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.