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E-NEWS APRIL 2024
Have ideas for a Green project?
Submit Your Green Grant Application by April 30th!
Funding empowers groups all across Virginia to make a positive environmental difference
Each year we award thirty grants for environmental projects and programs to groups and organizations in Virginia. Our 2024 Green Grant applications are now available on our Green Grant Program webpage! Applications can be submitted between now and April 30, 2024. Thirty awards will be announced, one each day, in June.
Maybe your municipal center could use cigarette butt receptacles in a no smoking area or parking lot? Or have you ever thought about hosting a Repair Fair to keep items out of the landfill that still have life in them with a little bit of attention? Do you need grabbers, safety vests, and gloves for volunteers to clean up roads and landscape? Would you consider composting at your school's cafeteria, grocery store, or restaurant to reduce food waste? Maybe you need assistance with a community gardening project or to remove invasive species. These are just a few of the ideas that are possible to accomplish with a Green Grant award!
You can apply in any of the four categories: Community Beautification, Cigarette Litter Prevention, Litter Prevention, or Recycling/Waste Reduction. You can view the general Green Grant Guidelines here. If you have additional questions, please let us know.
Everyone can participate in our signature spring campaign for a cleaner, greener Commonwealth
So far 1,047 volunteers have collected 2,102 bags of litter!
The Great Virginia Greenup runs from the first day of spring to the first day of summer and is a wonderful opportunity for individuals and groups of all kinds to make a positive environmental difference in their communities.
To participate, complete one “green” event, such as picking up litter, conducting a recycling drive, or completing a beautification project. Be counted in the Great Virginia Greenup and let us know about your event by completing our online reporting form. Everyone who reports their results has a chance to win weekly prizes, including a variety of sustainability sampler kits. We can also help you plan your event and provide wildflower seed packets to thank your participants.
Some of the many great pictures submitted this past month, along with cleanup reports, as part of the Great Virginia Greenup!
The Great Virginia Greenup is part of Keep America Beautiful's national Great American Cleanup. Plus, for the next three years, they are challenging communities to participate in The Greatest American Cleanup as part of their ambitious plans to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in 2026 by making America’s towns cleaner, greener, and more beautiful.
If you participate in The Great Virginia Greenup and/or The Greatest American Cleanup, Keep Virginia Beautiful will be there to support you throughout with resources, incentives, and promotion. Contact us to learn more and get involved!
Applications Open for SAVE Leadership Program for High School Juniors and Seniors!
Apply by June 15th
Program Runs September 2024 - June 2025
Student Ambassadors for Virginia's Environment (SAVE) is an exciting new program for high school juniors and seniors. If you’re an educator, parent, or motivated teenager who cares about the natural and scenic environment of Virginia, you’ll want to learn more about SAVE. This is a great opportunity for students to build their leadership capabilities, increase their community service, and promote environmental stewardship.
SAVE is modeled after best-practice student ambassador programs successfully implemented by other Keep America Beautiful state affiliates in Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Florida. An abbreviated pilot program was launched during the 2023/24 school year and will conclude in June. Its success has prompted the continuation and expansion of the program for the 2024/2025 school year.
The SAVE program includes a commitment to:
Ten months of service as an Ambassador, with at least 25 volunteer hours committed between September 2024 - June 2025;
Review and agree to the program requirements as outlined in the SAVE Handbook;
Attend a virtual orientation and monthly virtual meetings (meetings are recorded and can be viewed at times that work best for Ambassadors);
Organize and participate in two litter cleanup events and submit a litter tally and cleanup reports;
Complete one community education project and share results; and
Submit a profile picture for the SAVE webpage and share pictures of your events and project on your social media and tag Keep Virginia Beautiful.
Please help us share information about SAVE with those who may be interested.
Two great events later this month as part of the Great Virginia Greenup
Keep Virginia Beautiful serves all of the Commonwealth, but our office is located in Richmond. We believe in doing our part to make Great Virginia Greenup opportunities available in our hometown! That's why we are helping to organize and support litter cleanups and other "green" initiatives for area groups and businesses who request them. Reach out if we can help you with a Great Virginia Greenup activity in the Richmond region!
PLUS, we are delighted to partner with Tech4Troops, VCU, and the Richmond Office of Sustainability to offer an electronic waste recycling event on April 27th. Then, on April 28th, we are working with the Richmond SPCA to have a litter cleanup featuring their adoptable pups. Below are flyers with more information. Hope to see you there!
Help us do MORE beautiful things this year!
Every day is Earth Day at Keep Virginia Beautiful! Your charitable donation makes a positive environmental difference in communities across the Commonwealth as we work to address and prevent litter, encourage recycling, and promote community beautification.
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