BOCC designates March as
Skip the Straw Month

Skip the Straw is an initiative sponsored by the Orange County Board of Commissioners to create awareness of the impacts single-use plastics have on the environment. The initiative encourages individuals and restaurants to pledge to reduce the number of straws that wind up in landfills, storm drains, local waterways and eventually the ocean.

Hundreds of millions of tons of plastic are produced each year, most of which cannot be recycled. Petroleum-based plastic is not recyclable and usually goes into a landfill, where it is buried or ends up in stormwater, lakes and eventually the oceans. Plastic does not biodegrade and instead breaks down into tiny particles, releasing toxic chemicals that make their way into the food and water supply.

Straws are too small to be recycled and often end up as litter. To make matters worse, hundreds of millions plastic straws are used every day in the United States alone!

We encourage residents and business owners to Take Action and Sign the Pledge to eliminate single-use plastic straws from Orange County.

Take the pledge

Individuals and businesses can participate. Click the link below and pledge your support.

• Individual
• Business

Orange County Cooperative Extension Announces Community Garden Grant Program

The Orange County Cooperative Extension Service Community Garden grant program assists community groups in developing new sources of agricultural prosperity through the provision of cost-share grants. Community Garden Grants are for new community gardens as well as upgrades to existing community gardens.

Single grant limit is $500 per grant proposal with a $1,000 cap over 3 years. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that their plan is executable with a high probability of success, well thought out, including resources, labor, timelines, and alternatives, etc. to support the grant proposal. Once grant is decided, the recipient has 6 months to implement the plan.

• Application and more information

Orange County Department on Aging accepting nominations for 2019 Direct Care Worker Awards