GOOD TO DO & KNOW!
2017 HWRP "Seize the Bay" Trash to Art Show and Fundraiser is coming up November 4 –12! 66 Ingalls Road (the old Arsenal Building), Fort Monroe, at the back of the building. What will artists create that raises awareness of the pollution and plight of our waterways and watershed? Take a look and put a bid in on original artwork created by local artists. Donations requested,
donors will receive tickets to a raffle. All funds raised will help support Hampton Waterways Restoration Project’s mission of making our waterways more swimmable and fishable. For more information about the show, contact Cris Ausink at causink@hampton.gov.
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Making HisTREE, Elizabeth Lake Estate Pool Area, November 5, 1pm! You are invited to join Elizabeth Lake Estate neighbors in a celebratory ceremony, witnessing the planting of a seedling from the famous Emancipation Oak. Come to the Elizabeth Lake Estates Pool area (at the end of Club Run street). Bring your chair, learn, participate, share, and have fun. Be a witness of history! This event is free, compliments of the Elizabeth Lake Environmental Stewardship Committee (ELESC)
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Thank you to the fabulous Schools Index team who reviewed Hampton's public schools today from 9am to 4:30pm! They visited all 32 schools! Thank you Will Kotheimer (HCCC Board Member), Jinnietta Brewerton, Marian Currier, Patricia Duncan, Jeffrey Saunders, and Ben Dukes for spending your Saturday helping improve Hampton schools! We appreciate you so much! Results will be announced upon compilation.
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Help Needed: Aberdeen Elementary School needs volunteers to transport their collected plastic bags to a Farm Fresh store throughout the school year. They want to win a plastic bench made from recycled plastic bags and film products! To lend a helping hand, contact Patricia Duncan at pduncan@hampton.k12.va.us. She and the rest of the Aberdeen Lions will appreciate your support! Would you please help?
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The next Community Cleanup will be Langley Avenue on November 17 at 3pm. Sign up at hccc@hampton.gov TODAY!
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Tour de Recycling, November 16! Learn about what happens to your recyclables after they leave your recycling container. All those things that can’t be recycled? Some of them can be reused. Find out how Goodwill on Saville Row takes in donated items and reuses them for the benefit of people and the environment! Sign up at hccc@hampton.gov.
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Help Needed: Sign your group up for some very special, very much needed cleanups! We’ve been asked to recruit volunteers to clean up some highly littered areas on a one-time basis, or, if you really like the spot, an Adopt-A-Spot basis. These sites are all adults only, require the use of safety vests, exercising extreme caution, and working facing the traffic. They also require early morning cleanups, preferably on weekends.
Here are the sites, along with information about them:
- Armistead Intersection at Hampton Roads Center Parkway: This site would work for a smaller group (approximately 10). The work would involve cleaning the roadsides of the intersection as noted in the attached map. We will provide safety signs for approaching traffic. Volunteers would be asked to minimize crossing the streets and crossing only at the intersection.
- Big Bethel Road Intersection at Hampton Roads Center Parkway: This site would work for a smaller group (approximately 10). The work would involve cleaning the roadsides of the intersection as noted in the attached map. We will provide safety signs for approaching traffic. Volunteers would be asked to minimize crossing the streets and crossing only at the intersection.
- Mercury at LaSalle Interchange: Because of the high volume, high-speed traffic and the blind curves at this site, we need to coordinate with Public Works to be protected by crash trucks. Despite the additional coordination, this site is the worst of the three and desperately needs cleaning. Ideally, we would have 20 – 40 volunteers at this site.
If you and your group are interested in claiming one of these sites for cleanup, please contact Debbie at hccc@hampton.gov.
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Visit a Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Oyster Gardening Demonstration at one or both of two local marinas! The schedule is designed to make it easy for you to come whenever you can! Register for a tour or to help oyster garden at causink@hampton.gov. Small groups are welcome!
Schedule for Sunset Creek, 4337 Kecoughtan Rd:
To Be Determined
Schedule for Dandy Haven, 374 Dandy Haven Rd:
To Be Determined
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Are you thinking of a fall garden? There are still community garden plots – FREE – sign up before they’re all gone! They’re organic sites, so you can’t beat the price. There are sites available at North Phoebus Community Garden, Buckroe Community Garden, and Phoebus Community Garden! And wouldn’t it be nice to garden when it’s not so hot? Sign up and more information at http://www.hampton.gov/2798/Community-Gardens.
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HCCC History! For those of you who follow us on social media, you may be puzzled about a series of posts that start off with HCCC History! Mystery solved – June 28, 2018 will be HCCC’s 40th anniversary, and we’re highlighting volunteers and achievements from the past to the best of our ability. If YOU have photos, stories, experiences, or mementos that you would like to share with us, we’d love them! In the regard to the mementos, please send photos of them. J The following are two stories we posted this week, with a little extra information:
HCCC History! Thomas Nelson Community College participated in the International Coastal Cleanup on Back River on November 3, 2007.
HCCC History! Girl Scout Troop 1021 helped clean up the mess left behind by Hurricane Isabel, November 1, 2003.
HCCC History! Tucker-Capps Elementary School planted a special school tree on October 31, 2001. The entire school participated in the ceremony, and the Ecology Club did the planting.
HCCC History! The Clean City Commission celebrated its 25th Anniversary on October 30, 2003, with former members, chairs, and coordinators, as well as volunteers from across the 25 years. Former Chairs Bert Carr, Harriet Storm, Woody Holder, and Larry Blanchfield joined Councilman Rhet Tignor (second from right) in this photo,
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Share information about our upcoming events!
GOOD TO REMEMBER!
Is educating about recycling your passion? We need groups of volunteers to distribute recycling information in four areas of the city in the next couple of months or so – Buckroe, Phoebus, Wythe, and Old Northampton. Contact Debbie at hccc@hampton.gov.
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Recycle all your plastic food, beverage, and household containers!! Yay TFC Recycling for including all plastic household containers in their list of recyclables! Take advantage of the opportunity! Yogurt cups – check! Applesauce cups – check! Syrup bottles - check! ! Just remember – NO foamed plastic (“styrofoam”)! If you’d like some guidance, visit the Round Robin episode on recycling plastics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbsuPXIFBiQ&list=PL3761D4B106784B15&index=7.
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If you have some sheets and blankets that are too good to throw away or recycle, but not really good enough to give to a charity, the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter is the perfect place for them! Drop them at 5843 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, 8am-5pm 7 days a week, or call 757-933-8900 for information.
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Round Robin recorded a segment about HCCC - it's 40th anniversary and its fundraising efforts! HCCC Chair Wendy Iles and Coordinator Debbie Blanton appeared on a segment of Round Robin that reviewed HCCC’s nearly 40-year history and its effort to raise money for programs and supplies. Follow this link to view it:
https://youtu.be/EafmEWH-ncM
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Drop-off Recycling Information – if you live in an apartment or condominium and don’t have recycling provided by your management, or if you have a lot of extra recyclables for some reason, you can use one of Hampton’s three drop-off containers! They’re located at:
- Hampton Yard Waste Site, 100 North Park Lane (just off Big Bethel Road)
- Briarfield Park, 1540 Briarfield Road
- Gosnold’s Hope Park, 900 Little Back River Road
All these sites accept the same materials that are accepted in the curbside recycling program! Including the cartons and plastics!
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Did you know?… Fall is the best time to plant trees in our area – if you think you’d like to increase your greenness with some trees, check with the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office in Hampton for expert help in planning, selecting, and planting your personal forest. You’ll be glad to have those trees shading you next summer!
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Did you know that leaves are a pain in the drain? They ARE! Leaves and grass don’t belong in the storm drain or ditches. They clog up the system. They cause flooding. They pollute the waterways they reach. If handled properly they can be composted into organic matter that improves the soil. So…
Bag them (in clear plastic bags for curbside pickup for composting)
Mulch them (with your lawn mower)
Compost them at home (Virginia Cooperative Extension can help – call 727-1401)
Report people actively blowing or raking leaves into storm drains at the police non-emergency number 727-6111. If you saw them do it, but they’re not doing it now, call 311 (727-8311 on cell).
PLEASE don’t feed leaves & grass to the storm drain!
GOOD DEED
If you see a good Clean City deed being done, send us the information and we’ll give kudos to the good-deed-doer!
GOOD TO SHARE!
Free plants to give to GOOD HOMES! An HCCC volunteer has Louisiana Irises - Black Game Cock and mauve-colored – to give away. Both prefer moist conditions or need to be watered at least three times a week, and can be grown in boggy areas. They need at least four hours of sun or blooming will decrease. Also available are two kinds of daylilies - dark yellow and triple-flowering historic day lilies hybridized in 1867. The new plant parents can dig them up in late September. Contact Melanie at Myfren@yahoo.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Looking for Recycling Feedback: What do you need to know to be the best recycler you can be? Email hccc@hampton.gov
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Looking for NEWSLETTER Feedback: What do we need to do to give you a newsletter you can use? Email hccc@hampton.gov
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Looking for nominations for:
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS!
All HCCC meetings are open to the public, and we welcome your participation!
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November 9: HWRP Meeting, Seize the Bay Trash to Art Show location, 66 Ingalls Road, Fort Monroe. 6:30pm, please bring a folding chair if you would like to sit. Either way, you will be surrounded by pieces of art that are sure to stir your passion! Information at causink@hampton.gov.
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November 14: HCCC Full Commission Meeting, Hampton City Hall, 5th Floor, Community Development Conference Room, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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November 15: Volunteer Manual Meeting, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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November 15: School Pride In Action Committee Meeting, Google Hangout, 4:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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November 21: Clean & Green Workplaces Committee Meeting, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
January 4: Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee Meeting, Mama Rosa’s Restaurant, 617 E Mercury Blvd, 11:30am, information at hccc@hampton.gov
LOOKING FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS!
Hampton Clean City Commission Board – oversees the programs and projects of the Hampton Clean City Commission and focuses on recognizing volunteers, board members are appointed by City Council. Contact hccc@hampton.gov for more information. Fill out a Board Bank application at https://hampton.granicus.com/boards/forms/239/apply/623877?code=34def5d9-e341-4ae1-9448-a571250065f4. We’re not actively looking now, but you never know when we will be, so sign up now through the Board Bank! You’re always welcome to attend and help out!
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Beautification Committee – works on a variety of projects including the YARDS Contest, tree tours, beautification projects, and education. Contact hccc@hampton.gov
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Clean & Green Workplaces Committee – works on the quarterly Clean & Green Business Awards, the Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Awards breakfast, and other workplace-related projects. Contact hccc@hampton.gov
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Hampton Waterways Restoration Project – works on a variety of clean waterway projects, including shoreline cleanups, water monitoring, and education. Contact causink@hampton.gov
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Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee – works on cleaning up Hampton through special cleanups and the Adopt-A-Spot program, as well as encouraging litter-free events, solid waste education efforts, and trash tours. Contact hccc@hampton.gov
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School Pride In Action Committee – educators (formal and informal) who encourage environmental lessons and activities in the classroom and on the school grounds, as well as emphasizing teacher education. Contact hccc@hampton.gov