Keep Mississippi Beautiful and Keep Flora Beautiful are excited to partner with McKee Foods through the Outdoor Happiness Movement to create Flora’s first public recreation area. The OH! Movement’s support will enable these nonprofits to establish the Elise G. Anderson Walking Park, which will include a quarter-mile walking trail and a children’s exercise area.

Keep Mississippi Beautiful and Keep Flora Beautiful, both affiliates of Keep America Beautiful, are preparing for a community workday on May 19, during which volunteers will help build the walking trail and exercise area as well as make other improvements to the site. Volunteers will plant trees, shrubs and flowers, help install the park’s benches and picnic tables, and clean up litter.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and closes with an appreciation lunch for volunteers. The event begins at the gazebo on the Veteran’s Memorial located on Main Street. Volunteers can sign up and learn more here: www.keepflorabeautiful.eventbrite.com.

This volunteer event is part of the Great American Cleanup State, the nation’s largest community improvement program, taking place in some 20,000 communities nationwide.

McKee Foods, a privately-held company based in Collegedale, Tenn., recently selected this project for a grant through the OH! Movement. People interested in learning more about the movement can visit OutdoorHappinessMovement.com to hear about upcoming projects across the U.S.

“We are immensely grateful for McKee Foods support of this project, which will improve the quality of life in Flora through beautification and providing opportunities to exercise and appreciate the outdoors,” said Sarah Kountouris, KMB executive director. “We encourage Mississippians to join us on May 19 to help us make improvements in this community.”

Keep Mississippi Beautiful and Keep Flora Beautiful are looking for volunteers to help create Flora’s first park, clean up litter and make other community improvements on May 19. The Great American Cleanup State Kickoff event is part of the nation’s largest community improvement program, taking place in some 20,000 communities nationwide.

“We hope you can join us for a day of giving back,” Keep Mississippi Beautiful Executive Director Sarah Kountouris said. “Our Great American Cleanup State Kickoff is one of our signature events each year, and we’re inspired by the volunteers who come to clean and green our state and truly keep Mississippi beautiful!”

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and closes with an appreciation lunch for volunteers. The event begins at the gazebo on the Veteran’s Memorial located on Main Street. Volunteers can sign up and learn more here: www.keepflorabeautiful.eventbrite.com.

Most of the work will focus on the new Elise G. Anderson Walking Park, which will be the town’s first public recreation space. Volunteers will plant trees, shrubs and flowers, help install the park’s benches and picnic tables, and clean up litter.

Flora citizen John Anderson donated the land, and the park will be named in honor of his grandmother, Elise G. Anderson. The property boasts century-old pecan trees, and it will have a new walking trail and playground equipment.

“We are so excited to host this year’s Great American Cleanup State Kickoff,” said Nicole Kitchens, affiliate director for Keep Flora Beautiful. “This new park will be an asset in our town, and I’m grateful to the Anderson family, our volunteers, Keep Mississippi Beautiful, the town of Flora and our many other partners who are making this project a reality.”

Affiliates of Keep America Beautiful, including Keep Mississippi Beautiful and Keep Flora Beautiful, rally together millions of volunteers each year through the Great American Cleanup. Learn more about the Great American Cleanup: https://www.kab.org/our-programs/great-american-cleanup.

Hi fellow cleaners and greeners! Did you catch our Clean and Green Mississippi – December Update email? If not, you can check it out here: http://eepurl.com/ctJ1Hz.

In the email, you’ll find out about some of the wonderful work of our affiliates across the state, including Keep Simpson County Beautiful’s new community improvement project and Keep the Rez Beautiful’s star volunteer, Becca Blair. Also, in there, we’re showing off our holiday logo (to the right), which clad with magnolia leaves.

If you’re not on our email list, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/DJ95P.

The Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) is offering up to $10,000 in grants to schools to support new or expanding recycling programs. Both $500 and $1,000 grants are available to public and private K-12 schools in Mississippi. This grant program supports the mission of MRC, a non-profit organization that works to promote and grow recycling efforts in the state.

Applications are due Tuesday, December 20, 2016. Mailed applications should be postmarked by that date; faxed and emailed applications should be submitted by 11:59 p.m.

Learn more by visiting MRC’s webpage.

The Mississippi Recycling Coalition and Mississippi Beverage Association are offering $1,000 scholarships to undergraduate students in Mississippi public and private colleges and universities. Up to 10 scholarships are being offered this year.

The scholarships are intended for:

• Students majoring in agricultural sciences, biochemistry, biology, biological or environmental engineering, environmental education and technology, forestry, microbiology, wildlife management and other fields related to environmental science; or
• Students who are active in promoting recycling, composting and related sustainable practices.

Interested applicants must complete a scholarship application form and submit with a college transcript. Find the application here: http://www.msrecycles.org/scholarship_app.

Applications are due October 19, 2016. Applicants will be notified by November 4, 2016.

If you have questions, contact Mary Love Tagert at scholarships@msrecycles.org.

Learn more.

Many people recycle in their homes, but they find it tougher to recycle when they’re out and about. Now in its fourth year, the Dr Pepper Snapple Group/ Keep America Beautiful Park Recycling Bin Grant is helping communities install recycling bins in parks.

CleanRiver transition recycle bins

Ridgeland and McComb are among two of the communities to receive grants this year, which will ultimately lead to 1,000 new bins placed across the country. Congratulations to Keep Ridgeland Beautiful and McComb’s Recycling One Program for receiving these awards!

“We were excited about the opportunity to increase recycling in our parks that have ball fields,” said Jan Richardson, executive director of Keep Ridgeland Beautiful. “The city has several solar powered recycle compactors on site already, but during peak game seasons, more bins were needed for empty drink containers, the predominant recyclable at the games.”

KRB will receive nine CleanRiver bins through the grant; KRB purchased three additional bins.

“With the help of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, we’re transforming public spaces into beautiful places by making sure more recyclables are being placed in proper receptacles in our parks and natural areas,” said Brenda Pulley, senior vice president/recycling, Keep America Beautiful. “Our partnership is helping to make recycling more accessible and convenient, which is one of primary factors in making recycling a daily habit.”

See Keep America Beautiful’s news release.

Keep America Beautiful’s Sue Smith joined Keep Mississippi Beautiful to train Keep Yazoo City Beautiful’s new board.

Three communities are in the process of joining the Keep Mississippi Beautiful family as affiliates. Yazoo City was certified earlier this month as an official affiliate of KMB and Keep America Beautiful networks.

Sheila Trimm, Keep Yazoo County Beautiful’s executive director, said the group will greatly benefit the city. “Keep Yazoo City Beautiful is a new chapter in the lives of Yazoo Citizens and a wonderful start for our city and county to work together for the beautification of Mississippi,” Trimm said.

Keep Canton Beautiful’s pre-certification training.

Affiliates in Panola County and Canton were pre-certified earlier this month and are in the process of readying for certification. With these three, Mississippi will have 38 communities with certified affiliates.

“As you know, a Keep Mississippi Beautiful affiliate has a tremendous impact in its community by bringing together volunteers to improve public places,” said Sarah Kountouris, KMB Executive Director. “We are excited to bring Yazoo City, Canton and Panola County into our ‘clean and green Mississippi’ family, and we are eager to see their accomplishments in their communities.”