Green Saves Green Member Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, January 12, 2026

5:30 p.m., Pasquotank County Library


Present:  Martha Ann, Phyllis Bosomworth, Karl Brandspigel, Sharon Burtner, Nita Coleman, Craig Crutchfield, Jane Elfring, Julie Foster, Annette Garthwaite, Woody Garthwaite, Lashaunda Garry, Donna Gilbrand, Marlene Greer, Blair Jackson, Rodney Johnson, Linda Jones, Charles Jordan, David Jordan, MaryAnn Jordan, Bill Kruse, Sue Kruse, Sue Miller, Jackie Nawrocky, Tim Tolson, Steve Van Giesen, Abigail Villalba, Gail Ward, Adam White, Gavin White, Sheila Wren, Terry 

Welcome, Nominations & Elections

Nominations for 2026 officers: Marlene Greer, Chair and Woody Garthwaite, Treasurer.  No nominations were made for vice chair or secretary. Marlene and the Executive Committee will continue to search to fill these positions. A motion was made and the nominations were unanimously approved. 

The 2026 Board of Directors was presented. A motion was made to accept as presented and was unanimously approved.   

3-year term 2-year term 1-year term

Karl Brandspiegel Annette Garthwaite Julie Foster

Nita Coleman Woody Garthwaite Sue Miller

Marlene Greer Lisa Purcell Jared Tardiff

Charles Jordan Misti Rewis Jeanne Tardiff

Gavin White

Holly White

Chair report

  • Do Not Litter Poster Signs. A grant for $4,800 from the Tourism Development Authority was received in December 2025. The funds will be used to turn the winning Do Not Litter contest posters into 12x18 and 18x24 aluminum signs to be placed throughout Elizabeth City. Marlene, Sharon, and Gail to map the sites. MaryAnn will speak with the E.C. Historic Neighborhood Association to see if they are interested in determining locations for the signs on Church and Main streets. Jared will GIS map the locations for approval from the city.

  • Litter Awareness and Education Next Step. The eighth-grade science students at River Road Middle School have taken on the “Clean Rivers Start Here” Drain Art Project. The students will research and identify 4-5 impactful storm drains, create original designs for the drains with a river theme, and paint around the drains. Project to be completed in June. 

  • Pasquotank Blueways Study Grant Match. The $11,375 in matching grant funds donated by GSG members was paid to the city in December 2025. We are waiting on the city to hire a firm to conduct the feasibility study. 

  • Scholarship funds. At the November 2025 Board meeting, it was decided GSG would not pursue a scholarship program. The Board approved the disbursement of its allocated scholarship funds in the amount of $800, plus an additional $200 from general funds, to the College of the Albemarle Cares Fund and the Elizabeth City State University Gap Fund ($500 each). 

Plant a Valentine Tree Giveaway. This will be the sixth year GSG has given away free trees. We need 15 volunteers to wrap the trees on Feb. 12 and additional volunteers to give them away on Feb. 13 and 14. Sign up on our Website. This is our first year giving away trees in Perquimans County.  Jared and Marlene are in charge of the event, as Nita will be out of town. 

Student Environmental Education. One of the main goals for GSG is to educate youth about the importance of caring for the environment. GSG is involved in several ongoing initiatives and new projects with students. 

  • Recycling Soft Plastics Partnership. River Road and Elizabeth City middle school students have signed up for the NexTrex Recycling Challenge. We are partnering with the students by setting up places for the public to drop off their soft plastics, picking up saved plastics from participating businesses, and going into the classroom to teach them how to identify soft plastics and the importance of preventing contamination. RRMS has collected nearly 150 pounds of soft plastics. ECSU will hold its first sort and weigh this month. Belk is one of our business partners. Their plastics require a lot of time to sort and remove paper tags. We currently have a school winter break backlog of 19 bags and a couple boxes of plastic. Ideas on how to help the students sort through the backlog include inviting Boy and Girl Scout troops, Coast Guard personnel, court required community service hours (Marlene will reach out to Mike Cox), and GSG hosting a plastic sorting event. The group decided to hold a community plastic sorting and pizza party at the library on Saturday, Jan. 31. 

  • Campus Cleanups. This is our most successful student environmental education program. We’ve been doing litter cleanups with youth for five years, and plan to continue. We have our first cleanup with Camden students coming up in May. 

  • Earth Day Event: This will be the third year GSG has done an outdoor environmental education event for students on Earth Day. Our first was with 20 E.C. Middle School students at the Fenwick-Hollowell Trail. Last year was at Knobbs Creek Recreation Center with 45 elementary students on Spring Break. This year, we are planning the event at Mid-Atlantic Christian University and will invite middle school students.

  • Living Ecosystem & Bat House Project: Camden High School National Honor Society students are interested in installing the two bat houses that were gifted to GSG and in creating a solar-powered pond living ecosystem. Christian Jones will speak with the students at their February meeting on native aquatic plants and pond life. We are looking for someone with experience installing and maintaining ponds to talk to the students. And someone who can help with the installation of the bat houses. Contact Marlene if you are interested or know of someone who is. 

 

Membership Report. In 2025, GSG had 121 members - 77 were returning members and 44 were new members.  As of January 10, 2026, there were 21 GSG members. At its November meeting, a new membership plan was approved by the Board with a tiered structure.  Dues are $25 per year for one year, $60 for 3 years, and $100 for a 5-year membership. Teachers & students are free. 

Upcoming Events  

  • Plastic Recycling Event. Saturday, Jan. 31,  9:30-11:30am, at the  Pasquotank Library.  Pizza will be provided by GSG. Leader: Marlene

  • River Road Middle School Group Tree Planting. Date TBD.  Week of Feb 9-12.  Leaders:  Adam White & Marlene Greer

  • Plant a Valentine Tree Wrapping. Thursday, Feb 12, 1-3pm at Pasquotank Ag Extension Office. Need 15 volunteers.  

  • Plant A Valentine Tree Giveaway: Feb 13 and 14. Need volunteers. Sign up on the GSG Events page with Sign Up Genius. Leaders: Jared Tardiff and Marlene Greer

  • Pre-Marathon Litter Cleanup. Saturday, April 4, 9-11:30am. Meet at Waterfront Park. Leader: Marlene Greer

  • Earth Day Student Program. Wednesday, April 22, 9am-2pm at Mid-Atlantic Christian University Park

  • Camden HS Litter Cleanup. Monday, May 4, 1-3pm. National Science Honor Society students

  • Pre-Bassmasters Elite Tournament Litter Cleanup. Saturday, June 6, Downtown E.C. + parks and Charles Creek

 

Other Business. Rodney and Nita attended a Harmful Algae Bloom seminar and discussed algae bloom education tool kits. The Albemarle Resource Conservation & Development Council’s $142,000 Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership grant request for area-wide water quality testing was approved. About $5,000-$6,000 will go to GSG for shipping water samples to partnering labs.

The next meeting will be Monday, February 9, 5:30 p.m. at the Pasquotank County Library. 

Board meeting to follow at 6:30p.m.