Spotlight sessions.

And uh tonight we have uh a council spotlight that highlights how Hampton is living out part of our safe and clean community strategic priority through outstanding work of local businesses.

And so I'd like to uh invite uh Brian Marcese from the marketing outreach department to uh come forward and share more about this evening's program.

Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor Brown, members of council, City Manager Bunting, and City Attorney Sidner.

Um I have to say, if there was ever a perfectly matched uh time for this topic, it's today.

Happy earth day, everyone.

Um tonight's spotlight tie is one of our seven strategic priorities, safe and clean, the safe and clean community.

At its core, the priority is about ensuring that all Hampton citizens and businesses are safe, healthy, and secure in their persons and property.

We often think of that those safety terms and uh terms of policing and youth engagement or blight removal, and all of these matter enormously, but a safe and clean community is also one where the air is clean, where waste is managed responsibly, and where businesses are good stewards of the environment and their neighbors share.

That is exactly what tonight's honorees represent.

And as we've said about spot about the spotlight series over the past few months, local government cannot and should not be the sole solution provider.

Progress happens through partnership, and tonight we celebrate four Hampton businesses that are living out that philosophy, not because they were required to, but because they chose to.

Earthly Child sees waste differently.

They see the potential in it, they see the art, they see the purpose.

By repurposing materials that would otherwise be discarded, Earthly Child is not just making products, they're making a statement.

And that sustainability can be creative.

That's going green.

That going green doesn't matter, it means sacrificing beauty or quality quality.

One's personal one person's trash can really become another person's treasure.

Ms.

Haskins, your work is a reminder that small businesses can be powerful environmental game changers.

And Hampton is proud to recognize you tonight.

If you could come up.

Mayor.

Mayor, how counsel come down.

Okay.

Next, um, we have the third quarter of 2025 when our Buckrow Coffee Company.

Um, if you've ever, if you've never had a reason to stop by Buckrow Beach to grab a cup of coffee, tonight might change that.

Buckrow Coffee Company, owned by Mr.

David Spring, is one of those places that just gets green business practices.

Start with their coffee.

Their used grounds don't go to waste.

They're passed along to a local mushroom farmer who uses them as part of their growing process.

And that partnership has attracted some pretty impressive attention.

NASA has taken interest in the project, and those mushrooms are actually grown right at the Buck Road at right at Buckrow Coffee's property.

But that's just the beginning.

Their property features a wildflower garden with native plants, a growing area where customers can pick their own okra, lavender, strawberries, and sunflowers, and all of the shop's food waste is composted and cycled back into the garden.

They've also partnered with Hampton Clean City Commission as an adopt the spot cleanup site.

And to sweeten the deal, they offer the volunteers coffee when they participate.

And the beautiful murals on the property, all painted by local artists.

Bucko Coffee is more than a coffee shop.

It's a community gathering place, a green space, a local art gallery, and an environmental partner with the city of Hampton.

All rolled into one.

Mr.

Spring, if I think I just saw you come in.

Hampton is lucky to have you.

Come on up.

Let's go up row.

Woo!

There we go.

Okay, our next honoree is proof that healthy choices for your body and healthy choices for the planet can go hand in hand.

Native Soul Bar and Market, led by Miss Marlo uh Marlo Blanc, is an eco-friendly juice bar offering vegan food, fresh juices, smoothie, and herbal teas.

And everything about the way they operate reflects their commitment to sustainability.

Their straws are bamboo.

Their takeout containers are compostable or compostable.

Food waste is composted.

They work with small local farms and they even grow their own herbs and teas served at their shop.

Their juices and juice shots come in glass bottles, not plastic.

And the water they source comes from plant-based containers.

Their bags are made of paper.

And here's just one that really stands out.

They cook in cast iron skillets, not just because it's traditional or trendy, but specifically to avoid PFAs, PFA chemicals, those forever chemicals that can leash from certain nonstick cookware into your food.

That level intention, that level of intentionality goes above and beyond.

Native soul is making health and sustainable sustainability accessible in Hampton.

One glass bottle and bamboo straw at a time.

Unfortunately, she was unable to make it this evening.

Oh, you're here.

Okay, great.

I didn't see it.

I know I'm sorry.

Thank you.

Okay, and our last uh honoree for this evening is the first quarter of 2026 when our Ames Cleaners.

Our final honoree shows that going green sometimes takes significant investment and it's worth it.

Ames Cleaner, led by Mr.

Joan Joe Ames, made a major commitment to environmental responsibility by investing in state-of-the-art hydrocarbon dry cleaning machines, an $80,000 investment in the future of his business and the health of this community.

And here's what the machine does.

Instead of relying on the harsh chemical solvents traditionally used by dry cleaning, known as PCEs, which can be hazardous to human health and the environment, the hydrocarbon machine uses a cleaner process that recycles its own solvent.

And just the last six months, the machine has recycled 55 gallons of solvent that would otherwise have required special hazardous waste hauling.

And even though there's regular the regulations might not require it, Ames is still has that waste hauled away.

Just as an extra layer of protection for the environment.

That's going above and beyond.

The machine also recycles their water used in the cleaning process, meaning less overall waste.

Clothes actually last longer with this method, and employees are protected from the exposure of the harmful chemicals.

There's also one more detail worth mentioning.

Any clothes left unclaimed by customers aren't thrown away, they're donated locally.

So with that, um uh that ends all of the uh uh honorees we have tonight.

But these are four businesses and four different industries, four different approaches to sustainability.

Each of them shares something in common, though.

They all made a choice, a choice to do more than just the minimum, a choice to think about their neighbors, their environment, and the community that that that they're building alongside of us here in Hampton.

And with that spirit of partnership, this spotlight is designed.

That is the spirit of partnership that this spotlight series is designed to celebrate.

Tonight we're proud to recognize Earthly Child Creations, Buckrow Coffee Company, Native Soul Bar and Market, and Ames Cleaners for their commitment to environmental stewardship and helping us make a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable city.

And what better night to do that than on Earth Day?

These businesses don't just celebrate Earth Day one day of year, they show up every single day.

And that is the kind of community that Hampton is, and the kind of community we're committed to building together.

With that, Mayor, I'll turn it back to you.

Good.

Thank you, Brian.

And so congratulations to all of these businesses.

Um, on a quarterly basis, all of the clean city commissions on the peninsula, they get together, they meet, and they make these awards at the at the uh quarterly meeting, and it kind of rotates around to the different cities and counties to do that.

But you know, each each at each of those events, there is a Hampton business that's uh uh acknowledged there for what they're doing to you know with you know just important things to keep the environment clean and so forth.

So I just thought it was appropriate that we bring them here in a special session and acknowledge what they're doing back here on their home turf.

So I want to thank all of them.

And I know you called out the names of all of the uh uh board members or the commissioners from Clean City Commission, but I like to ask them all to stand if you if you would.

So we had a whole group of them down here.

Thank you.

Uh thank you for coming out this evening.

And then we also have some of our staff members back there, and I want to acknowledge one of those staff members is getting ready to retire.

She's the uh she kind of helped run the show though over there and keep everything moving but retiring after many years of service uh for the city of Hampton and thank you thank you so much for your service and what you've been doing for us.

So all right.

Okay so with that we are adjourned until 6 30.

So thank you uh again for a great presentation Brian