprofit that focuses on creating reliable and far-reaching public transit throughout Richmond. RVA Rapid Transit reports that 74% of GRTC riders are people of color and 79% of GRTC riders have household incomes under $49,999.

RVA Rapid Transit grant application requested support for their Better Bus Stop Program, which will provide bus stops with additional benches, trash cans and recycling bins. They will organize volunteer groups to “adopt-a-stop” to help keep them clean by picking up trash at the stop at least once per month. The $500 grant award will also be used to purchase supplies for those cleanup efforts. This summer focus will be on bus stops on Broad Street in Short Pump, bus stops around White Oak Village, and bus stops in East End Richmond.

Thank you to these two groups for the services they provide, we look forward to the results of your programs! Congratulations!

June 12 2021

$1,000 Grant Award Goes to S.A.F.E.

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized cigarette butts, Cigarette Litter, Green Grants, Litter Prevention, Richmond, smokers, smoking

Congratulations to today’s award of our 2021 Green Grants: Substance Abuse Free Environment, in Chesterfield County! They will receive a grant award of $1000 for their Cigarette Litter Prevention project. We continue to announce one award each day during the month of June.

Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) is a nonprofit organization working to prevent and reduce substance abuse. SAFE recognizes the disparity in tobacco use (and other substances) among diverse, underserved, and marginalized communities. Along with the Tobacco and Nicotine Task Force, SAFE has an African American Coalition, a Latino Coalition, and a Youth Coalition to better serve these specific communities in Chesterfield County with targeted initiatives. SAFE TNT partners with these other Coalition Coordinators to reach these specific populations to provide education and resources that are relevant, and in an accessible manner.

SAFE will use their grant funds to purchase pocket ashtrays and distribute them in kits to smokers as a means to reduce cigarette littering in Chesterfield County. In addition to the pocket ashtrays, kits will include infographics and fact sheets with cigarette littering statistics and information about the connection between tobacco use, COVID-19 and lung illnesses.

June 7 2021

SCRAP RVA’s Recycling Efforts Receive a Green Grant

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized Green Grants, recycle, recycling, repurpose, reuse, Richmond, Teachers

We continue announcing organizations each day in June for our Green Grants awards. Congratulations to SCRAP RVA in Richmond who will receive a grant award of $750 for its Recycling project!

SCRAP RVA’s mission is to inspire creative reuse and environmentally responsible behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community. They aim to reduce the steady flow of materials into the waste stream and promote the use of reclaimed supplies. Their STORE provides a low-cost alternative to commercial stores and workshops.

SCRAP Gives Back event this Summer will provide upcycled school supplies at no cost to local pre-K-12 public school teachers. They will provide an open-air outdoor space as the ultimate, upcycled back-to-school “shopping” experience. Supplies will include pencils, paper, crayons, binders, highlighters, and poster-board, as well as items such as colorful bottle caps that could be used as math manipulatives, Formica samples that could be used as classroom currency, or compact discs for science lessons. Area educators will be able to fill a reusable tote bag with supplies in preparation for the upcoming school year.

June 2 2021

Special Spotlight of Green Grant Awards!

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized 30 IN 30, Beautification, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Grants, Green Grants, Northern Neck, Petersburg, Richmond, trails

Because 2020 was a year that brought the national spotlight to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we decided to create a special focus of our Green Grants this year to add five additional grant awards specifically to diverse groups and underserved populations. This will raise our grant award commitment to 35 grants in 30 days! Each Wednesday we will announce two organizations on the same day that are doing great things for this important segment of our population.

Today we recognize Pretty Purposed, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to empowering girls, ages 9-14, through mentorship and activities that promote healthy physical, social, and emotional development. Pretty Purposed, in Petersburg, will receive a grant award of $1000 for its Community Beautification project.

Pretty Purposed will enhance the community space at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, located in the heart of Petersburg, because the church provides in-kind space to the nonprofit. Grant funds will be used to purchase hanging plants, soil, raised garden beds, supplies to build a bench, and start-up costs for a Little Free Library. This project will provide beautification for the community, and will foster gardening skills, provide healthy food, and build leadership skills for program participants.

Pretty Purposed is dedicated to being a safe space where girls can grow and glow. We look forward to seeing their Community Beautification project come to life!

Today we also recognize The Friends of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail, a 501(c)3 nonprofit group of volunteers who aim to protect the 16-mile Dahlgren Railroad Heritage just south of the Potomac River in Virginia’s Northern Neck.

There are areas on the Dahlgren Trail that need raised bridges or boardwalks to ensure safe and equitable access for those with limited mobility. Funds from the Green Grant will be used to build a raised boardwalk in a chronically muddy and sometimes impassable section of the trail. This area is located at approximately mile 1.9, which is one of the most commonly visited and used sections of the Dahlgren Trail, near the trailhead.

The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve the natural and scenic environment. Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $254,500 for 320 different environmental programs and projects all across the Commonwealth, due to the generosity of their partnership with Altria, as well as additional support from Coca-Cola, WestRock and Keep America Beautiful.

April 12 2021

What Would You Do With $1,000?

Beckey Watson Uncategorized 30 IN 30, awards, cigarette butts, Cigarette Litter, Clean Fairfax, Grant, Grants, Green Grants, recycle, recycling, Richmond, Southwest Virginia

That’s the question we ask this time of year as we launch our 30 in 30 Green Grants Program. What would you do with a grant of $500, $750, or $1,000 to improve the natural and scenic environment in your community? To give you some inspiration, here are the results of three of the Green Grants awards the judges chose for 2020.

The City of Norton in Southwest Virginia applied for a grant in the Cigarette Litter Prevention (CLPP) category. They targeted an area in Downtown Norton where there was an abundance of cigarette butts littered on the ground. They did a scan of the area and picked up 1,365 butts in August. They installed 12 cigarette butt receptacles in the area, and did a second scan about a month later. They only found 16 cigarette butts after the installation of the receptacles! They also handed out 50 pocket ashtrays to citizens at a farmer’s market, city hall, and their community center.

The Friends of Bryan Park in Richmond saw a need to reduce the number of recyclable bottles and cans that were being thrown in the trash cans near a public athletic field. A team of volunteers routinely sorted out the bottles and cans from the trash, estimating that approximately 340 cans and bottles were being thrown away each week. They applied for a Green Grant to purchase five recycling bins to be placed at the most active locations at Parker Field. After a 5-week pilot project, 1,700 cans and bottles were collected in the recycle bins – success!

In a “think outside the box” way, Keep Prince William Beautiful in Woodbridge hosted a Fix It Fair last Summer. Their grant application in the Recycling category wanted to offer community members an opportunity to bring broken items to determine if they could be repaired instead of being thrown out and added to the landfill. With the help of nine skilled “fixers” and several volunteers, they were able to successfully repair items brought to the Fix It Fair, including wooden and metal furniture, bicycles, jewelry, clothing, televisions, computers, and even a beloved stuffed octopus who was in need of repair. By holding their fair outdoors, they were able to offer the event within COVID guidelines, and were very happy with the results.

So, what would you do in your community with a Green Grant? Applications are now being accepted!

June 30 2020

The Last Green Grant Goes to Renew Richmond!

Beckey Watson 30 in 30 Green Grants, Uncategorized 30 IN 30, Beautification, farm, Green Grants, Richmond

The thirtieth grant award for 30 in 30 Green Grants for 2020 goes to Renew Richmond in the amount of $1,000 for their Community Beautification project!

Renew Richmond is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2009 to cultivate healthier, more self-empowered communities through agriculture and education. They work with several Richmond schools to develop school gardens, promote food access, and offer education in agriculture and environmental sustainability.

Renew Richmond is in the final stages of transforming a neglected 1.5-acre parcel of land next to Armstrong High School into a thriving community farm and education center. As the farm grows, they plan to incorporate a number of regenerative practices including pollinator gardens, increased biodiversity and native species plants, rain barrels, composting, and solar energy to power farm essentials.

They will use grant funds awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful to buy trees, flowers, and bushes for the farm.

Thank you to Renew Richmond, and all of this year’s award recipients, for the programs and projects you’re doing for Virginia!