Non-Profit Has Been Keeping America Beautiful for 60 Years

Since launching its first public service announcement on litter prevention in 1956, Keep America Beautiful has been bringing people together to build and maintain vibrant communities throughout the nation. Every year, the non-profit engages millions of volunteers to take greater responsibility for improving their community's environment. With a network of over 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful offers solutions that create beautiful public places, promote recycling, reduce waste, make a positive impact on local economies, and inspire numerous environmental stewards. Believing that long-term change happens when people work together, Keep America Beautiful works to build and sustain clean communities that are socially connected, economically sound, and environmentally healthy.

Keep America Beautiful was formed in 1953, long before being green was in, by a group of corporate and civic leaders who met in New York City to discuss the idea of bringing the public and private sectors together to promote a national cleanliness ethic. Today, Keep America Beautiful runs several programs and initiatives, including America Recycles Day, the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, Graffiti Hurts, National Planting Day, the Great American Cleanup, and more. The Great American Cleanup is the country's largest annual community improvement program – volunteers pick up litter, plant trees and flowers, clean seashores and waterways, beautify parks and recreation areas, handle recycling collections, and conduct litter-free events and educational programs. Last year, 4.2 million volunteers participated in the Great American Cleanup to return almost $230 million in measurable benefits in 20,000 communities across the US.

In 2013, Keep America Beautiful aims to clean and restore 200,000 public acres and sites, 100,000 miles of roads and highways, and 10,000 miles of rivers, lakes, and shorelines; place 5,000 recycling bins in public spaces; plant and/or sustain trees, community gardens, and green spaces; construct and restore 5,000 playgrounds; and educate 250,000 children to become the next generation of environmental stewards.