Gov. Bill Lee has designated March as Keep Tennessee Beautiful month. To officially kick-off the activities, including the state’s participation in Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup®, KTnB hosted a rally and awards luncheon Friday at Conservation Hall at the Tennessee Governor’s Residence. Commissioner Mark Ezell, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, brought the keynote address.
“Keep Tennessee Beautiful efforts motivate people to visit our state, which in turn leads to a positive impact on the tourism industry and benefits their communities,” Ezell said. “We support environmentally sustainable practices that conserve and protect our natural resources while providing access to both Tennesseans and visitors to our state’s stunning outdoors and rich scenic beauty.”
The event also spotlighted Tennessee’s participation in KAB’s Great American Cleanup®, the annual, nation-wide effort rallying community leaders and litter grant coordinators throughout the U.S. The Great American Cleanup® annually engages more than 500,000 volunteers and participants. In 2023, Tennessee’s participation in the GAC resulted in the removal of 445,344 pounds of litter by more than 8,000 volunteers. More than 650,000 trees and flowers were planted throughout all 95 Tennessee counties. KTnB will join Metro Beautification, TDOT, and Nobody Trashes Tennessee on March 2 in Nashville for a community wide KAB cleanup event. Cleanups are being planned throughout the state. Register HERE.
“We are grateful to Gov. Lee for continuing to support March as Keep Tennessee Beautiful month,” Executive Director Missy Marshall, KTnB, said. “This is definitely a celebration, but it’s also a call to action. We encourage all Tennesseans to live mindfully about our environment, to protect our state from careless littering, and to spend a day or two in the coming months volunteering for a local cleanup event. Let’s all contribute and help Keep Tennessee Beautiful.”
Additional program highlights included the presentation by Missy Marshall of KTnB’s Leader Against Litter Award to Environmental Court Judge Blake Anderson of Jackson. The organization’s Love Where You Live Award was presented to Karen Dunlap of Keeping the Valley Beautiful in Erwin, Tenn. This award is given to a Tennessee resident who takes pride in their community and supports KTnB’s mission. The Leader Against Litter Award is given to an elected official who has gone above and beyond their job description to involve citizens in environmental improvements.
Keep Tennessee Beautiful is the state’s official affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Keep Tennessee Beautiful Month and the Great American Cleanup help accomplish the mission of KTnB: to educate and inspire Tennesseans to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment.
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