Hampton spotlights four local businesses for environmental stewardship on Earth Day

Hampton honored four local businesses during a City Council spotlight session celebrating environmental stewardship, with Brian Marchese of the marketing outreach department presenting the awards and the mayor offering closing remarks.

"Happy Earth Day, everyone," Marchese said as he introduced the Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Forum, a quarterly regional effort that recognizes businesses making measurable environmental improvements across the Peninsula. "These honorees are the quarterly winners of the Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Forum, a collaborative initiative among Hampton, Newport News, York County, and James City County," he said.

The forum is coordinated through local Clean City community organizations and rotates meetings and awards among participating localities. Marchese credited the Hampton Clean City Commission and the city's public-works Clean City Division staff for organizing the effort.

Earthly Child Creations, led by Kaneisha Haskins, was cited for its upcycling business model that repurposes fabrics, yarn and other locally reclaimed materials to reduce landfill waste. Marchese said the business aims to raise environmental awareness by turning "waste" into marketable, community-rooted products.

Buckroe Coffee Company, owned by David Spring, was recognized for a suite of on-site sustainability practices. Marchese said the shop sends used coffee grounds to a local mushroom farmer, a partnership that drew outside attention, and maintains a native wildflower garden and on-site composting; volunteers who help with an "adopt a spot" cleanup receive coffee in return.

Native Soul Bar and Market, led by Marla Blanc, earned recognition for substituting single-use plastics with compostable containers and bamboo straws, sourcing produce from small local farms, using glass bottles rather than plastic for juices, and taking measures to avoid PFAS exposure in cooking.

Ames Cleaners, led by Joe Ames, was honored for investing approximately $80,000 in a hydrocarbon dry-cleaning machine that Marchese said recycles its solvent and water. "The machine has recycled 55 gallons of solvent that would otherwise have required special hazardous waste hauling," Marchese noted; he added that unclaimed clothing is donated locally rather than discarded.

Mayor remarks following the presentations thanked the honorees and asked Clean City Commission members in attendance to stand. The mayor also recognized Cynthia Harris of the Clean City Division staff ahead of her retirement. The meeting was adjourned until 6:30 p.m.

The awards highlight voluntary, business-led steps toward cleaner operations across Hampton and neighboring Peninsula localities, emphasizing partnerships between city programs, business owners and community volunteers.