Organization: KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL INC
Mission: KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL INSPIRES AND EDUCATES PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION EVERY DAY THAT IMPROVES AND BEAUTIFIES THEIR COMMUNITY'S ENVIRONMENT.
Activities: CIGARETTE LITTER PREVENTION PROGRAM - THE CIGARETTE LITTER PREVENTION PROGRAM (CLPP) IS ONE OF KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL'S SIGNATURE NATIONAL PROGRAMS. IT IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES FOR REDUCING CIGARETTE BUTT LITTER. SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT OVER 17 YEARS AGO, THIS SIGNATURE PROGRAM HAS CONSISTENTLY CUT CIGARETTE BUTT LITTER BY APPROXIMATELY HALF BASED ON LOCAL MEASUREMENTS TAKEN IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS TO SIX MONTHS AFTER PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. EACH YEAR, KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL AWARDS CLPP GRANTS TO ITS AFFILIATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS, DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATIONS, PARKS AND RECREATION AREAS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS DEDICATED TO ERADICATING LITTER AND BEAUTIFYING THEIR COMMUNITIES. SURVEY RESULTS ALSO DEMONSTRATE THAT AS COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR THE PROGRAM THOSE REDUCTIONS ARE SUSTAINED OR EVEN INCREASED OVER TIME. KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL HAS DISTRIBUTED OVER $3 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING TO SUPPORT LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM IN MORE THAN 1,800 COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE.
THE KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP IS THE NATION'S LARGEST COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH TAKES PLACE ANNUALLY DURING SPRING IN AN ESTIMATED 20,000 COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE. THIS PROGRAM, WHICH MARKED ITS 21ST YEAR IN 2019, ENGAGES MORE THAN 3 MILLION VOLUNTEERS AND PARTICIPANTS, ON AVERAGE, EVERY YEAR TO CREATE A POSITIVE AND LASTING IMPACT. AT KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL, WE WORK TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION EVERY DAY TO IMPROVE AND BEAUTIFY THEIR COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT THROUGH PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP. THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP PROMPTS INDIVIDUALS TO TAKE GREATER RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT BY CONDUCTING GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS THAT ENGAGE VOLUNTEERS, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND CIVIC LEADERS. A SUCCESSFUL GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP PROJECT MUST FULFILL THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY; THAT'S WHY WE WORK WITH LOCAL LEADERS, BUSINESS AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS AND CAREFULLY SELECT AND EXECUTE APPROPRIATE PROJECTS. THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP BEGAN AS A LITTER CLEANUP INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO AESTHETICALLY IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENT BY CREATING CLEANER PARKS, STREETSCAPES AND PUBLIC SPACES THROUGH LITTER REMOVAL AND ELIMINATION. TO THIS DAY, COMMUNITY CLEANUPS REMAIN AT THE VERY HEART OF THE CAMPAIGN, AND THE RESULTS ARE REMARKABLE. IN 2019 ALONE, OVER 93 MILLION POUNDS OF LITTER AND RECYCLABLES WERE COLLECTED BY VOLUNTEERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. OUR COMMUNITY GREENING AND BEAUTIFICATION EFFORTS RANGE FROM NEW TREE PLANTINGS THAT PROVIDE SHADE AND SEQUESTER CARBON TO PLANTING FLOWER GARDENS THAT CREATE VIBRANT GATEWAYS TO SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS TO CREATING COMMUNITY GARDENS THAT HELP FEED THE HUNGRY AND EDUCATE YOUNG GARDENERS. THROUGH A WIDE ARRAY OF WORKSHOPS, SPECIAL EVENTS AND ON-THE-GROUND SERVICE PROJECTS, LEADERS FROM OUR AFFILIATE NETWORK AND PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS ARE HELPING TO CHANGE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS TOWARD THEENVIRONMENT BY ENGAGING YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE. KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL STRIVES TO MOTIVATE MORE AMERICANS TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS AND TAKE SIMPLE, EVERYDAY ACTIONS TO REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE RIGHT THROUGH THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP. THROUGH PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP, KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL TRANSFORMS PUBLIC PLACES INTO BEAUTIFUL SPACES HELPING TO MAKE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY HEALTHY, SOCIALLY CONNECTED AND ECONOMICALLY SOUND.
AMERICA RECYCLES DAY (ARD), A KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL PROGRAM, IS THE ONLY NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED DAY DEDICATED TO PROMOTING AND CELEBRATING RECYCLING IN THE UNITED STATES. EACH YEAR, ON AND IN THE WEEKS SURROUNDING NOV. 15, THOUSANDS OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY PARTICIPATE BY PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZENSHIP AND TAKING ACTION TO INCREASE AND IMPROVE RECYCLING IN AMERICA.THROUGH ARD, KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL AND ITS VAST NETWORK OF COMMUNITY-BASED AFFILIATES AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS CONNECT LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO OUR NATIONAL MOVEMENT BY DIRECTLY ENGAGING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO RECYCLE PROPERLY 365 DAYS A YEAR. AMERICA RECYCLES DAY EDUCATES PEOPLE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING TO OUR ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING, AND HELPS MOTIVATE OCCASIONAL RECYCLERS TO BECOME "EVERYDAY" RECYCLERS.
NTEE category: Environment
Secondary category: Community Improvement & Capacity Building