Green Bank Observatory Sustainability Working Group (GBSWG)
The Green Bank Observatory employees established a sustainability committee in late 2020 to develop new initiatives for local residents to improve their environment and their lives.
This committee is continuing to reach out to the local and regional community to set standards for sustainable living in Green Bank and the surrounding areas.
Farmers Markets
Green Bank Farmer’s Market, Seasonal. Wednesdays 3-6pm Senior Center parking lot
The Highland County Farmers’ Market take place every Friday from May 27- October 7th. At the Highland Center in Monterey – shop fresh, local produce, meat, baked goods, and maple syrup.
Pocahontas County Farmer’s Market
Local Shops
Homegrown Harvest sells locally sourced produce in season, other local products, and some hard-to-find items from other areas
Trent’s General Store has a limited produce selection, local meats, and everything else you need
Other Local Products & Resources
Allegheny Mountain Institute free virtual workshops, in person workshops and events for a fee, farmer’s market and CSAs
Frostmore Farms produce and sell maple syrup
Grow Appalachia (High Rocks West Virginia site) garden planning resources
Horse manure for gardening and composting $10/load, Ashley Sheets moc.l1740141330iamg@1740141330sesro1740141330hecna1740141330mrofr1740141330eppa1740141330
Eggs can be purchased locally from several individuals, including Elaine Sheets moc.l1740141330iamg@1740141330steeh1740141330skzje1740141330
Waste management in rural areas such as Pocahontas County is difficult, and as such there are limited options available to residents for recycling. GBSWG has compiled the following list of locations in Pocahontas and nearby counties which serve as drop-off points for recyclable materials. Please be aware that the information given below is subject to change, and GBSWG can make no guarantee of its accuracy.
| Location | Address | Hours | Accepted materials |
| Pocahontas County Landfill | 374 Landfill Rd, Dunmore, WV | M-F: 8AM-4PM, Sa: 8AM-3PM | Cardboard (no paper), white goods, electronics |
| Elkins Metal | 1404 15th St, Elkins, WV | M-F: 7AM-4PM | Aluminum, ferrous metals, copper, and more* |
| Elkins Central Garage | 1 Baxter Street, Elkins, WV** | M-F: 6:30AM-4:30PM | Clear, green, and brown glass |
| Greenbrier Recycling Center | 450 Monroe Ave, Roncevert, WV | M-F: 8AM-4:30PM | Plastic #1 & #2 bottles and jugs, copper, aluminum, brass, steel, paper, cardboard |
| Recycling Convenience center | 2055 Beery Rd, Harrisonburg, VA | M-F: 8AM-4PM, Sa: 8AM-12PM | Cardboard, brown paper, glass, white paper, tin, plastics #1 and #2***, plastic bags, aluminum, batteries |
*See https://elkinsmetalrecycling.com/scrap-prices/ and https://elkinsmetalrecycling.com/what-we-buy/ for additional info on what they do and do not buy
**Glass dumpster is behind the garage. Take right on Chestnut St to get to it.
***No opaque #1 plastics accepted
Earth Day
Learn about the global initiative(s) taking place near you!
Wild and Wonderful Earth Day Learn about the State level celebration that took place in 2021
The West Virginia SPOT program (Science Public Outreach Team) has several presentations that focus on Earth science. Learn more and see upcoming dates here.
2021 Tree Planting on Green Bank Observatory campus
Road Clean-up in Green Bank
Joint Effort with Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) in 2021
Race to Recycle Competition
As part of the events leading up to Earth Day 2022, Green Bank Employees participated in a Race to Recycle. This friendly competition turned recycling into a “game”, where employee groups strived to see who could bring in the most recyclable materials over a short time limit.
The slide shown above is from a recap shared by Jesse Bublitz for the GBO Sustainability Working Group. GBO staff recycled over 1 ton of materials during the three week competition in April. This proof of concept shows that recycling is possible despite the challenges faced in our remote location.
Test.