Outdoor Family Class, Photography in Nature
Postponed to Saturday, Oct. 13
Ever been exploring in nature and found yourself examining the beauty of the life around you? Maybe wishing you could capture these natural images in art form? Or simply discovering natural impressions and wondering about how they got there and what caused them? Join us for our “Sun Prints in Blue” Outdoor Family Class and workshop, hosted by local artist and photographer Pippi Miller as we explore natural impressions and their origins through the examination of cyanotopes, or blue prints, made by artists in nature and learn to make our own cyanotopes of the world around us. Kid and Family friendly, the class is FREE but registration is required. Email youthoutreach@newriverlandtrust.com to reserve your spot.
Time: 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Location/Directions: Heritage Park (Nature Play Space – meet in Glade Road parking lot)
Additional Information: Space is limited, registration required email: youthoutreach@newriverlandtrust.org
Green Tailgating: Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina
Join the Office of Sustainability before the VT/East Carolina game in making your tailgate green! VT’s Tailgate Green Team works to promote recycling during home football games by engaging fans and distributing recycling bags. Our Green Team will meet at the YMCA’s Lancaster House at 403 Washington St. at 11 a.m. For more information, or to serve as a volunteer for Green Tailgating, please contact Karlee Siepierski at skarlee3@vt.edu.
Time: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location/Directions: 403 Washington St., SW – YMCA Lancaster House
Additional Information: VT Tailgate Green Team
Solar / Green Homes Tour
Join us for this tour featuring healthier and greener homes and buildings in the Blacksburg area. Get inspired and learn first-hand how your neighbors are generating their own electricity with solar panels, creating wildlife habitat in their own backyards, lowering their energy bills with energy efficiency measures, building neighborhoods that foster sustainable lifestyles, and creating healthier home environments for their families with better building materials and systems. Participants can choose to participate in either a guided or self-guided tour!
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Location/Directions: TBD – Please check http://sustainableblacksburgva.org/sustainability-week-2018 for updates.
Kids’ Activities Passport
We believe that children are our future! This year for Sustainability Week we are offering a passport to all the activities that are kid/family friendly. Kids who participate in at least four Sustainability Week activities (initialed by parent/teacher) will receive a special prize! Download and print the passport
Times: At least one kid/family friendly event is being offered each day of Sustainability Week – see event descriptions below and look for *kid/family friendly to find all the fantastic events you and your kiddos could attend!
Location: Multiple locations – download and print the passport
Additional Information: Passports can be picked up at the SEEDS Office/Price House Nature Center at 107 Wharton Street SE, the YMCA Thrift Store at 1000 N. Main St., or Imaginations Toy and Furniture at 1531 S. Main St, Blacksburg, VA 24060 or the Blacksburg Library at 200 Miller St. If you would like the passport emailed to you, please contact sustainability@blacksburg.gov. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent at all Sustainability Week events. Prizes for completed passports can be collected at any of the places where passports were distributed, or at the Town of Blacksburg Sustainability Office at 141 Jackson St.
Caught Green Handed
Do you see people on campus or around town using reusable bags, biking to work, or filling a reusable water bottle, or doing something else green? Help us catch these people “green handed.” This campaign looks to spread awareness and give a tangible “attagirl” or “attaboy” to folks who take that extra step to make green choices in their everyday lives. CGH Ambassadors will be given a set of Caught Green Handed stickers and over the course of the week, they will keep their eyes peeled so they can “catch” people doing something green. We also ask our CGH Ambassadors to help spread the message by posting pics of themselves with their “catchee” to our social media campaign #CaughtGreenHanded. (with permission of course). *kid/family friendly (kids can be CGH Ambassadors as long as they are working with a parent/adult)
Time: All week
Location: Anywhere someone can be caught!
Additional Information: We need 20 volunteers to be Caught Green Handed Ambassadors – if you are interested, please visit our Volunteer SignUp Page, or contact skarlee3@vt.edu (if you are a VT student) or sustainability@blacksburg.gov (if you are a community member).
Wands for Wildlife
Recycle a save wild lives! Old mascara wands are perfect for removing parasites and debris from the fur and feathers of sick and injured animals brought to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge Center. We’ll be putting out collection boxes in key places on campus and around the community during Sustainability Week (September) and will collect them during Earth Week (April). Please wash off residual mascara in warm soapy water before placing them in the collection boxes.
Time: All week
Additional Information: Appalachian Wildlife Refuge Wands for Wildlife Program
The Last Plastic Straw Campaign
Did you know 500 million straws are used and discarded every day in the United States alone? Single-use plastics like straws are used for an average of 12 minutes, yet last for hundreds (if not thousands) of years! During Sustainability Week, we are looking for community volunteers to encourage local restaurants to provide a straw only when a customer requests one. Volunteers will be given an outreach packet complete with promotional materials that restaurants can use to highlight their new earth- and wildlife-friendly practice. This is a great project for families and students alike – if you would like help, please email Jennifer Jen: jenniferhjen@gmail.com
Time: All week
Additional Information: The Last Plastic Straw
