PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 22, 2026

Tamara Jenkins
Deputy Director, Public Affairs
City of Richmond
Office of Strategic Communications & Civic Engagement
(804) 432-6335
tamara.jenkins@rva.gov

Greening Richmond Public Libraries Partnership Celebrates Completion of Green Infrastructure Projects at Six Richmond Public Library Branches

Ribbon Cutting Scheduled for Richmond’s Ginter Park Branch Library

Richmond, Virginia – The Greening Richmond Public Libraries partnership is celebrating the successful completion of community-supported and city-approved green infrastructure installations at six of Richmond Public Library’s nine locations since 2019. The partnership collaborates with neighborhoods and communities to plan, install, and maintain green infrastructure that reduces stormwater runoff and increases public awareness of its impact on local waterways.

Plans implemented at the Westover Hills, Broad Rock, North Avenue, West End, East End, and Ginter Park branch libraries were created with input from the community. They reduce stormwater runoff, which carries pollution into waterways like the James River. A ribbon cutting will be held at the Ginter Park Branch Library, located at 1200 Westbrook Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2026. The event will celebrate the initiative’s progress and highlight the green infrastructure elements at this most recent installation.

“This milestone demonstrates Richmond’s commitment to sustainability and community engagement,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “By investing in green infrastructure at our public libraries, we are creating healthier spaces for all residents and setting an example for cities across the nation.”

“Richmond Public Library is incredibly honored to be a member of the Greening Richmond Public Libraries partnership. By adding green infrastructure practices like rain gardens and native conservation landscaping to library grounds, we are not only enhancing the beauty and sustainability of these community spaces, but also contributing to a healthier and more resilient Richmond,” said Scott Firestine, Director of Richmond Public Library. “Together, we are creating vibrant and environmentally conscious libraries across Richmond.”

“Libraries are trusted gathering spaces instrumental to education outside and beyond the classroom, making them ideal locations to showcase how communities can help protect our local waterways,” said Justin Doyle, Director of Community Conservation with the James River Association. “By working with the communities surrounding Richmond Public Library branches, we have been able to install native trees, conservation landscaping, rain gardens, and permeable paver systems that reduce the amount of polluted stormwater runoff flowing into the James while strengthening the resilience of our communities in the face of a changing climate.”

The Greening Richmond Public Libraries initiative launched in 2019 with the implementation of a green infrastructure site plan at the Westover Hills Branch. Since then, the partnership has engaged library users and stakeholders in planning and design processes that have yielded green infrastructure improvements at the Broad Rock, East End, Ginter Park, North Avenue, and West End branches. This fall, the partnership will be seeking volunteer assistance to help implement community-supported and city-approved green infrastructure site plans at the Belmont and Hull Street branches. Volunteers from the community are needed to help install trees, shrubs, and other plants on library grounds.

The Greening Richmond Public Libraries initiative is made possible by generous support from Altria Group, Arbor Day Foundation, Richmond Department of Public Utilities/RVAH2O, Richmond’s Office of Sustainability, Richmond Public Library Foundation, the United States Environmental Protection Agency through grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Virginia Department of Forestry. Project partners include Richmond Public Library, Richmond Department of Public Utilities/RVAH2O, Four Winds Design, LC, James River Association, and PlanRVA.

For more information about the Greening Richmond Public Libraries initiative, please visit https://thejamesriver.org/greening-richmond-public-libraries/.

ABOUT THE JAMES RIVER ASSOCIATION:

James River Association (JRA) is a member-supported nonprofit organization founded in 1976 that serves the waterways and communities of the James River. Throughout the James River’s 10,000 square mile watershed, JRA works toward its vision of a fully healthy James River supporting thriving communities. JRA believes that “when you change the James, the James changes you.” With offices in Lynchburg, Richmond, Williamsburg, and Scottsville, JRA is committed to protecting the James River and connecting people to it. For more information visit www.thejamesriver.org.