Keep America Beautiful® is proud to announce our next Affiliate of the Month. In this KAB initiative, we feature the great work being done in our network of 700 certified affiliates. Our Affiliate of the Month for December 2023 is Keep Smyrna Beautiful (KSB).
Keep Smyrna Beautiful is being recognized for the Innovation Award they received from KAB in 2022. The Keep America Beautiful Innovation Award salutes affiliates that have created innovative partnerships and programs to further the mission of KAB.
Q&A with Keep Smyrna Beautiful (KSB) Executive Director Julie Barwig:
How long have you been involved with Keep Smyrna Beautiful (KSB) and what role(s) have you held?
Julie: I’ve been with Keep Smyrna Beautiful for five and a half years and as the Executive Director for three years. Before that, I was the KSB coordinator.
When did your passion for environmental stewardship begin?
I’ve always been interested in protecting the environment. I grew up outside playing in the creek in my backyard and I rode horses so I spent a lot of time outdoors at the barn. I was raised when there was a lot of talk about the ozone layer depletion, global warming, and climate change discussions. That made an impact on me. So, growing up I wanted to do something that would be good for the earth and environment.
I joined the environmental club in college and then worked in non-profits for about 10 years before making the transition to a non-profit organization that focused on the environment.
You received a Keep America Beautiful Innovation award in 2022. Tell us about this project.
Julie: We won that award for our 2022 Keep Smyrna Beautiful Art and Garden Tour partnership. We partnered with a local arts group, the Smyrna Arts Council, to bring an extra element to our garden tour.
We had our garden tour for over a decade showcasing five private gardens in Smyrna to inspire and educate the residents to bring beauty to their homes, neighborhoods, and communities. We stopped doing that in 2020. In 2022, it happened to be the 150th anniversary of the city. To do something special, and to bring together these two elements (gardening and art), we showcased five gardens and two eclectic art collections within the city.
The partnership of bringing together a garden organization and an art organization is why we were presented with this award.
What was the reaction to this project?
Julie: We had great feedback. I think the idea of elevating the cultural experience of the garden tour engaged people and hit home with a lot of folks. Everyone enjoyed the added element of the artwork. Which is what we wanted.
Are there any other accomplishments you would like to celebrate or projects that you are looking forward to in the future?
Julie: Next year, 2024, will be Keep Smyrna Beautiful’s 40th anniversary. We are proud of the longevity of KSB, and the ability to make an impact in the community. A lot of our programs, including Adopt-A-Mile, Rivers Alive, and Bring One for the Chipper all have 30-plus years on them, so many of them have been community staples for a long time. That’s something that I’m proud of. I run into volunteers all the time who have been with us since the 90s. So, it’s great to forge those community bonds and to have that sustained community engagement.
Bring One for the Chipper event
One of our newer programs that I love is our Adopt-A-Tree program. Volunteers go out and visit properties that are going to be developed. They rescue native tree seedlings, and we make them available to community members at no charge. You can come and get a seedling, two, or ten, and take those seedlings home to plant them to help with the tree canopy here in Smyrna.
Tell us about your volunteer network, and is there anyone you would like to spotlight?
Julie: We have an amazing Board of Directors who volunteer a lot! Our longtime board member and former board chair, Liz Davis, received the 2022 Lady Bird Johnson Award from Keep America Beautiful. So, she has been an incredible volunteer for a very long time.
We have a lot of groups and organizations that help out, including churches, civic organizations, families, and staff that come to clean-ups. We have staff-led community cleanups two to three times a month. They’re a group of folks that you just know are going to be out there. They care about the environment, and they are dedicated to our city and community. It’s incredible to see folks that have come to Smyrna and are just starting to be engaged and involved with the folks that have been involved with KSB for decades. They don’t get discouraged by the fact that we are still cleaning up on the same roads. They still want to make a big impact and continue to care for their community.
About Keep Smyrna Beautiful:
Keep Smyrna Beautiful’s mission is to inspire our community to be clean, green, and beautiful. We began in 1984 and are the premiere environmental organization within the City of Smyrna. KSB is made up of community residents who join together to help the public become more aware and concerned about environmental issues. We focus on ending littering, reducing waste, promoting recycling, and beautifying Smyrna. KSB is a local affiliate of both Keep America Beautiful and the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation.
About Keep America Beautiful®:
Keep America Beautiful®, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful® strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green, and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. The organization is driven by the work and passion of 700 Keep America Beautiful® affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
McCall Vrydaghs
Keep America Beautiful®