GOOD TO DO
Nominate a Clean City Award winner today! Awards will be presented on October 26 at the annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner. Won’t you take a moment to nominate someone you know who has made a difference in Hampton’s environment?
Here’s the information you need to nominate:
- The name of the individual or group
- The email address of the individual or a group representative
- What did your nominee do to improve the physical environment of Hampton?
- Is there a particular place in Hampton that has benefited from this nominee’s work? (Doesn’t have to be a specific place)
- When did the actions of the nominee take place? (years, months, weeks, or days, doesn’t matter)
Simple Rules:
- The action(s) taken by the group or individual must directly benefit the physical environment of Hampton, but the nominees are not required to live in Hampton
- We need your email address so we can contact you with questions if needed
- You are welcome to nominate your group or yourself
DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 7TH! Don’t delay!
That’s it. Simple, quick. But important! People work so hard to make our city clean and beautiful, and we need to thank them and recognize their efforts.
Here’s the nomination link:
http://hampton.gov/FormCenter/Hampton-Boards-Commissions--Committees-5/Hampton-Clean-City-Commission-Award-Nomi-68
We can’t wait to hear from you! Questions? Contact Debbie at hccc@hampton.gov or 757-727-1199.
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Join in the Community Cleanup on
Shell Road (Algonquin to Colonial), August 18, 9am – 10am. Volunteers will be cleaning up a section of Shell Road. Contact hccc@hampton.gov to sign up. The more volunteers we have, the more we can clean up!
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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:
THURS. Aug. 17, 7 p.m.
Thurs. Sept. 7, 6:30 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 23, 11:30 a.m.
Schedule for Dandy Haven, 374 Dandy Haven Rd:
SAT. Aug.19, 8:30 a.m.
MON. Sept. 4, 8:30 a.m. (Labor Day)
MON. Sept. 18, 8:30 a.m.
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Child(ren) going to Day Care or Elementary School? Start a crayon recycling program at your elementary school or day care center! http://www.crayola.com/colorcycle.aspx.
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Sign up for the International Coastal Cleanup in Hampton! There will be at least nine cleanups in September and October, and all of them need you to volunteer!
9/9, 9/23, 9/30, 10/14, and 10/28 you can cleanup on foot!
9/2, 9/16, 9/30, and 10/7 you can cleanup by boat!
Register at causink@hampton.gov or 727-1158.
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Are you good at fundraising? Join the HCCC Fundraising Committee! Due to a tight budget situation, we need to raise money to keep our programs going. We’d welcome your help! If you’re interested, email 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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Nominate a Yard for the YARDS Contest: The beautiful yards you know of can’t win Yard of the Month unless you nominate them! Judging occurs monthly through September, so nominate by August 30! Nominate a yard today! http://hampton.gov/FormCenter/Hampton-Boards-Commissions--Committees-5/YARDS-Contest-Nomination-Form-53 What are you looking for? Beautiful yard, nice plants. The YARDS Judges take care of the rest.
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Planning some fun summer outdoor expeditions? Remember to take trash bags with you! You want to keep Hampton’s great outdoors great and clean! Use one bag for trash, one for recyclables, and make sure you leave no trace of the fun you had! We’ll all appreciate your efforts!
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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. http://www.hampton.gov/2798/Community-Gardens.
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Take the kids in your life to Wonderful Wednesdays at Bluebird Gap Farm! Monthly, family friendly event where kids get the opportunity to get outdoors and build their own nature craft with the VCE Hampton Master Gardeners. Held every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 10:00 am—12:00 pm at Bluebird Gap Farm.
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Check out the www.JoyfulSendoffs.org website! Celebrating the beginning of a new life together doesn’t have to mean litter and the suffering of wild animals. This web site is loaded with ideas for clean celebrations that don’t hurt our environment! Well worth a look!
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Share information about our upcoming events!
GOOD TO KNOW
At the HCCC Meeting on August 8th, four projects were approved. The Hampton Waterways Restoration Project (HWRP) Oyster Garden project received final approval, and the board approved the Trash to Art exhibit, also sponsored by HWRP, November 4 - 12. In addition, we’re holding a Mystery Theater Dinner as a fundraiser, date to be determined, and an Arbor Day celebration on November 4. If any of these projects sound enticing to you, contact Debbie at hccc@hampton.gov to see how you can get involved!
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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:
Volunteers completed the tenth Keep America Beautiful Community Appearance and Litter Index on August 5, 2009. The Litter Index is a requirement for good standing as an affiliate of KAB. It involves driving to (at the time) 65 sites throughout the city, rating litter, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, illegal signs, and outdoor storage. The litter score in 2009 was 1.41 (scale 1 = no litter, 4 = a lot of litter). Since 2009 we’ve expanded the number of sites we evaluate to 100. Our 2016 score was 1.48. We’ll be conducting another index on October 4, if you’d like to volunteer, contact Debbie at hccc@hampton.gov. Some faces in this photo that you might recognize are Cynthia Harris, Felicia Holland, Brenda Sullivan, Dee Robens, Zachary Bergsma, Geoff Tennille, Shirley Boyd, Lucius Perdue, and Tania Taloute.
Two of HCCC's best at Bay Days 2000, Harriet Storm and Flo Ruehe.
Harriet was a two-term chair of the Hampton Clean City Commission and served for many years as an advisor and proponent. Our Harriet Storm Environmental Education Award was named for her because of her dedication and passion for the group.
Flo Ruehe, a retired science teacher, served two terms as a board member and many years (probably more than 15) as an Adopt-A-Spot participant. She and her husband Dick were a “two-for” pair. Whenever one of them participated, the other would as well. They made solid contributions to the group in terms of the work they did and their wisdom about environmental education.
We miss them both!
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Litter & Recycling Awareness Newsletter – The Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee wants to issue a newsletter, perhaps monthly, that specifically focuses on “trash” topics related to litter and recycling. The plan is to have the first issue toward the end of September. If you would like to contribute information, articles, or even questions that need to be answered, please send them to Pat Parker, paparker1@cox.net.
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How Can We Tame the Rain? – Come tour the rain gardens recently installed at three locations in Hampton, thanks to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s grant to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Learn how rain gardens (and other simple practices) can help reduce flooding, prevent pollution, and beautify your yard and community! Enter a raffle to win your own rain barrel! Speakers at the workshops will show you how to manage rainwater that floods your yard and street. These practices are cheap and easy to install. Come learn from the experts! Choose one of three great workshops, or go to all three!
- Wednesday, August 16, 5:45-7:15pm, First Baptist Church, 229 N. King Street, Hampton, 23669
- Thursday, August 17, 5:45-8:00 p.m.; Spratley Gifted Center, 339 Woodland Road, Hampton 23669
- Tuesday, August 29, 5:45-7:45 p.m., Air Power Park, 413 W. Mercury Boulevard, Hampton, 23666
Cost: ALL THREE ARE FREE, includes snacks
Register: Contact Charlene Ihrig, rsvp@cbf.org, 757/809-2901
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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 the Hampton Yard Waste Site, 100 North Park Lane (just off Big Bethel Road); Briarfield Park, 1540 Briarfield Road; and 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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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!
NEED VOLUNTEERS
Community Cleanup,
Shell Road (Algonquin to Colonial), August 18, 9am – 10am, volunteers needed to clean up a section of Shell Road. Contact hccc@hampton.gov to sign up. The more volunteers we have, the more we can clean up!
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Throughout the year: Dandy Haven Oyster Gardening, Dandy Haven Marina, flexible times. The Dandy Haven Oyster Garden is one of two demonstration gardens the Hampton Waterways Restoration Project is hosting to encourage people to engage in oyster gardening and to allow those who don’t have access to water the opportunity to oyster garden. Volunteers will help tend the garden, cleaning, removing “critters”, and making sure the baby oysters are happy. Contact Cris at causink@hampton.gov for information and to sign up.
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International Coastal Cleanup, varying sites, September 2 – October 28, volunteers are needed to lead cleanup sites and participate in cleanups. Contact causink@hampton.gov to sign up.
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Buckroe Arts in the Park Display, Buckroe Beach, September 9, 10am – 6pm, volunteers needed to help with a display and possibly litter cleanup. Contact causink@hampton.gov to sign up.
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River Days Exhibit, Hampton Yacht Club, September 9, 9am – 5pm, volunteers needed to help with a booth about oyster projects. Contact causink@hampton.gov to sign up.
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Community Appearance & Litter Index, October 4, 8:30am – 4:30pm, volunteers needed to evaluate Hampton’s appearance in terms of litter, abandoned vehicles, graffiti, illegal signs, and outdoor storage. Lunch is included, ages 16 years and older only. Contact hccc@hampton.gov to sign up.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Go Green Expo, September 9, 2017, Brittingham-Midtown Community Center, 570 McLawhorne Drive 10:00am-3pm FREE and Open to the Public! Go Green Expo, the Hampton Roads Premier Indoor Festival, is a one day event for consumers, business leaders, and families that features eco-friendly products, educational speakers, and easy ideas for eco-living, no matter what your shade of green. Go Green Expo focuses on going green, by making simple green changes for everyone. You and your family will enjoy this year’s theme, “Eat Local, Grow Local, Live Local”:
• Vendor hall with a little bit of everything
• Meet a lot of live animals
• Lunch from a local restaurant and dessert at our bake sale!
• Hands-on Demonstrations
• A fun and exciting Kid’s Zone
• Free gardening workshops,
• Rain barrel & Vermiculture workshops
• All indoor, family festival
• And sooo much more!
The day will be filled with fun and educational events for your entire family. You certainly will not want to miss any of it! For more information, visit: www.nngogreenexpo.org
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 nominations for:
Littered areas to target for cleanups,
hccc@hampton.gov - we're working toward setting up special cleanups for nominated areas based on safety and time available
Clean & Green Businesses (litter prevention, beautification, waste reduction, and environmental community service), http://hampton.gov/FormCenter/Hampton-Boards-Commissions--Committees-5/Hampton-Clean-City-Commission-Clean--Gre-64 - we award the Hampton Clean & Green Business Award quarterly, and are working toward a recognition for green businesses, let us know who they are!
Beautiful Yards,
http://hampton.gov/FormCenter/Hampton-Boards-Commissions--Committees-5/YARDS-Contest-Nomination-Form-53 - we visit yards monthly May through September to award Yard of the Month to three winners, you have to nominate someone for them to win!
Good-Deed-Doers to feature in the HCCC News – contact Debbie at hccc@hampton.gov.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
All HCCC meetings are open to the public, and we welcome your participation!
August 14: YARDS Judging, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 8:30am, information at hccc@hampton.gov
August 16: Fundraising Committee Meeting, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 4pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
August 17: Volunteer Manual Meeting, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
September 5: Clean & Green Businesses Committee Meeting, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
September 7: Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee Meeting, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 11:30am, information at hccc@hampton.gov
September 12: HCCC Full Commission Meeting, Hampton City Hall, 5th Floor, Community Development Conference Room, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
September 14: HWRP Meeting, Ft Monroe Community Center Community Room, 100 Stilwell Road, 6:30pm, information at causink@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!
Beautification Committee – works on a variety of projects including the YARDS Contest, tree tours, beautification projects, and education. Contact hccc@hampton.gov
Clean & Green Business 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
Hampton Waterways Restoration Project – works on a variety of clean waterway projects, including shoreline cleanups, water monitoring, and education. Contact causink@hampton.gov
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
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