STAMFORD, Conn. (August 1, 2022) – Keep America Beautiful^®, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, has recognized 26 community organizations and individuals through its 2021 National Awards program.

The Keep America Beautiful National Awards program celebrates the work of its nearly 700 community-based affiliates, millions of volunteers and participants, and corporate and community partners for their commitment to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s communities.

Winners were selected in the following categories:

• Individual Achievement Awards: Lady Bird Johnson Award; Sue Smith Professional Leadership Award
• Innovation Awards: State and Local Affiliate Innovation Awards
• State Agency Partnership Recognition Awards

“Recognizing and honoring our affiliates, state agencies, and individuals each year is so important, as they are the backbone of our daily work to clean, green, and beautify communities across America,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO, Jennifer Lawson. “These awardees exemplify putting communities first, teamwork, and a genuine desire to ensure that everyone lives in a beautiful community. Congratulations and thank you to the 2021 award recipients!”

The Keep America Beautiful Innovation Award salutes affiliates that have created innovative partnerships and programs to further the mission of Keep America Beautiful. The Innovation Awards are intended to honor true innovation. These are unique ideas or methods and/or creative or non-traditional approaches to solving challenges. The Innovation Awards recognize new approaches that help facilitate growth within an organization. An innovative partnership or program may be original in concept or may be the development of novel and different methods of established partnerships or programs.

Innovation Awards for 2021 are awarded to the following:

• Keep Ridgeland Beautiful (MS) – Local Partnership
• Keep Orlando Beautiful (FL) – Local Program
• Keep Indian River Beautiful (FL) – Local Partnership
• Keep Coral Gables Beautiful (FL) – Local Program
• Keep Charlotte Beautiful (FL) – Local Partnership
• Keep Irving Beautiful (TX) – Local Program
• Keep Brevard Beautiful (FL) – Local Partnership
• Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GA) – Local Program
• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (IN) – Local Program
• Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful (PA) – State Partnership
• Keep Tennessee Beautiful (TN) – State Program

The Keep America Beautiful State Agency Partnership Recognition National Award honors state Departments of Transportation, Environmental Quality, and/or other state agencies for their support of Keep America Beautiful State Affiliates. These are the partners that help our State Affiliates get the job done, and Keep America Beautiful is grateful for their support and partnership.

State Agency Partnership Awards for 2021 are awarded to the following:

• Caltrans – California Department of Transportation – Keep California Beautiful  
• Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality – Keep Oklahoma Beautiful    
• Oklahoma Department of Transportation – Keep Oklahoma Beautiful   
• Oklahoma Turnpike Authority – Keep Oklahoma Beautiful   
• Oklahoma Forestry Department – Keep Oklahoma Beautiful  
• PA Department of Environmental Protection – Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful 
• PA Department of Transportation – Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful 
• TN State Parks – Keep Tennessee Beautiful 
• Tennessee Department of Tourist Development – Keep Tennessee Beautiful 
• TN Department of Transportation – Keep Tennessee Beautiful 
• Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks – Keep Mississippi Beautiful 
• Mississippi Department of Transportation – Keep Mississippi Beautiful 
• Mississippi Department University Extension – Keep Mississippi Beautiful 

Congratulations to the 2021 National Award winners from Keep America Beautiful and thank you for your hard work and commitment to ensure everyone lives in a beautiful community.

Join us October 26-27 to discuss our “Vision for a Litter-Free America” and engage with leaders from government, business, and the nonprofit sector to further KAB’s ground-breaking work
toward a litter-free America.

ABOUT THE EVENT  

With the theme “Vision for a Litter-Free America,” Vision 2022 will engage leaders from government, business, and the nonprofit sector to further KAB’s ground-breaking work toward a litter-free America.

The Keep America Beautiful Vision for America event is a 30-year tradition. After 2 years of delivering digital experience, we’re pleased to be back in person this year for a two-day working, learning, and celebration event that will highlight the power of tri-sector leadership to urgently address litter as an essential element of healthy civic infrastructure, environmental integrity, and community equity. It’ll take place October 26 & 27 in NYC at Rockefeller Center.

#KeepAmericaBeautiful #DoBeautifulThings #Vision2022

*both in-person and virtual options available

“National CleanUp Day is such a great opportunity for individuals to get out there and make a difference! These cleanups are an important building block toward a better environment for us all. As we share in the celebration of cleaner, greener, and more beautiful communities today, we look forward to continuing to support volunteerism through cleanups in our affiliate network and throughout the nation.”

Keep America Beautiful President and CEO, Jennifer Lawson

DENVER, CO (Sept. 7, 2022) – National CleanUp Day®, in partnership with EARTHDAY.ORG, Keep America Beautiful®, and Let’s Do It World (organizers ofWorld Cleanup Day), will return for its sixth year on Saturday, September 17. Volunteers throughout the country will participate in the removal of trash via thousands of organized cleanups, large and small, throughout the nation.

Whether it’s a major cleanup with thousands of participants or a small group effort of a dozen or less, all participants make a major difference by participating in National CleanUp Day. Held annually on the third Saturday every September, National CleanUp Day addresses the issue of excess waste and litter across America.

Since the inaugural cleanups in 2017, hundreds of thousands of participants have helped clean up parks, beaches, rivers, and forests across the country, removing tons of litter in the process. Each year the enthusiasm from volunteers has grown, and in turn so has turnout and the number of cleanups, with hundreds of thousands expected to participate this September alone.

EARTHDAY.ORG is a long time partner of National CleanUp Day, also partnering on their own cleanups in April for their Great Global Cleanup. They saw tangible results during the Great Global Cleanup that they hope to replicate this September. 

EARTHDAY.ORG President Kathleen Rogers expounded; “National CleanUp Day is a pivotal partner of EARTHDAY.ORG in our effort to draw attention to the global waste crisis, particularly plastics. With their help, EARTHDAY.ORG’s Great Global Cleanup in April took close to 160 million pounds of plastics and other toxic waste out of our waterways, our parks, and our communities. More than 13.5 million volunteers participated from 187 countries. In addition to protecting the environment, we are activating our cleanup volunteers to support the newly introduced global plastics treaty. Our goal is to build the world’s largest effort to eliminate plastics and other waste from our environment once and for all. This September’s National CleanUp Day will continue that positive momentum.”

Keep America Beautiful is another pivotal partner and organizer in the event. “National CleanUp Day is such a great opportunity for individuals to get out there and make a difference! These cleanups are an important building block toward a better environment for us all,” said President and CEO, Jennifer Lawson. “As we share in the celebration of cleaner, greener, and more beautiful communities today, we look forward to continuing to support volunteerism through cleanups in our affiliate network and throughout the nation.”

Heidi Solba, President and Head of the Global Network of Let’s Do It World, the organizers of World CleanUp Day, expressed her excitement about their partnership with National CleanUp Day as well. “Cleaning up the world alone is not enough – we need to work with other like-minded organizations from all sectors. We as humanity are drowning in our own waste, a situation that needs focused attention. On World Cleanup Day 2022, we will engage thousands of organizations and millions of volunteers with our global network in a global challenge. We are extremely happy that our campaign finds support from our global partners like National CleanUp Day.”

Volunteers across the nation, and around the world as part of World Cleanup Day, will be cleaning up their communities during September.  To view a map of cleanups, join, or even create your own, please visit nationalcleanupday.org.

About National CleanUp Day

National CleanUp Day is a call to action. National CleanUp Day is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, dedicated to keeping our nation’s urban, rural, and outdoor public spaces free of litter and trash. This year’s National CleanUpDay is supported by the number one seller of oatmilk in the US, Planet Oat and a network of environmentally conscious partners. Learn more at nationalcleanupday.org 

About EARTHDAY.ORG:

EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day (1970), EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Its flagship volunteer initiative, The Great Global Cleanup™ takes place in April each year and engages millions of volunteers in creating clean communities worldwide. Learn more at earthday.org.

About Keep America Beautiful 

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green, and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 700 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Learn more at kab.org.

About Let’s Do It World

Let’s Do It World is a global organization that unites more than 164 countries’ teams worldwide into the biggest active network to unite their efforts for the waste free World. The World Cleanup Day is the biggest global one-day event organized by LDIW and during the last four worldwide cleanups have engaged more than 65 million people from 191 countries. Let’s Do It World network is addressing numerous global and regional projects to catalyze the activities in countries for the circular economy as well for the zero waste. Learn more at worldcleanupday.org   

WHEN:  Saturday, September 17, 2022, 8 AM

WHERE:  Choose from over 20 locations!  

Cleanup teams will be deployed along the Pearl River Watershed from its Headwaters in Nanih Waiya, Mississippi, downriver through the Ross Barnett Reservoir, along the border of Mississippi and Louisiana, all the way to Pearlington on the Gulf Coast.  

WHY:  This event will celebrate drinkable, swimmable, fishable water in 15 counties, 2 parishes, 2 states and over 490 miles of beautiful river!HOW:  View our list of cleanup locations and register for the location of your choice.  This event is open to all ages and will be held rain or shine.  Bring a reusable water bottle (no single-use plastic please), gloves, mask, hand sanitizer and sturdy shoes. Site leaders will distribute cleanup bags.  Please spread the word and share your cleanup photos on social media using #PearlRiverCleanSweep or by tagging Pearl Riverkeeper. 

In the past 5 years, this event has engaged more than 3,400 volunteers and removed over 139,000 pounds of trash from the Pearl River watershed!  Please join us for this epic event celebrating a clean drinkable, swimmable, fishable Pearl River watershed!

https://www.pearlriverkeeper.com/2022-pearl-river-clean-sweep.html

Keep Mississippi Beautiful is proud to be part of the two-state coalition supporting this monumental event.

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS

The Keep America Beautiful National Conference offers the opportunity for participants to expand their knowledge, hear from industry leaders, share their challenges and successes, and network among their peers.

This is the premier annual educational, training, and networking forum for our National Affiliate Network, partners, sponsors, peer organizations, and everyone interested in benchmarking in any of Keep America Beautiful focus areas of end littering, improve recycling, or beautify communities.

SAVE THE DATE

February 20-22, 2023

Washington Hilton

1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC.

Have questions about the National Conference?

Please contact April Wennerstrom at awennerstrom@kab.org

KAB NATIONAL AWARD APPLICATIONS DUE OCTOBER 3

The Keep America Beautiful National Awards program recognizes the best of the best among our network of community-based affiliates, leading corporate partners, and individual volunteers across the country who have committed to delivering cleaner, greener, and more beautiful communities.

Keep America Beautiful recognizes individuals and organizations in the following categories:

• Individual Achievement Awards
  • Lady Bird Johnson Award (Open to both female and male volunteers)
  • Sue Smith Professional Leadership Award (Affiliate only)
• Innovation Awards 
  • State and Local Affiliate Innovation Awards (Affiliate Only)
• State Agency Partnership Recognition Awards 

To apply for the 2022 National Awards Program, please visit us here. If you wish to download a PDF version to review before submitting, go here.
The deadline for 2022 submissions is 5 PM ET on Monday, October 3, 2022.

Keep Mississippi Beautiful encourages our affiliates to apply for one or more awards.

This year we had an exciting Great American Cleanup State Kickoff Event with Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and First Lady of Mississippi Elee Reeves kicking off the Great American Cleanup season, partnered with Keep Jackson Beautiful on the steps of our Mississippi State Capitol.

Keep Mississippi Beautiful honors individuals and organizations throughout Mississippi who are making a difference and this year we couldn’t think of a better way than to have our Governor and First Lady present these awards on the steps of our State Capital.

Having these two events linked together will show how a hands-on approach to community improvement serves as a catalyst for ongoing civic engagement and promotes personal responsibility.

During the cleanup event, 103 volunteers dispersed to various sites across our capital city and planted 8 trees and 200 flower bulbs, weed eating and picking up over 3,700 pounds of litter. This event totaled to over $10,700 in benefits from volunteer hours and in-kind and monetary donations.

We appreciate our sponsors who made this event possible:

Nucor Steel Jackson, Inc.

Mississippi Power

REAL Christian Foundation

Mississippi Beverage Association

Clark Beverage Group, Inc.

Lowe’s Home Improvement