Description
This Rockbridge Conservation initiative was spearheaded by a team of faculty and students at VMI and is a collaboration with Boxerwood Education Association. Boxerwood teachers use Sandy the Sea turtle to help demonstrate the importance of their actions on critters that live far away. The students are encouraged to write pledges of actions they will take to reduce waste and trash in the environment. Pledges are written on pieces of colored fabric and those are tied onto Sandy’s wire frame. The visual result is shown in the photo on this page. This type of collaboration is an example of how local organizations pool our resources to work toward common goals to help protect and education about our natural resources. When we work together, everyone wins!
Sandy the Sea Turtle
Sandy the Sea Turtle, a metal sculpture created by VMI engineering professor Jay Sullivan and cadets, has captured the imagination of school children and adults alike. The public art project highlights the value of keeping local land litter-free as a way of protecting our river and ocean ecosystems. Hundreds of colorful anti-litter pledges written by local schoolchildren brought energy and inspiration to this large installation in downtown Lexington. This “Ocean Protectors” project is a collaboration between Rockbridge Conservation, sponsor of the Cleanup, and Boxerwood, which provided special classroom outreach to students in 26 local Grade 3 and Grade 5 classrooms.
Prior to Sandy, Rockbridge Conservation and Boxerwood collaborated on Flippy the Whale. Flippy has migrated to the shore of Virginia where he continues his mission to educate kids and adults.
Useful Links
Click on any of these links to learn more about them:
Frequently asked questions
Below are a few FAQs about this project. Click the plus sign to see the answers.
The Waste Prevention Committee meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. at the Rockbridge Conservation office. Anyone passionate about this problem is welcome to attend.
Get Involved: We’d LOVE to have you join us on our mission to reduce waste in our beautiful county!To get involved with our committee, please contact our committee chair, Melody Tennant.
Or just come to our next meeting! (see the FAQ on meeting date/time)
Our committee chair is Melody Tennant. Please reach out to her directly with questions!
After successfully advocating for revival of a recycling program in Lexington, the committee has worked to raise citizen awareness of pervasive plastic waste, culminating in a July 2021 campaign to “Choose to Refuse Single Use Plastics.” Specifically, they:
- Collected plastic waste from 105 volunteer households for the month of May 2021 to illuminate the scope of the problem in Rockbridge County
- Distributed cloth bags to reduce use of disposable plastic bags
- Solicited pledges from individuals to cut back on their use of plastic bags and packaging
- Worked with local governments and businesses to reduce their plastic consumption
No! Although we encourage all of our committee volunteers to become members. Committee leadership must be members of Rockbridge Conservation.