November 21 – December 1, 2017
HCCC Staff & Leadership wish you all a very happy and peaceful Thanksgiving!
GOOD TO DO & KNOW!
The 2017 HWRP "Seize the Bay" Trash to Art Show and Fundraiser, held November 4 –12 was a great success! Many, many thanks to Fort Monroe Development Authority for providing the space at 20 Ingalls Road (the old Arsenal Building)! It was a wonderful space for an art show! Thank you also to El Diablo and Deadrise Restaurants for providing food for the opening night. Thank you to the artists who donated art, the supporters who purchased the art, and to the many volunteers who made the event a success!
Preliminary calculations indicate that the show raised more than $2000 for Hampton Waterways Restoration Project activities and supplies!
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2017 Hampton International Coastal Cleanup Results!
301 volunteers cleaned 23.63 miles of shoreline removing 1,841 lbs of litter & debris and kept 2,003 cigarette butts and cigar tips from entering our water.
Here’s a special thank you to our dedicated volunteers: Booze/Allen/Hamilton; Boy Scout Pack #9 (Saint Mary Star of the Sea); Boy Scout Troop 29 –Order of the Arrow; Buckroe Baptist Youth; Buckroe Improvement League; Coyote Mountain Ridge Academy; Dandy Haven Marina; Deane Home School; Elizabeth Lake Garden Club & Walkers; FDI Biology Club (Hampton University); First Presbyterian Church Hampton; Girl Scout Troop 1289 (First United Methodist Church Fox Hill); HCCC-Hampton Waterways Restoration Project; Mid-Atlantic Paddlers; Peninsula Catholic High School Girls; Peninsula Networking Exchange Club; Saint Mary Star of the Sea Ecology Club; S.E.E.D.S. Ecology Club (Hampton University) ; Spratley Gifted School Fourth Grade Science Classes; Tide Mill/Machen Neighborhood Association; Virginia Peninsula Master Naturalists
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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!
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The Peninsula Master Naturalists are collecting plastic bags for a bench for Gosnold’s Hope Park. If you’d like to contribute to the effort, contact Debbie at hccc@hampton.gov.
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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! The students at Barron Elementary School showed how they recycle on November 11, 2010.
HCCC History! Keep Bassette Elementary School Beautiful Day, November 12, 2005.
HCCC History! Girl Scout Troop 1118, Ridgway Park tree planting, November 16, 2013. The members of Troop 1118 were among approximately 60 volunteers who planted tree seedlings that day.
HCCC History! Mallory Elementary School planted trees on November 16, 2004, with some help from volunteer friends.
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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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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. 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. 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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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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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!
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!
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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January 4: Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee Meeting, Mama Rosa’s Restaurant, 617 E Mercury Blvd, 11:30am, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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January 9: Commission Meeting, Community Development Conference Room, 5th Floor, City Hall, 22 Lincoln Street, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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January 10: School Pride In Action Committee Meeting, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 4:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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January 11: Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Meeting, Fort Monroe Community Center, 100 Stilwell Drive, 6:30pm, information at causink@hampton.gov
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January 16: Clean & Green Workplaces Committee Meeting, Goodwill Community Employment Center, 1911 Saville Row, 3:30pm, 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 actively looking now, with two positions open! 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