Ska Festival

Supernova Alliance in Hampton is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Cigarette Butt Litter & Recycling 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 environmental concerns in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification.  

Supernova Alliance is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting cultural exchange, community empowerment, and social impact through the global ska and reggae music scene.  Supernova Alliance leverages the unifying power of music to support causes such as music education, youth engagement, and international collaboration.  

The Pick It Up Program is Supernova Alliance’s 2025 sustainability initiative focused on large-scale recycling and litter prevention during the Supernova International Ska Festival from September 12th to the 14th at historic Fort Monroe. The program engages volunteers to monitor recycling bins actively, keep cans separated from landfill waste, properly dispose of cigarette butt litter, and promote a clean festival culture through engaging signage and art. This year’s project shifts focus on recycling visibility, volunteer support, and creative public messaging that encourages fans to “Pick It Up” — both litter and the spirit of responsibility. 

Many people don’t realize that cigarette butts, the Number 1 most littered item in the world, are recyclable.  TerraCycle offers a free program that recycles cigarette butts, melting the plastic in cigarette butt filters to create picnic tables, benches, and other new items. 

For The Pick It Up Program, Supernova Alliance will track multiple measurable outcomes to evaluate the program’s impact during the 2025 Supernova International Ska Festival to:

• Collect and recycle at least 5,000 cans 

• Engage 15–20 volunteers, who will work in shifts throughout the 3-day event to manage recycling stations and educate attendees 

• Monitor and empty 6–8 previously installed cigarette receptacles, tracking how often they’re filled and ensuring they prevent ground litter 

• Reach thousands of festivalgoers, with visual prompts and volunteer guidance encouraging proper recycling behavior 

The Ska Festival takes place on a beachfront venue, which is a prime area for cigarette butt litter. The metrics accrued using these measures will demonstrate the program’s effectiveness and lay the foundation for future sustainability efforts at Supernova events.