Our Programs

Please note: we will not be running any programs in 2017 due to limited funds.

CART

Water bottles, newspapers, paint cans, Oh my!  It’s hard to keep track and know the right choice when it comes to recycling and reuse. So in 2012 Betty and GreenBlue came together to form the Charlottesville Area Recycling Task Force (CART) with three primary goals:

  • Advocate for a comprehensive sustainable materials management policy in place in both the city and county which offers the maximum in recycling and diversion rates
  • Encourage a strong education component
  • Establish convenient services for the community to achieve these goals.

Learn more about CART’s vision for the future of Charlottesville here.

Charlottesville Area Better Business Challenge

The Charlottesville Area Better Business Challenge is a friendly points-based competition designed to increase efficiency and sustainability throughout five key areas of a business’ daily operations:  energy, water, waste, transportation, purchasing and leadership. At the heart of the program is an online scorecard of action items where you set goals, access resources, and track success.  During the course of 10 months, the Challenge provides participants with the tools and training needed to complete their goals and rack up points.  Through our program, businesses are able to increase their bottom line, differentiate their business among competitors, forge a sustainability-minded network, and meaningfully engage in corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship. Awards include “Biggest Loser”, Kilowatt-Crackdown, Top Innovator and more. To date we’ve helped 150 local businesses, schools, and churches reach their efficiency and sustainability goals.  The Challenge is lead by two local non-profits, Better World Betty and the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) in partnership with the City of Charlottesville, the County, the local Chamber of Commerce, University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and various business sponsors.

Check out our Better Business Challenge website.  Our primary goals for this program:

  • Celebrate and increase efficiency and sustainability in business, while raising awareness
  • Empower local businesses with the tools they need to incorporate sustainability into their daily operations and make it fun, easy, cost-effective
  • Invite businesses to step up their Environmental Stewardship game

As of 2018, the Better Business Challenge has been licensed to the Charlottesville Climate Collaborative.

Zero Waste Warriors

The Zero Waste Warriors are a group of passionate and informed volunteers dedicated to advancing the goals of the Charlottesville Albemarle Recycling Taskforce (CART). They are CART’s boots-on-the-ground ambassadors who will use their local connections with residents, students, and business owners to clear up the recycling confusion that has wrought Albemarle in recent years and forge a more progressive path for our community. The Zero Waste Warriors hosted several community events such as a recycling trivia nights, recycled crafts nights, movie nights, and bingo nights all centered around educating the community about recycling in a fun and friendly way.
Goals for this program during 2014 and 2015 were:

  • Establish a strong and informed group of volunteers armed with the facts about recycling
  • Educate the Charlottesville area public on issues of sustainable materials management
  • Engage the local community in a fun and friendly way to spread passion for better recycling techniques

Better World Betty’s Home Menu of Eco-Actions

Easy ways you can make your home more sustainable!

  • Fun action-oriented checklist of easy things you can do at home with energy, water, waste/recycling, and transportation choices
  • Local tips and tools so you can “think global and act local”
  • Points compiled to see how your actions make a difference

Start greening your home with the Better World Betty Home Menu!

Go-to-Resource for Living Green in Charlottesville

  • Online directory of Charlottesville-area green services, researched and vetted for quality and use by Betty herself