Upper Tennessee River Roundtable

06/13/2026

Congrats, Sustain Abingdon!!

Sustain Abingdon, a committee of the Town of Abingdon, Virginia, has been awarded $1,000 in the Recycling and Waste Reduction category! Sustain Abingdon will use the funding to create a permanent, public recycling station within Town limits. By developing a well-designed and clearly marked recycling station, the Town aims to increase recycling, waste reduction, and community cleanliness. We are excited to see how this Green Grant will help Abingdon residents live more sustainably!

06/09/2026

Great job!!

06/07/2026

Congratulations to Sterling Middle School in Loudon County for receiving $1,000 in the Community Beautification category! The school will use the Green Grant award to create a pollinator garden on school grounds. Students and teachers in the Special Education program will lead this initiative that will enhance students’ connection with nature and foster learning about science and beautification. We look forward to seeing how this project will inspire students to keep their school beautiful!

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

Secure Your Load Day News 📰

📈 The good: Litter from unsecured loads along US roadways has dropped by more than half since 2020 - from an estimated 1 billion pieces to 454 million.

📉 The bad: That's still more than 450 million pieces of litter on our roads, plus another 200 million pieces along waterways and coastlines.

When debris falls from trucks, trailers, and vehicles, it doesn't just create litter - it can create safety hazards and impact our communities, waterways, and wildlife.

Do your part by properly securing and covering your load before hitting the road. 💚

Learn more: https://kab.org/secure-your-load-prevent-litter-and-accidents-on-the-road/

06/06/2026

The first recipient of a Green Grant in the Recycling and Waste Reduction category is Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. The Museum will use the $1,000 in funding to purchase additional TerraCycle recycling boxes for the single-use gloves used by veterinary staff, animal keepers, and volunteers. The Museum plans to recycle 90 to 100 pounds of gloves! We love to see such ambitious projects that perfectly align with our mission to improve recycling.

06/05/2026

Congratulations!!

The Clinch Valley Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is our first Green Grant recipient in the Litter Prevention category. Located in Russell County in the Southwest, the Clinch Valley SWCD works to conserve and keep its local waterways clean. The group will use the $1,000 in funding to host an educational cleanup on the Clinch River this summer. We are eager to hear how this cleanup will protect a natural resource and educate others on how litter harms water quality, wildlife, and our shared environment.

06/04/2026

06/01/2026

Thinking about StreamSweepers this morning! We hope to re-launch the river cleanup sometime this year. Thanks to Elizabeth Bennett for this video blip from our kickoff in Tazewell!