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Earth
Day
 Fauquier
County
Fauquier County celebrated Earth Day with a festival on the
Greenway on April 17th. The Department of Environmental Services’
booth featured a “recycled cottage” made from
approximately 200 2-liter soda bottles. Superhero recycling
mascot “Ed E. Earth” visited with residents to
encourage waste reduction and conservation. For more information,
contact Deb Van Leer, Recycling Technician, at (540) 347-6811.
Town
of St. Paul
St. Paul was the host of a regional litter summit hosted
by Black Diamond Resource Conservation & Development
Council on April 22nd. Designed to help southwestern Virginia
governments find solutions to litter problems in their region,
the summit included reports about the impact of litter on
quality of life, health and economy for residents and visitors
to the region. Participants hope to implement the Assign-A-Highway
program and schedule the cleanup of illegal dumpsites through
the region. The event, which also included a technical workshop
for program coordinators, was funded by the Canaan Valley
Institute, Kilgore & Kilgore Law Firm and the McClure
River Kiwanis. For more information, contact the Black Diamond
RC&D at (276) 889-4180.
Page
County
When the announcer called for the first group in the duck
race, a small herd of kids stampeded to the bridge, ready
to drop their plastic entries into the Hawksbill Creek,
each one urging their duck to the finish line downstream.
The children were part of the fifth annual Earth Day celebration
in Page County held April 24th on the Luray Hawksbill Greenway.
The
day began with the painting of a canvas teepee with Earth
Day slogans and pictures. At noon, a tree planting demonstration
was held with participants learning the correct depth and
planting technique. A life-sized litterbug peered at the
proceedings from the information tents where the litter
control and recycling message was spread through educational
literature, signboards and demonstrations. From the aluminum
can contest to making litterbugs from recycled materials,
kids of all ages enjoyed the festivities.
Environmental
activities were features of the local event, but traditional
fair components such as live music, delicious food, story
telling and face painting were also incorporated. For more
information about this fun community event, please contact
Chris Anderson, Environmental Coordinator, at (540) 743-4808.
Clarke
County
This year’s Berryville Barns Festival in Clarke County
is tackling a huge issue – the creation of waste at
community events. For the first time, event coordinators
are planning a zero-waste event, with zero-waste guidelines
for all exhibitors and vendors. All festival participants
and guests will play a part, from recycling bottles and
cans to composting food scraps and using environmentally
friendly, corn-based packaging and cutlery instead of plastic
products, said festival director Jane Radford.
The
festival is planned for June 4th as a fund-raiser to restore
and renovate two 1920s-era dairy barns in downtown Berryville
for use as a community arts and cultural center. The zero-waste
aspect of the festival is simply “an extension of
the philosophy on which the barns project is built —
to reuse and renew what already exists. The renovation of
the barns is the ultimate recycling project,” Radford
added.
For
more information, contact Downtown Berryville Inc., a non-profit
association dedicated to the promotion and support of Berryville's
town center, at (540) 955-3736.
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