Healthy Communities Grants Now Open!

KLB seeks to fund projects and programs that have a measurable, sustainable impact on one or more of the identified focus areas.  Focus areas include litter prevention and waste reduction, recycling, reusing, litter enforcement, and environmental education as it relates to KLB’s mission.  Interested applicants must submit a Letter of Intent by March 5, 2021 and be invited to formally apply for the Healthy Communities Grant.  The Letter of Intent will be evaluated based on the strength of the answers outlined in the Healthy Communities Grant Overview and Letter of Intent Guidelines.

1. Get some fresh air and pick up litter on an afternoon stroll around your neighborhood. Fresh air and sun will help boost your mood and picking up litter will improve the appearance of your neighborhood. Remember to take precautions like wiping down the litter grabber afterwards; immediately washing reusable garden gloves; not touching your face;  keeping social distancing; and washing hands afterwards.
2. Teach your kids the importance of caring for their community. Download Rocksey’s Toolbox, our K-5th grade environmental education lessons teach your children important environmental issues that face Louisiana such as litter, pollution, recycling, protecting our waterways and citizenship.
3. Go plogging! Joggers grab a bag and get moving! You can get your exercise in while helping clean up the neighborhood.
4. Start a herb garden. Fill your windowsill or patio garden with your most commonly used herbs. You can order these online and have them delivered.
5. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store for your shopping trips. Plastic bags take 500 years (or more!) to degrade in the landfill and cannot be recycled.
6. Reduce waste by declining restaurant’s complimentary napkins, straws and plastic ware. If you order take out to support your local restaurants refuse the extras.
7. Clean out your storm drain. When a storm drain is clogged with litter it can back up during rainstorms causing street flooding.
8. Plant a fruit tree or vegetable garden. Fruits and vegetables grown in your own garden have more nutrients compared to the ones that have traveled miles to the grocery stores. Order plants and seeds online and have them delivered to your home.
9. Remove litter from waterways. Grab a paddle and go kayaking.  Along the way pick up trash in the waterways.  80% of trash in the waterways comes from land-based sources.
10. Declutter your living space and donate goods to thrift stores. The average American throws away more than 68 lbs of clothing per year, which takes up unnecessary space in landfills.
11. Plant a native tree. Trees reduce stormwater runoff, erosion, and pollution in our waterways and may reduce the effects of flooding. Trees also improve air quality and reduce overall concentration of greenhouse gases. Order online and have it delivered to your home.
12. Start a composting bin. First, lay twigs or straw a few inches, add composing materials (coffee grounds are the best, egg shells, cooked rice, tea bags, dryer lint just to name a few) in layers alternating moist and dry, add manure or any nitrogen source, and keep moist. For more information, click here.
13. Support Keep Louisiana Beautiful. Your donation will help protect and preserve Louisiana’s natural beauty.
14. Always use a reusable bottle and reduce your single-use plastic bottle waste. A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and 80% never get recycled.
15. Use cloth napkins instead of paper. Cloth napkins are more durable, you’ll save money and reduce waste.
16. Be conscious of your water use. Use a water barrel to collect rainwater to use in your garden. Because rainwater isn’t treated with chemicals like tap water, it’s better for your plants – and it’s free.
17. Consolidate your online purchases to reduce unnecessary packaging waste, which adds more congestion to our cities, pollutants to our air, and cardboard to our landfills. When ordering multiple items request everything be sent together. 
18. Make a birdhouse with items from around the house such as an empty milk jug. Birdhouses provide a safe place for birds to build a nest and protect them from the elements and predators.
19. Break your single-use plastic habit. For starters try giving up all single-use plastic bottles, disposable straws, and plastic storage bags.  It’s easier than you think.  Plastic litter is harmful to wildlife and marine life when they ingest microplastics mistakenly for food.
20. Support Recycling Efforts. Louisiana’s recycling rate is only 12.8%, lagging behind the national average of 34%. Currently, many local recycling programs have been temporarily suspended but it will return and when it does it’s important to know how to recycle properly. Proper recycling reduces contamination which can help make recycling more profitable. Check out more info on recycling here. If your community doesn’t offer recycling then write your local elected officials asking for curbside recycling.
21. Go outside and play!  Spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces, is one of the fastest ways to improve your health and happiness.

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