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June/July 2020
e-Newsletter
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Executive Director Report
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Keep Mississippi Beautiful is excited to welcome our 48
th
Affiliate, Keep Richland Beautiful and their Director Stephanie Ward, into our family of Keep Mississippi Beautiful Affiliates. Keep Richland Beautiful has hit the ground running and has exciting community projects planned.
Keep Mississippi Beautiful wants to thank Glad Products Company for being a national sponsor of the Great American Cleanup and for their recent shipment of bags delivered to Mississippi for our Mississippi Affiliates to plan their community cleanup events. In 2019 more than 23.4 million pounds of litter and recyclables were collected by volunteers throughout the country. For 23 years Mississippi has been participating across the state in the Great American Cleanup. Keep Mississippi Beautiful’s goal is for local communities to cleanup, pick up, and beautify their communities and strive to change behavior and attitudes toward the environment. Thanks to all of our Affiliates that are beginning to organize their Great American Cleanup events to make positive and lasting impacts in their communities. Thank you, Keep Mississippi Beautiful Affiliates, for following Covid-19 community guidelines and safety during your cleanups.
As we celebrate American Independence Day – Fourth of July – be safe - safety is beautiful - and remember to help us
KEEP MISSISSIPPI CLEAN & GREEN.
Sarah
Executive Director
Keep Mississippi Beautiful
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Great American Cleanup Relaunches
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Keep America Beautiful announced the annual
Great American Cleanup
®
is resuming and will run from June 1 through Oct. 18.
As the country begins to open up and Americans are getting back to spending time outdoors, it is as important as ever to help end litter across our great nation. This means that we should all make sure that waste (including PPE) gets placed in the trash and we all recycle based on local capabilities.
The Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program in its 22nd year, normally runs during the spring months (March 19-June 20). This year, the program was suspended because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as government and public health officials called on the public to avoid large gatherings and events to avoid the spread of the virus.
Since the intensity of an outbreak may differ according to geographic location, local health officials should be relied upon to issue guidance specific to their community as volunteer health and safety is our No. 1 priority.
Regarding litter collection, Great American Cleanup event organizers have been provided clear guidance to ensure that volunteer health is our first priority. All cleanups should adhere to guidelines from federal, state, and local public health officials so timely and accurate information can guide safe and appropriate activities in each location.
For those of you not feeling comfortable volunteering for a group activity or seeking an alternative to an actual cleanup in places that are not yet deemed safe, you can participate in the
Great American Cleanup Virtual Experience
, a “virtual park” that one can interact with and beautify. As participants earn points through completing online activities, walking, or fundraising, the virtual park will be cleaned and beautified. Ultimately, participants will help identify where a Keep America Beautiful community beautification project will take place when the fundraising target is reached.
National Sponsors for the 2020 Great American Cleanup include: Altria, Better Natured™, Diageo, Dow, The Glad Products Company, Igloo®, Niagara Bottling, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.
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Welcome, Keep Richland Beautiful!
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Keep Mississippi Beautiful welcomed our 48th affiliate, Keep Richland Beautiful, on June 9, 2020.
Affiliate Director, Stephanie Ward, says "
The City of Richland is excited about joining Keep America Beautiful. We are a small town with a big city daytime population of 100K. As a citizen of Richland, I want people to see the true beauty of our city. Our city is not just the start of your Gulf of Mexico vacation, but it is also a close-knit community that is proud of its roots.
Some plans for this year include picking up litter and beautifying side roads. Currently we have the largest road construction project in the State of Mississippi. Once the project is complete, then Keep Richland Beautiful will be able to work on beautifying Highway 49."
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Keep America Beautiful Reporting Due August 1
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Keep America Beautiful has reviewed the annual reporting deadlines for the 2019/2020 year and determined that there will be only a minor modification to the Great American Cleanup reporting deadline for this reporting year. All other reporting deadlines will remain the same.
The Great American Cleanup relaunched on June 1 and runs through Oct. 18.
The deadline to report metrics for the Great American Cleanup has been moved to October 30
to include affiliate activities taking place this summer and fall. Keep America Beautiful asks that Affiliates create the activity before August 1 to be eligible for President's Circle.
President’s Circle Recognition Award 2019-2020
Reaching a set of common criteria strengthens the credibility of the national affiliate network and identifies an affiliate as being in good standing within the organization.
President’s Circle:
Recipients will receive a certificate for their achievement and will be honored at the annual Keep America Beautiful National Conference
.
Awardees will also receive a logo for their web site to display their President Circle status. President’s Circle will be considered first for grants, showcase and pilot activities.
To be eligible for President’s Circle Affiliates must complete the requirements on or before August 1, 2020.
Criteria:
1.Has an active Affiliate Board of Directors/Committee/Commission/Advisory Council
- Community-based with public, private and civic representatives.
- Meets regularly (minimum quarterly)
- Ensures the relevance of the affiliate’s mission
- Determines programs and activities that follow the mission
- Secures adequate resources to fulfill the mission
- Provides legal and ethical integrity and accountability and assesses Board performance
- Supports an executive director
- Enhances affiliate’s public image
2.
Has an active Affiliate Leader/Executive Director/Coordinator/President/Team Leader, etc.
Although not required, KAB recommends a paid position either part-time or full-time. Duties may be associated with another job, but we recommend that job description include KAB duties.
3.
Affiliate Leader/Executive Director/Coordinator/President/Team Leader attends 6* hours of KAB training annually.
Credit can be earned at KAB’s National Conference, Executive Director, Program or Event Trainings, or KAB Webinars (approx. 1-2 offered a month).
4.
Submit Governance Report
related to board, staff, budget, and affiliate needs.
5.
Update Affiliate Profile annually:
Basic Info, Service Area, Structure, Partners.
6.
Conduct Community Appearance Index
: Includes the Litter Index and Optional Indices on illegal signs, outdoor storage, graffiti and junked/abandoned vehicles. Completion of a Litter Index annually is required for President Circle and should be conducted at approximately the same time each year. The Litter Index may be conducted any time between July 1 and June 30.
7.
Event Reporting
: One project report from each pillar (ending litter, recycling, and beautification) from signature programs and volunteer activities conducted between July 1-June 30.
- 2019/2020 Program Year Event Reporting:
- Great American Cleanup – due Oct. 30, 2020
- America Recycles Day – due Dec. 30, 2019
- Local Activities (board meetings & other local events) – Aug. 1, 2020
- Youth Programs – Aug. 1, 2020
- Education – Aug. 1,2020
- Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (where applicable) – per grant terms
- Grants – per grant terms
8.
Pay an Annual Affiliate Fee.
Invoices are issued via email annually March and are based on affiliate community population.
9.Adopt and implement the "one shared brand" logo standards
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KMB Congratulates Circle of Excellence Recipients
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Congratulations to these Affiliates who received Keep Mississippi Beautiful's Circle of Excellence Award and a $500 grant contribution. To receive this award, affiliates must receive Keep America Beautiful President's Circle Recognition as well as submit a nomination for our Keep Mississippi Beautiful Awards program.
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KAB Opens Applications for
National Youth Advisory Council
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The Keep America Beautiful® National Youth Advisory Council provides a unique opportunity for high school students from diverse backgrounds across the nation to participate in a service-learning and leadership development program. Keep America Beautiful selects students to contribute to and inform Keep America Beautiful on programs, while acting as ambassadors and leaders for youth service in their communities.
Keep America Beautiful is accepting applications for its 2020-2021 National Youth Advisory Council through
Friday, July 10, 2020
.
Click
here
for the 2020/2021 online application.
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Keep Jackson Beautiful's Virtual 5K Trash Dash
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Keep Jackson Beautiful's Virtual Trash Dash event will take place just like a regular plogging (picking up trash while walking/running) event except you walk, jog or run your 5K wherever you'd like.
For more information on how to take part in the virtual trash dash, go to their facebook event page
here
.
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KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL GRANTS AVAILABLE
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Keep America Beautiful's Community Improvement Grant
Deadline - July 17
Keep America Beautiful, in partnership with Diageo, is pleased to provide a Community Improvement Grant to support the efforts of volunteers, residents, community groups, and business owners/employees to prevent litter, promote recycling, and beautify areas in and around Martin Luther King Jr. corridors and neighborhoods.
Grant funding is available in three categories – $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000 – with the possibility of additional funding for supplies purchased at Lowe's. Applications are being accepted through July 17, 2020. All proposed projects must be completed no later than mid-November of this year. A link to the grant application can be found at:
https://kab.surveymonkey.com/r/CommunityImprovement
Keep America Beautiful's UPS Community Tree & Recovery Tree Planting Grant
Deadline - July 17
Funding will be offered for Community Tree Planting and Post-Recovery Tree Planting Projects. The grants will prioritize projects that reduce levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gas emissions through strategic plantings, emphasize the importance of native trees, plant fruit trees to produce fruit for local consumption, and plant trees that have a greater likelihood of withstanding disasters.
Better Natured Sampling Opportunity for Affiliates
Keep America Beautiful 2020 Great American Cleanup National Sponsor Better Natured, a hair care company that produces a complete line of naturally-derived shampoos, conditioners, treatments and hair colors, is graciously providing product samples of their Color Care Shampoo & Conditioner to our affiliates for you to share with your volunteers. The samples would be sent in cases with 144 samples. We ask that you please send photos of your volunteers with the donated samples to your Regional Director, Grace Keegan, or upload them to the Great American Cleanup photo folder.
Keep America Beautiful's Community Restoration and Resiliency Fund -
Pandemic Update
Rolling Deadline
The Community Restoration and Resiliency Fund was initially created to provide financial aid and other resources to affiliates to address widespread devastation in the aftermath of natural disasters. Keep America Beautiful also recognizes that a disaster can be anything that a community cannot recover from on its own – and without help.
If your community is in the midst of recovering from recent events, please let us know how we can best support you. Keep America Beautiful can provide in-kind funding for cleanup supplies and provide resources to help rebuild and restore the public spaces that bind communities.
Please
click here
to complete the application form to request support.
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Tales from the Wildflower Trails of Mississippi
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It's that time of year when our wildflowers are beginning to bloom throughout the state!
On the left, Mayor Sally Garland of Crystal Springs' site was reseeded this spring with our new mix at their previous wildflower site on the corner of Highway 27 and 51. We can already tell that this site is going to be another show stopper!
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On the left, you will see a newly added site - help us welcome Walnut Grove to our trail! This past fall, Mayor Brian Gomillion came to us with this creative idea for their site and we were so happy to help! This is a perfect example of how you can create a "manicured" look while also helping our pollinators and we love how it turned out!
As you are traveling the state this summer and see wildflower blooms, please remember to share and tag us on our Wildflower Trails of Mississippi Facebook page!
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Genuine Mississippi "Can" Harvest
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Keep Mississippi Beautiful and our Wildflower Trails of Mississippi program had the opportunity to partner with Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Genuine Mississippi and Keep the Rez Beautiful and their Pearl River Watershed Experience Program on an exhibit taking place at the Mississippi Ag Museum.
As the wildflowers bloom throughout our state, the migration of bees, butterflies and other pollinators starts the agriculture process for food for many Mississippians and our nation. This bountiful resource of vegetables, poultry, livestock, cotton and fish is a $7.2 billion industry and it is the number one industry in Mississippi. The purpose of this project is to highlight the importance of agriculture in our state and also the Pearl River as a major food chain, not only in Mississippi, but also America. The exhibit is over 20 feet tall and is a must see!
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2020 Pearl River Keepers Clean Sweep
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Saturday, September 19, 2020, 8 am (most locations)
Saturday, September 26, 2020 (Lower West Pearl)
Join the Pearl River Keepers for their 2020 Pearl River Clean Sweep event - choose from over 25 locations including 3 led by affiliates
Keep the Rez Beautiful
(Leake County Water Park site),
Keep Ridgeland Beautiful
(Old Trace Park site), and
Keep Jackson Beautiful
whose site is still TBD.
For more information and to sign up as a volunteer go to:
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Future Dates:
July 10
Keep America Beautiful Youth Advisory Council Application Deadline
July 11
Keep Jackson Beautiful's Virtual 5K Trash Dash
July 17
Keep America Beautiful's Community Improvement Grant Deadline
August 1
Keep America Beautiful Reporting - President's Circle Deadline
August 7
Jackson E-Waste Collection Day, MS Farmers Market, Jackson
September 19
2020 Pearl River Clean Sweep (most locations)
September 26
2020 Pearl River Clean Sweep (Lower West Pearl)
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