over the past week...

...we've been working to get ready for the Isle of Wight County Fair! I've been so busy working with my volunteers to get the Isle Be Green Tent ready, and it all paid off!

We took the children's recycled art from the summer program...



And made a recycled art gallery...



This was inside the Isle Be Green tent at the County fair...



The whole purpose of this tent was to repurpose items (trash to treasure)! Everything inside was made using items we found while dumpster diving in the County dumps!









There is beauty hidden, but you have to look for it!

Do you know what these flowers are made of?



Records...yes, records! Melted in the oven!



We had to educate people about plastic bag recycling...





And the latest initiative is cigarette litter prevention... (yes, my co-worker dug all those butts from the receptacle).



So, here are some more pics for your enjoyment!







Completely repurposed!





But, the best part was when the kids came in to see their artwork! They were so happy!!













Now...doesn't that make you smile? It did for me! Even though it was a lot of work and took dedicated volunteers, it was well worth the effort just to see those kids' faces!

It only takes one...

Recently we completed a great project (for my job), and I just had to share with you!

Over the past five weeks, my co-worker, a dedicated volunteer, and I have been going to a summer camp to teach 6 to 8 year olds about agriculture and the environment. Each week we talk with them about a field crop, a vegetable, do some taste testing, and then have a lesson.

The last week we talked about the environment and recycling. We collected cardboard, bottle tops, and other "junk" for the children to use in an art project. The week prior I spent days preparing the base artwork that the children used as a guide (sorta like paint by number). Here's some of the artwork prior to...







At the end of the lesson about the environment, we broke them up into groups and let them work on the 5 different scenes. They were instructed to create a plan of action, and then use the materials on hand to create masterpieces!







I was so overcome with pride when I saw the finished artwork that I started to cry! Those children worked so hard to turn trash into art and they did a fantastic job!











I was so worried in the beginning that they wouldn't understand what we were asking them to do, but they got it right away.

And, I was SHOCKED when they opened the thank you banner for us! It was the icing on the cake! On it the children wrote all the things they learned the past 5 weeks with us. It was so special! It meant the world to me that someone actually cared enough to say thank you.



That someone who coordinated the banner was the counselor. The lead counselor of the group thought enough to teach the children to say thanks! I was impressed and amazed with this one counselor and the many others with the program.

My point is that it only takes one person to make a difference. Just one person that cares enough to help us get the project done, to encourage the kids, to teach the kids, to help us achieve our goals. If only more people were that caring more things would get done.



We don't do these projects to get thank yous, but this was the biggest thank you that I've gotten in 8 years from working on a program. But, it was the counselor who made it possible. He cared enough. That's all it takes. We need to do more things because it's the right thing to do for the future generation. It takes time, effort, money, and heart to make projects happen. Sometimes we think these kinds of projects are just fun, but those children will remember this stuff when they are my age. They will remember what eggplant looks like, why plastic bag litter contaminates cotton, and what we use soybeans, wheat, cotton, and peanuts for!

So, I hope that these pictures inspire you to take a moment to help someone make a difference. Those counselors helped us, and I am forever grateful!

Recycling at the Isle of Wight County Fair

I don't talk about my job much on this blog, but since my volunteers and I worked so very hard to pull this project together and it was part of my life at home for some time as well, I decided to share some pictures from the Fair.

Each year I have varying responsibilities related to our County Fair. This year the goal was to advertise the recycling program, Isle Be Green. I had a volunteer to come to me and offer her assistance because she really liked the program and wanted to help get the word out. So, we decided to turn trash to garden treasure! We literally dumpster dived for many items you'll see in the pictures, gave them a facelift, and then repurposed them into garden art. Enjoy!



Yes, that was an old ironing board as a directional sign!



Some may say tacky, but we say beauty! Look closely for the plastic bottle chandelier!



My co-worker, Gloria, was a super awesome helper this year! She hasn't learned to avoid offering to help me at Fair time. Anything I am involved in requires manual labor, mud, rain, sweat, and exhaustion!



My co-workers collected and cleaned the labels off of all the bottles shown in the pics. Thank goodness for friends!



Dynamo made this lovely bottle tree (yes, while he had his cast on)!



This great creation was made by my volunteer JoAnne! She made this fabulous spider named "Spideroo" out of a trash can, pool vacuum hose, and reflectors we found at the dump.



He even had baby spiders made out of lighbulbs...



The screen doors were salvaged, painted, and embellished with stained glass from a local church. My other co-worker cleaned the "gunk" off the glass, which was quite a job!



The stars of the show were the plastic bag animals made by the local elementary school students. In partnership with a local VA Beach artist, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and Isle of Wight County Elementary Schools, students were taught to turn trash to treasure! The "guts" of these animals are plastic bags, the legs and other extremeties are made with recycled cardboard, wire, etc. and then they used paper mache to cover them. They were fantastic!

This is super hornet with his bling!



And, cardinals, lions, and bulldogs!





And penguins...



And, horses...



We also had three awesome crafts for the kids to do! Overall, it was a fun time. But, we are exhausted. And, Dynamo was so kind to come and help me all day on Saturday and Sunday with the "booth." He was a huge help! It takes a village to teach recycling let me tell you! We also got to walk around a little and enjoy a funnel cake together. He's such a trooper to put up with this for 8 Fairs now!

I hope y'all had a great weekend!