Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization celebrating its 65^th anniversary in 2018, recently presented its top awards for litter prevention, recycling and beautification. Keep Mississippi Beautiful, and its network of partners and volunteers, received several prestigious awards.

Ron Aldrige, Iron Eyes Cody Award

KAB President Helen Lowman presents Ron Aldridge with the Iron Eyes Cody Award.

Ron Aldridge received the Iron Eyes Cody Award in recognition of his decades of community service devoted to advancing Mississippi as a cleaner, greener and more beautiful state. The award was created in honor of Keep America Beautiful’s landmark public awareness campaign of the 1970s, which is credited with awakening the environmental consciousness of an entire generation of Americans. The award is given to a man who demonstrates exceptional leadership in raising public awareness about ending litter, improving recycling and beautifying communities, as well as the need for citizens to participate in activities that help transform public spaces into beautiful places. Read more.

Waste Management, Carolyn Crayton Award

Waste Management received the Carolyn Crayton Award, which recognizes an organization, board member company or individual board member of a local Keep America Beautiful affiliate for its long-standing service and contributions to the sustainability of the affiliate. Waste Management was nominated for the award by Keep Mississippi Beautiful. Buford Clark, a district manager with Waste Management has awarded nearly $80,000 in grants to Mississippi affiliates. The Carolyn Crayton Award was created in honor of the longtime Keep America Beautiful board member who is credited with advancing Keep America Beautiful’s community-based affiliate network, having started the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission in Macon, Georgia, in 1974.

Keep Canton Beautiful, William Nash Award

Keep Canton Beautiful received the William “Bill” Nash Award, named for a pioneer in establishing the national Keep America Beautiful Affiliate Network from the 1970s through the 1990s. The Keep America Beautiful William Nash Award recognizes a new Keep America Beautiful affiliate (completed affiliation within the last three years) for its outstanding achievement. Keep Canton Beautiful, which was nominated for the award by Keep Mississippi Beautiful (KMB), is operated and managed solely by unpaid volunteers, became an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful in December 2016. The organization is primarily funded by private contributions, which are helping Canton become more environmentally healthy, socially connected, and economically sound. It’s also one of three affiliates in Mississippi which has received the William Nash Award in the past five years, with Keep Ridgeland Beautiful and Keep the Rez Beautiful receiving the award in 2016 and 2013, respectively.

Mississippi State University Extension Service, State Partnership Award

KAB President Helen Lowman presents Dr. Brett Rushing with the State Partnership Award.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service was award the Partnership Award for its close work with Keep Mississippi Beautiful on the Wildflower Trails of Mississippi, which is working to plant wildflowers in public places, including roadsides and parks. Wildflowers provide habitat for insects and wildlife, enhance aesthetics, and can generate tourism and economic development. With this project, our goal is to bring the “Disney effect” to our state, where our roadways are too beautiful to litter, and where we bring together people to make our state a cleaner, more beautiful place to live.

Mississippi Department of Transportation, State Partnership Award

Mississippi Department of Transportation, which received the State Agency Partnership Award for its ongoing support of the Keep America Beautiful network in Mississippi, including litter cleanups and cigarette litter prevention project at rest areas.