Environment Community Service Program

Environment Community Service Program

Water Quality

The GFWC Rhinelander Woman’s Club (WI) donated $2,500 to their local public radio station, WXPR, for airtime to discuss critical water quality issues including aquifers, lakes, rivers, and springs with an emphasis on keeping and improving the water quality of the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Water Efficient Landscapes – Going the Extra Yard

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Indio (CA) partnered with the city of Indio and the Indio Water Authority to beautify the city while also conserving water. The city recognized the potential benefits of the Woman’s Club Yard of the Month Program to help promote the availability of $250,000 in rebate funds for turf conversion to water efficient landscapes. The program educated the community on their desert climate and the need for native plantings and water efficient landscapes.

Letters to Representatives

GFWC Woman’s Club of Crestview (FL) members wrote letters to Congress asking them to vote “yes” on environmental legislation concerning natural resources and educated the public on how they can do their part to decrease the use of plastics, their carbon footprint, and the number of natural resources they use each day.

NexTrex Challenge

GFWC Woman’s Club of Colorado Springs (CO) participated in the NexTrex Challenge Program that encourages groups to recycle polyethylene plastic film such as plastic bags, dry cleaning bags, bread bags, and more. NexTrex donates a composite bench for each 500 pounds collected. Members also partnered with the American Association of University Women to collect plastic film and received a second bench. The club kept more than 1,600 pounds of plastic from landfills and increased environmental awareness.

Veteran’s Vegetable Gardens

GFWC Riverside Woman’s Club (CA) helped replant individual vegetable gardens at Camp Anza, a low-income veteran’s housing project. The members brought soil, mulch, tools, and six-packs of vegetable plants. They assisted the residents in spacing and planting their gardens and helped spread mulch and watered the gardens. The bountiful harvest of healthy food was appreciated by the veterans.

Adopt a Pot

GFWC Dover Area Woman’s Club (NH) changed their past project of decorating and maintaining gardens at the Riverside Nursing Home to an Adopt a Pot project to involve more members. Each member was asked to adopt a pot or small garden plot and design it with their own color scheme. They planted flowers and plants and changed decorations with each holiday. The pots were located near the main entrance and visible from most resident’s windows.

Recycling Light Strands

GFWC Pennington Gap Woman’s Club (VA) members repaired holiday displays in the local park. They removed 450 sets of old light strands from the Christmas Fantasy display and replaced them with new energy efficient lights. The old light strands were sent to be stripped and recycled for the copper wiring.

Purple Martins

GFWC Chapin Woman’s Club (SC) donated $1,000 to the purple martin project at the new elementary school, Piney Woods Elementary. The project was inspired by the school’s mascot, a bird in the swallow family. The goal of the project is to develop a full purple martin nesting system for the school campus to assist in and encourage sustainability of the purple martin population in the area, as well as engage the school’s students in various conservation efforts.

Oregon Federation of Women’s Club Memorial Forest Restoration

GFWC Portland Woman’s Club (OR) continued the work of the Oregon Federation of Women’s Clubs, who in 1953 funded the 152-acre OFWC Memorial Forest following large wildfires in the 1930s and 40s. During this time, a total of 355,000 acres burned during the 20-year period. The club donated $1,000 to the State Forestry Department to aid with reforestation following another devastating fire in the fall of 2020.

Invasive Species Removal

The GFWC Harland Club (WI) partnered with their park board to clear an entire riverbank of vegetation overrun with invasive species. They replanted the area with perennials and ferns to restore beauty and prevent erosion.