Gold Award Spotlight: Green Hearts – Think Before You Trash
Maureen Keller, a freshman at Alabama State University, was recognized for earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts, before leaving for college this fall. She put in over 130 hours of service on her project, which was developed in response to a city-wide nix of the government-funded recycling program. Maureen took the initiative to tackle this challenge by hosting Chesapeake’s very first citywide Earth Day celebration in April 2024.
Keller said, “Two years ago, Chesapeake as a city decided to cancel their free curbside recycling program that was available to all citizens. This left many people upset and wondering how they could help keep the city and the world clean if the city isn’t supporting easy recycling. Before the cancelation, 76% of people [in the city of Chesapeake] used curbside recycling. I addressed this by researching options for citizens to recycle and reduce their trash going into our city landfill.”
The event invited the community to explore the Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Historic Park through engaging activities that Maureen created to educate the community about recycling and disposal. She invited community partners such as the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council, Chesapeake Recycles, Hampton Roads Master Gardeners, The Virginia Butterfly Society, Tidewater Beekeepers, Tidewater Compost, Goodwill Industries, and the Elizabeth River Project, to present tables at the event. With support from these local partners, the event was a hit!
“After my event, I turned in 1,000 pounds of plastic to the NexTrex Recycling Challenge and in turn received a bench that will be placed at the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways History Foundation where I held the Earth Day event. In addition, I created a brochure for our community to let citizens know where they can take items to be recycled in our city as well as how they could rethink their future purchases. This brochure as well as the lesson plans from my educational activities will be hosted by Chesapeake Recycles into the future.”
In May of 2024, Maureen was recognized by the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council (CEIC) and Chesapeake City Parks, Recreation and Tourism with the Community Leaders of Tomorrow Award. (Read the full article here.)
Maureen also passionately advocated for the return of curbside recycling by meeting with local leaders. There was a referendum on recycling options for citizens in November 2024.
Congratulations, Maureen!
