Partnering to Keep Cigarette Butts out of the River
Cigarette butts are one of the most common types of litter found tossed alongside shorelines and roadways, ultimately ending up in the waterways. TRVSC is an engaged partner with the Keep America affiliates across the Valley in educating visitors and users of the river about conservation and good stewardship practices. One such project that TRVSC is involved with is a partnership with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTRB) in promoting the installation of cigarette receptacles at marinas and boat ramps. These receptacles are not only useful for reminding smokers to properly dispose of butts, but also serve as a PSA of the consequences of cigarette litter in river with the colorful wrap art on each unit. KTRB offers free receptacles at no cost to owners of public spaces (marinas, restaurants, campgrounds, parks on the waterways). This is also part of a free recycling program, in which packaging is provided for the cigarette butts to be recycled for their plastic fibers. All is required is for property owners to install and maintain the receptacles. Anyone interested may submit a request for the receptacles at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/cigarettelitter
National Recreation and Park Association recently hosted a podcast featuring Missy Marshall, Executive Director of Keep TN Beautiful, KAB Training Director, Edmund McDavis III, and Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director KTRB as they discuss the program. To listen and learn more about this program, click here.
Recollecting the Awe of Apollo 11
For most of us watching Neil Armstrong take those first steps on the moon, the awe of safely sending a man to the moon and back was mind boggling. Those first steps were mostly seen by the public in grainy shades of grey on cathode ray tube televisions. It was unimaginable that men could be traveling through space to explore another frontier. It was also unimaginable that the technology that brought the Saturn V to the moon would be adapted for consumer use in a short span of five decades.
Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing on July 20, 2019 is a reminder that great moments in history are made up of a rich tapestry of people working together for a collective goal. For two decades, the Space Race dominated popular culture. For the City of Huntsville, the event had a personal face of neighbors who worked at the George Marshall C Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal where the Saturn V rocket was designed and built.
For TVA, it was the responsibility of overcoming a failed lock on Wheeler Dam to build a one mile bypass for the 363 foot, 75 ton rocket’s delivery to Cape Canaveral in time for fall testing. The original plan had been to ship the rocket on barge along the river systems on the 2200 mile journey, but with damage to the lock, an alternative plan was needed. With expediency, the TVA partnered with local agencies to design and build a road that had terminals to park transfer barges to load and reload the rocket. The urgency was to keep the space mission on schedule for testing and the ultimate launch date.
While the Apollo mission was born out of the Space Race and Cold War, this author prefers to remember a moment when the whole world was collectively holding their breath in wonder and awe at this achievement of mankind.
Spotlight on Electrification in the Tennessee River Valley
The Tennessee River Valley’s history is a story of generations of explorers, beginning with early explorations of the New World to today’s explorations of Space. What we see today is possible because of the vision of people that came before us. Alabama has been celebrating her Bicentennial over the past three years by honoring the people, places, and events that have defined the state’s past. Celebrations have included workshops, local events, as well as the traditional state events reserved for dignitaries. The State’s decision to fund project at both county and community levels has provided an opportunity for local citizens to participate and discover Alabama’s rich and varied history. How cool is that?
One of the community projects captured our attention with its clever use of art to tell a story. The project, A Bright Idea, is a newly dedicated light bulb sculpture in the City of Athens that commemorates the 85th anniversary of “turning on lights” in the city. The first street lights were installed in 1908, and in 1934, became the first city in Alabama to receive power from the newly created Tennessee Valley Authority. The City of Athens stated in their press release that “the light bulb sculpture pays tribute to the ingenuity behind providing electrical power, preserves our local history, and honors those who have lost their lives and those who risk their lives to ensure the lights stay on.”
We see this as a fitting tribute of celebrating the Valley’s history through the art of Placemaking.
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