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To restore the Elizabeth River to the highest practical level of environmental quality through government, business and community partnerships.
By the 1990s, the Elizabeth River had been left for dead. Decades of unchecked pollution had rendered it lifeless, and in the eyes of many, hopeless. But then Hampton Roads’ people, businesses, governments and schools came together to Do Something Beautiful. They joined together to turn the tide of history and bring new life to the Elizabeth River. The most beautiful thing? You can Do Something Beautiful, too. Join us.
The Elizabeth River Project is a growing non-profit organization leading the effort to restore the health of our historic urban river, while affirming her value to our region’s maritime economy.
Formed by four concerned residents over a kitchen table in 1991, our organization is a collection of community members, businesses, governments, students, educators and public servants working together to ‘Do Something Beautiful’ by restoring our home river.
To that end, we rely on the power of partnership – rather than lawsuits and finger-pointing – to accomplish our restoration goals. That philosophy has become an international model for collective action, and led the Stanford Social Review to cite the Elizabeth River Project as one of the country’s best examples of convincing disparate interests to work together on a community project.
We recognize that historically across this country, people of color disproportionately have borne the impacts of pollution. The Elizabeth River is for everyone, and we are committed to addressing these inequities as a cornerstone of our Watershed Action Plan for the Elizabeth River.
It is the policy of the Elizabeth River Project to take equity, inclusivity, and environmental justice into account in all decision-making.
Marjorie Mayfield Jackson
Executive Director
The Elizabeth River Project
“From my perspective, there’s been a dramatic change in how people perceive the river and how much they care about it. People are enthralled with it. They never tell me it’s dead anymore. They just want to know what they can do to help.”
The latest river report card by the Elizabeth River Project with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, HRSD, Virginia Department of Health and other area agencies and scientists.
The latest update to our Watershed Action Plan sets the course for a new decade of restoration and environmental equity on the Elizabeth River.
