Executive Director’s Report:
Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission Meeting: May 29, 2014
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1. Wow! Have we been busy here! From the flurry of our emails, you’re no doubt aware of many of the
myriad plans, programs, promotions, events, reports, cleanups and wrap-ups we’ve been sharing but, to
summarize, let me re-acquaint you with Spring 2014 ActionCentral:
2. Please welcome our new Fourth District Commissioner Mary Joe Rogers from Stamps! Brenda and I
were pleased to provide an orientation for her April 18th. Mary Joe replaces JeNelle Lipton whose service
to Keep Arkansas Beautiful over the years is gratefully appreciated.
3. The Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup in Arkansas started off with a bang and has been
roaring full speed ahead ever since: We owe Liz and Erica a huge debt of gratitude for the exceptional way
they have managed and kept us informed of its growing progress and accomplishments. Their report will
update its status.
4. On one weekend, Keep Little Rock Beautiful spearheaded over two dozen events; I participated in three
different cleanups that day and in following weeks contributed to a KLRB electronic collection effort, a
Keep Sherwood Beautiful shredding drive and attended a Keep Jacksonville Beautiful event naming the
city Recycling Education Park after affiliate director Ron Newport, its mentor – a much deserved tribute.
5. During the March Commission meeting, we shared the Poster Contest winners’ names and contact
information, along with their posters and gift card prizes. All have been awarded with the invaluable help
of Commissioners Elrod and Pope who, along with Liz and Brenda, personally presented the winners’
school recognition.
6. Further acknowledgment has been achieved on our Facebook where viewers can vote for their own
favorites. The winning student will be awarded our KAB gift pack. Liz will report on the effort as well as
the continuing growth of our social media presence.
7. Activities surrounding Earth Day included publication of a guest column by me in the April 21st issue of
the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette plus various celebration events across the state. Several of these were
attended by Liz and Erica as well as Commissioners Elrod, Garner, Heyes and Pope. A huge thanks to all!
8. As active as April and May have been, June will be a hyperactive month: The Greeniversary, the theme
for our 25th Anniversary celebration, is being promoted jointly by the Commission and the Keep Arkansas
Beautiful Foundation. This will culminate in a gala reception June 13th at Wildwood in the Park.
9. Joint publicity efforts by both the commission and the foundation to draw attention to our shared June
Greeniversary celebration has resulted in several publications featuring stories, articles and profiles of
KAB volunteers and cleanups. Soiree profiled Mel Glasgow and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran an article
about Nash Abrams, both of Keep Little Rock Beautiful. The ADG ran my Earth Day column and the
Drive time Mahatma noted that an auto license plate, NOLITTR, belongs to the Director of the Keep
Arkansas Beautiful Commission. I’ve been interviewed by a couple of other media outlets, so look for
more to come.
10. KABF has launched an on-line media campaign to call attention to the Greeniversary observation, to
widen support and to solicit funds to underwrite operations and new projects. Subsequent efforts include
Change Arkansas, a school-based program collecting quarters - 25 cents to celebrate 25 years - as a way to
engage and involve youngsters in donations to help keep Arkansas clean and green.
11. In addition to a concerted drive to raise funding, a 2014 priority for the KAB Foundation, remains the
development and re-introduction of the Litter Free Zone, the proprietary K-5 clean campus curriculum,
successfully prototyped in 2009 -10, due to a grant from the Walmart Foundation, which involved 26
schools.
12. Commission Greeniversary promotion has been highly active on our social media outlets, intensifying
beginning May 12th and running through June 13th, with a daily profile sketch of a selected transformative
individual. Designated as Lodestars, one that serves as an inspiration, model or guide, these are people
who have demonstrated their exemplary leadership to advance community environmental excellence.
13. The Lodestar recognition is awarded to shining examples whose extraordinary actions represent the
personification of our mission charge to encourage individuals to take personal responsibility to improve
the physical and visual aspects of their community that individuals can positively influence through their
own actions. They saw needs and took actions to overcome them; they individually made a difference.
14. These and others who have worked diligently to enhance our state’s environment, increased quality of
life and economic vitality, have contributed greatly to our pride of place, resulting in cleaner, safer, more
beautiful and vibrant communities. We hope to express our appreciation to all of our various and valued
volunteers during the Greeniversary reception.
15. We are pleased that Keep America Beautiful President Jennifer Jehn will be our honored guest for the
event, which will also include our present and past commissioners, the KABF directors and our local KAB
community affiliates. Additionally, our cleanup coordinators, allied partners, supporters and friends will
attend to help commemorate and celebrate our first 25 years of serving the state and its communities.
16. On June 14th, we will hold the 2014 Clean and Green KAB Affiliate Symposium, our biennial training
opportunity to help educate and communicate membership opportunities, benefits and best practices.
Jennifer will be joined by KAB Director of Affiliation and Training Cecile Carson to offer insights to KAB
programs and plans and encourage networking.
17. Keep America Beautiful continues to offer generous national grants from partnering companies, a
high value benefit of affiliation for local affiliates, yet most of our Arkansas affiliate communities don’t
seem to be taking full advantage of these opportunities. To promote grant applications and assist in their
preparation, we will offer a special instructive course during the Symposium.
18. Capping off June, we will/may be hosting - provided KABF can secure the required liability insurance
protection - one of 60 KAB national Bud Light “Do Good, Have Fun” community improvement/cleanup
events. It’s scheduled for Saturday the 28th at Pinnacle Mountain State Park and likely involve 100-120
volunteers, ages 21-27, to clean, paint and restore seven different areas of the park.
19. Although all materials and equipment necessary to support the Bud Light “Do Good, Have Fun” work
day will be acquired through a KAB grant, we will still need a sizable volunteer staff to register, manage
and transport volunteer workers and serve them lunch and Bud Light afterwards. Thus, we are reaching
out to involve commissioners, KABF board members and local KAB affiliates for this purpose. We ask that
you please consider volunteering in some capacity for this event.
20. During our May meeting, I expect each of you who attended the March Governor’s Conference on
Tourism to contribute your personal perspective on the experience and share with everyone something
that you learned and found useful. I am carefully evaluating what advantage accrues to our work when
commissioners attend allied conferences and meetings thus need to consider your observations.
21. People are still monitoring vehicle litter and reporting it. Since its inception in November 2004, the
statewide Litter Hotline has attracted over 64,000 calls, resulting in over 50,600 letters (some are out of
state licenses, erroneous info, etc.) reminding Arkansas motorists to improve their littering behaviors.
22. Frustratingly, there seems to be something about tobacco products that folks just can’t or won’t tie to
litter; it leads all categories at 72.8 percent with all others showing improvement.
23. May’s meeting, Friday the 29th, will be held in the State Parks’ fourth floor conference room. Everyone
is asked to please wear your logo shirt, as we hope to take Commission pictures for use in celebration of
our Greeniversary; and, bring a smile too. Thanks.