{"id":4909,"date":"2011-04-21T21:46:40","date_gmt":"2011-04-22T01:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/?p=4909"},"modified":"2011-04-22T16:57:45","modified_gmt":"2011-04-22T20:57:45","slug":"virginia-adopt-a-highway-program-in-full-spring-swing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/virginia-adopt-a-highway-program-in-full-spring-swing\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Adopt-a-Highway Program in Full Spring Swing"},"content":{"rendered":"

VDOT Sponsored Effort Keeps Highways & Byways Green<\/strong><\/p>\n

America<\/em> the Beautiful<\/em>.\u00a0 Originally written as a poem in 1895—and later published as the iconic anthem in 1910—the song has come to embody the stunningly beautiful USA landscape.<\/p>\n

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Now You See It...<\/p><\/div>\n

And yet the challenge in keeping the \u201cBeautiful\u201d in America is daunting.\u00a0 With a population of 310 million citizens and over eight million miles of roads, litter is ubiquitous along the Nation\u2019s thoroughfares.\u00a0 Here in Virginia, plastic bags, beer bottles & cans and fast food detritus aggressively compete with Spring\u2019s colorful Redbud and Dogwood for roadside presence.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to grasp why littering occurs.\u00a0 How does anyone in good conscience roll down their window and toss garbage onto an artist\u2019s palette?\u00a0 Ignorance?\u00a0 Indifference?\u00a0 Entitlement?<\/p>\n

Who knows.\u00a0 It simply happens.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, all fifty states have created volunteer programs to assist in keeping its highway systems clean.\u00a0 In Virginia, the Virginia Department of Transportation sponsors our statewide effort.\u00a0 Last year, volunteers contributed 31,800 hours of their time collecting 26,300 bags of trash, while scouring over 1,900 miles of highway.\u00a0 Not only are Old Dominion roads more scenic because of their efforts, but state coffers are given some relief in this era of budgetary cuts.<\/p>\n

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...Now You Don't.<\/p><\/div>\n

Rappahannock Cellars contributes in a small way to the enormous effort.\u00a0 For the past five years, the winery has volunteered to maintain three miles of Route 522 in the immediate area of its tasting room.<\/p>\n

On a recent sunny April weekday, management and staff from the winery collected twenty-five bright orange bags of trash.\u00a0 Marketing Manager Allan Delmare says, \u201cIts a bit crazy to claim we had fun collecting trash.\u00a0 But honestly, it\u2019s not the nasty job you\u2019d imagine it is. You\u2019re outside on a nice day making a noticeable impact on something you drive by every morning. Our commitment to preserving Virginia\u2019s farmland through sustainable agriculture doesn\u2019t end at our vineyard fence. Besides, it\u2019s rewarding to look down that long stretch of highway and see green roadsides.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green indeed.\u00a0 Not only for the trash collectors but for the wayfarers traveling through beautiful Rappahannock County.<\/p>\n

For individuals or groups considering adopting a stretch of Virginia highway, visit VDOT\u2019s web site<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Or call 1-800-FOR-Road (1-800-367-7623).\u00a0 Once\u00a0you’ve\u00a0submitted an application and VDOT approves it, signs will be placed on the highway crediting your group with the adoption.\u00a0 You will obtain safety vests and collection bags from your local VDOT office.<\/p>\n

So are immediately cleaner roads the only benefit to the program?\u00a0 Not entirely.\u00a0 Research has shown that maintained highways produce less litter in the long run.\u00a0 And seeing volunteers at work along the roads often makes motorists think twice before carelessly discarding trash.<\/p>\n

So grab those orange bags.\u00a0 \u201cAmerica<\/em> the Beautiful<\/em>\u201d is your song to sing.<\/p>\n

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The Orange Brigade<\/p><\/div>\n

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VDOT Sponsored Effort Keeps Highways & Byways Green America the Beautiful.\u00a0 Originally written as a poem in 1895—and later published as the iconic anthem in 1910—the song has come to embody the stunningly beautiful USA landscape. And yet the challenge in keeping the \u201cBeautiful\u201d in America is daunting.\u00a0 With a population of 310 million citizens […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n