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Funded by the PA Department of Environmental Protection
There are so many things we are thankful for this year, but at the top of the list are YOU, our partners, supporters and volunteers who make all that we do possible. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and happiness!
Affiliate representatives convened in Harrisburg to network and share experiences.
KPB Affiliate Roundtable
On October 25, affiliates convened in Harrisburg for an annual in-person roundtable. Justin Dula, Director for the Office of Environmental Justice for the PA Department of Environmental Protection discussed environmental justice and presented tools for implementing environmental justice initiatives in local communities. An affiliate panel including, Sheila Shea from Keep Fayette County Green, Rachel Stark from Keep Northeastern PA Beautiful, and Bethany Ayers Fisher and Tanya Melendez from Keep Reading Beautiful, shared their experiences about working with youth in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Victoria Naro Rogers, Director of Partnerships for America250PA, presented Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's strategic partnership with America250PA and Pennsylvania Day Activation Grants. It was a great day of networking and sharing and we want to thank everyone for their contributions.
KPB Welcomes Three New Affiliates
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful welcomes its newest affiliates, Keep Reading Beautiful, Keep Dauphin County Beautiful and Keep Delco Beautiful. Among the affiliates’ strategic priorities are litter abatement, waste reduction, beautification and connecting with schools and volunteer groups to foster more environmental stewardship opportunities.
Keep Reading Beautiful will be a program of and housed in the City of Reading Public Works Department. Ryan Bradley, Clean City Coordinator for the City of Reading Public Works, will serve as the coordinator and can be reached at Ryan.Bradley@ReadingPA.gov or 610-655-6591.
Keep Dauphin County Beautiful will be a program of and housed in the Dauphin County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling. Kelly Megonnel, Director of the Department of Solid Waste and Recycling, will serve as the coordinator and can be reached at kmegonnel@dauphincounty.gov or 717-780-6228.
Keep Delco Beautiful will be a program of and housed in the Delaware County Office of Sustainability. Rebecca Yurkovich, Sustainability and Resilience Manager, will serve as the coordinator and can be reached atyurkovichr@co.delaware.pa.us or 484-846-2075.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful currently has 27 county and city-based affiliates that offer programs in 35 service areas. To find an affiliate near you, visit keeppabeautiful.org and choose Affiliate Network. To inquire about starting an affiliate in your area, contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org or 724-836-4121 x114.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Welcomes New Board Member Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Board of Directors announces the appointment of Sarah DeSantis, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary for Marketing, Tourism & Film for the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). As one of her first responsibilities, DeSantis participated in a strategic planning session to help set three-year goals for the organization to advance its mission of empowering Pennsylvanians to keep our communities clean and beautiful.
“Sarah brings a combination of experience, expertise and energy to the table. Her diverse background, direction and leadership will be valuable as we continue to advance our mission and grow our organization,” said Phoebe Coles, Board of Directors Chair, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Elizabeth Kalista and her family visited the PA State Capitol Building to see her winning poster on display. Elizabeth earned first place for kindergarten in the 2022-2023 Litter Hawk Youth Award program.
Accepting Litter Hawk Youth Awards Projects
Teachers, Students and group leaders! Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is accepting projects for the Litter Hawk Youth Award Program, a recognition program for students in kindergarten through 6th grade. Kids can participate individually or as part of a lesson initiated by schools, home-schools, scout troops, 4-H clubs, environmental clubs or other organized groups.
The theme is: Open Your Eyes to Litter – Show Us What You See Projects include:
Grades Kindergarten through 4 - Poster
Grade 5 – Essay
Grade 6 – Video
First and second place will be awarded prizes in each grade level. All participants will receive recognition of participation. Deadline to participate is January 31st. Winners will be announced in May in coordination with a display of winning entries at the PA State Capitol Building. For more information and an application clickhere.
Ritter Elementary School in Allentown joined the Litter Free School Zone this year. "Our students enjoy cleaning up around our school. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of garbage to clean up on a weekly basis. Students are certainly confused by the amount of trash we clean up!" said Marie Nemes, 3rd grade teacher, Ritter Elementary School.
Litter Free School Zone
Help your school and community be litter free! Campus litter sweeps are a great way for students to make a positive impact on the local environment and community. Picking up litter makes an immediate and noticeable difference. The Litter Free School Zone Program encourages hands-on activities to teach environmental stewardship and responsibility and can be combined with lessons about how litter affects animals, people, water quality and economics. Teachers and other school personnel can fill out the application here.
Girl Scout Troop 11467 adopted Mt. View Road in Dickinson Township, Cumberland County in 2021 and will apply their good deeds towards the requirements of the Cadettes' Silver Award. Dickinson Township supports the Scouts and our road/area adoption program by picking up and disposing the trash.
Land Steward Program
Our road and area adoption program provides local residents with the tools and resources they need to be stewards of their neighborhoods. With the support of local municipalities, the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful adoption program is available statewide for municipal roads, parks, neighborhood blocks, greenways, and trails. We will provide a sign recognizing your efforts! For more information and an application, click here.
Waterway Steward Program
Being a waterway steward is easy. Any time you are recreating in or near water, collect litter and stream health data. When you’re finished, dispose of the litter properly and report your data to us. You choose where you want to clean. It can be a different waterway each time! Keeping our waterways free from litter and other debris helps preserve the beauty of Pennsylvania’s waterways, improves water quality, enhances the health and safety of our environment, people, animals, birds and fish and protects the natural resources that we depend on for recreation and tourism. For more information and an application click here.
Why it's important to report your results - Your numbers are added to statewide totals, help us measure progress towards reducing litter and are important deliverables to our funders. If you currently have a road, area, school or waterway adopted through one of the programs above, you can report your results here.
Your donation means everything to us and the communities we serve!
