MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012

The Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) helps communities, like Richmond, develop strategies for protecting and conserving ecological and cultural assets. Recently the GIC released the Bellemeade Walkable Watershed Report for the southside neighborhood of Bellemeade.

This neighborhood resides within the Bellemeade Creek watershed that flows into the James River and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed, like many urban watersheds around the country, is inundated with polluted runoff from yards, streets and parking lots. In order to protect the neighborhood watershed, and the James River and Chesapeake Bay, the City of Richmond prioritized this area for improvements.

The GIC held two community workshops to gather information and identify opportunities to infiltrate and clean rainwater, while simultaneously providing neighborhood amenities such as trails, trees and park enhancements. More information about the project is available here.

The Bellemeade Walkable Watershed is a part of a larger project to assess the city of Richmond's green infrastructure, this project was completed in 2010. To learn more, click here.

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012

RVAgreen Sustainability Plan
The Sustainability Plan is part of Mayor Jones’ Green Richmond Initiative, created to support the city’s sustainability goals. These goals are to improve the quality of life for residents, create a healthy environment and enhance economic opportunity in the city. The five focus areas of the plan are economic development, energy, environment, open space and land use, and transportation.

The City enlisted many groups and stakeholders in the development of the plan and hosted two community-wide workshops to gain input and insight into its implementation.

Build a Barrel – Save the Bay:
The city’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Stormwater Division partnered with Richmond Public Schools to educate students about storm water pollution. The Build a Barrel–Save the Bay project was targeted to elementary school students to provide each science classroom a rain barrel to construct and decorate. The Virginia Partnership for Meaningful Watershed Education awarded a grant to purchase the rain barrels and rain barrel kits for all 5th grade elementary school classes and for an additional 9 middle schools.

The Build a Barrel–Save the Bay Rain Barrel Project was a teaching tool for several areas of instruction. The rain barrel project was the beginning of science lessons on water conservation, watersheds, the impact of pollution and current laws and regulation on storm water runoff. Volunteers judged the decorated rain barrels and the top six were announced April 24, 2012 at the Science Museum of Virginia.

17th Street Farmers’ Market

The market opened for another exciting season filled with festivals, special events, and of course – fresh vegetables, meats, and baked goods! The 17th Street Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. – from April to November. For more information on the market, visit www.RichmondGov.com/farmersmarket.

MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2012

City residents were encouraged to attend the Mayor’s Food Policy Task Force community forum to discuss and prioritize recommendations concerning access to quality, affordable, healthy fresh foods in the city of Richmond. The forum was held in April at the Carillon.

Residents learned about the action recommendations being developed by the Mayor’s Food Policy Task Force and discussed the impact that the lack of access to healthy foods has in the community. The action plan developed as a result of the forum will address identified needs to ensure that the city has a healthy and accessible environment for all.

The Food Policy Task Force is part of Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ Healthy Richmond Campaign created toimprove the health of city residents through addressing the disparities affecting access to health care and health resources in the city. The RVA Shoppers’ Shuttle that began in February 2012 is one of the preliminary recommendations made by the task force.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012

More information on the benefits of community gardens and the application process for obtaining a parcel of land can be found on the city's community garden webpage.

MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012

Did you know that an American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks?

Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year. That's why the EPA's WaterSense program reminds Americans to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems each year during Fix a Leak Week.

Mayor Dwight Jones encourages all residents to join with the city of Richmond in observing Fix-a-Leak Week, March 12–18, 2012.