2015 Clean Cities Sweep
Part of the Great American Cleanup
Sponsored in part by:
PLANNING PACKET
Neighborhood Group
Keep North Charleston Beautiful
4800 Park Circle  North Charleston, SC 29405
Phone: (843) 745-1073  Fax: 1 (843) 432-3047
kncbsc@gmail.com  www.keepnorthcharlestonbeautiful.org
The City of North Charleston and Keep North Charleston Beautiful would like to WELCOME you to
the Clean Cities Sweep (CCS) Program. You are joining a wonderful group of more than 18,000
volunteers who will be donating their time and effort to make North Charleston bloom with
beauty!
Attached is this year’s planning packet that has information we hope you find useful in planning
your CCS event. Please contact our office if you need any assistance or have any questions.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
February 5 – April 9
Pickup Dates for CCS Supplies
All supply pickups are scheduled on Thursday between 8am and 4pm
from February 5 until April 9.
April 7 by 4pm
Deadline for Registrations
All CCS registration forms must be received by April 7 at 4pm.
April 12 – April 18
Clean Cities Sweep
Projects may be any time during the months of March and April;
however, trash pickup will only be provided during the week of April
12-18.
May 4 by 4pm
Post-Event Reports and Receipts Due
Post-event reports must be received by May 4 at 4pm. Each group
must submit all of these items to be eligible for contest judging
and supplies next year. More details will be provided for you in your
planning packet when you pick up your supplies.
May 11
Award Winners Notified
All contest winners will be notified on or before May 11.
*May 14
Awards Presented at North Charleston City Council Meeting
Please note that this date is tentative and subject to change. Contest
winners will be notified with specific details when they receive their
award notification. A representative from your group must attend City
Council to accept your award, or your prize will be forfeited to the next
highest scoring group.
* Please note that this date is tentative and subject to change.
Pre-Event Planning Tips
 The most important key to a successful project is to start early and make detailed plans.
 Read our website at www.keepnorthcharlestonbeautiful.org and our Facebook at
www.facebook.com/kncbsc to find ideas, tips, photographs, and descriptions of past CCS
projects. Many groups find it useful to review past projects before planning their current
project. Additionally, there is a safety sheet available to download on the KNCB webpage and
review with your volunteers prior to your project.
 Visit the Park Circle Butterfly Garden or other educational gardens to see types of sustainable
plants you may wish to include in your planting projects. Garden centers will help you with
sustainable planting plans if you visit them and bring a photograph of your project. They can
pre-order your plants and have you pick them up all at one time. Remember to ask these
centers for a discount on your plants.
 Decide on the type of project and the dates of your CCS project. Get permission to complete
the project from all appropriate parties.
 Plan for sustainability! Determine who will maintain the project throughout the year,
especially in the hot summer months. Consider installing low-maintenance, drought-tolerant
plants and allocate the funding necessary to keep the project looking good year-round.
 If planting is part of your project, contact No Cuts (PUPS) at 1-888-721-7877 so the utility
lines will be marked before you plant.
 Make sure you have all the equipment you need such as brooms, shovels, rakes, edgers,
safety vests for volunteers working on roadsides, and water.
 Take “before” photographs prior to your event to submit with your post-event report.
Remember to take both your “before” and “after” photographs from the same spot and angle.
Examples of “before” and “after” photographs are included in this packet and on our website.
 Remember to take your post-event forms to your project to ensure that your reporting is
accurate. Make extra copies of the post-event form if needed.
 Items for recycling should be separated from other litter/debris and placed in the blue trash
bags included with your CCS supplies. Leave them in the same location as your litter/debris,
and they will be picked up by a recycling truck.
 Lastly, have a fun, safe, and rewarding CCS project. Remember to thank your sponsors and
volunteers for their support and hard work. Thank you for helping us make North Charleston
bloom with beauty!
Your post-event report is due by May 4 at 4pm. The submission of this report is crucial in
determining the impact of your efforts on both a local and national level. These reports help
Keep America Beautiful and our office secure the sponsors needed to provide CCS volunteer
groups with free supplies.
The following items are required as part of the post-event report and must be returned to the
KNCB office for your neighborhood to be eligible for contest judging this year, supplies, and a
gift card next year. Please make every effort to provide us with this information as we work
together to make North Charleston bloom with beauty!
Post-Event Checklist
*All required forms are included in the post-event report folder.
 Receipts for all purchases made on your gift card. Gift cards may only be used to purchase
material for your project, including landscaping supplies, plant material, tools, pine straw,
and other similar items. Only outdoor beautification projects that will be done by the
volunteers may be funded by the gift card. The gift card may not be used to purchase food,
promotional items, or giveaways. The gift card must be used for projects done during the
designated Clean Cities Sweep time period (unless other arrangements are made with the
KNCB office.)
 If your gift card has any money remaining on it, please return either the gift card or the
unused cash. You do not need to return your gift card if there is no money remaining on it.
 All forms included in the post-event report folder.
1. Volunteer & Event Reporting
2. Neighborhood Contest Form
 At least one set of “before” and “after” photographs of your project. You may submit up
to two sets of photographs. Please see the guidelines included in your planning kit for
examples of excellent “before” and “after” photographs.
 A completed liability form signed by any individuals in the photographs submitted to us.
Please do not submit photographs of people who have not completed a liability release. We
must have these forms on file to publish these photographs.
 Any additional event photographs that you have taken. Do not submit photographs of
people who have not signed the liability release. Please try to include photographs of
volunteers using the provided supplies, especially GLAD Bags.
These items may be returned by mail or email, or you may drop them by our office. If you drop
them by the office, please remember to call or email first so we can ensure someone is in the
office to receive your reports. If you come by and no one is in the office, you may put your
packets in the slot in our office door or leave them with a staff member at the front desk at Park
Circle.
“Before” & “After” Photograph Guidelines
*If you do not have access to a camera, please contact our office before you start working on your project
so we may help you make arrangements to have photographs taken of your project.
 All groups are required to submit at least one set of “before” and “after” photographs of their
projects. You may submit a maximum of two sets of photographs.
 “Before” and “after” photographs should be taken of the same project from the same angle
and distance (please see examples below.)
 Do not include individuals in your “before” and “after” photographs.
 Photographs may be submitted as a hard copy or in digital format; however, digital format is
preferred. Printed photographs can be either mailed or dropped off at our office. Digital
photographs may be emailed (in .jpg format) to kncbsc@gmail.com. Please limit attachments
to no more than 10mb per email and make sure each file is clearly labeled. You may send
your photographs in multiple emails if needed. If submitting hard copies, be sure to clearly
label the back of each photograph with your group name and whether the photograph is the
“before” or the “after.” Please do not attach photographs to anything (cardstock, posters,
etc.)
Examples of “Before” & “After” Photographs
Accabee Community
Green Grove Community
Plant Recommendations
The following is a short list of perennial plants that thrive in the North Charleston area and are
frequently available at local home improvement stores and nurseries. If you have any favorites
that you would like to add to the list, please let us know.
FLOWERS:
Agapanthus (many varieties)
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Dune Sunflower (Helianthus debilis)
Echinacea (many varieties)
Evening Primrose (Oenethera)
Evergreen Giant Liriope (Liriope muscari)
Heuchera (many varieties)
Homestead Verbena (Verbena canadensis)
Indian Blanket Flower (Gaillardia pulchella)
Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana)
Mexican Sage (Salvia leucantha)
Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Salvia (Salvia nemerosa)
Sedum (many varieties)
Shasta Daisy (heat tolerant varieties)
Texas Star Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus)
Whirling Butterflies (Gaura lindheimeri)
Yarrow (many varieties)
SHRUBS:
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
Double Knock Out Rose (Rosa ‘Radtko’)
Native Hibiscus
Sweet Grass (Muhlenburgia capillaries)
TREES:
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Cherry Laurel (Prunus caroliniana)
Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus)
Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)
Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginia)
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Redbud (Cwercis Canadensis)
River Birch (Betula nigra)
Willow Oak (Quercus phellos)
VINES:
Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum
jasminoides)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
Yellow Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
If you are having difficulty locating any of these plants, please contact a nursery specialist at
your garden center. They may be able to order the plants for you, but it will take a week or two
to get them.
The “Georgia Smith Neighborhood Contest” Scoring Guidelines
The Georgia Smith Neighborhood Contest was established in February 2011. In 1998, Georgia Smith was
instrumental in creating a partnership between the City of Charleston and the City of North Charleston to
form the Clean Cities Sweep Program. This partnership and the hard work of many community volunteers
led to the program winning national recognition from Keep America Beautiful as the “Best Cleanup
Program” in the nation. Georgia’s kindness and her ability to accomplish great things will always be
remembered!
Contest entries are required as part of the post-event report. The highest scoring neighborhood will be
awarded a $100 sustainability check to be used towards the sustainability of their completed project.
The second highest scoring neighborhood will be awarded a $50 sustainability check to be used to
toward the sustainability of their completed project. Each neighborhood’s project will be scored by a panel
of judges based on the information provided in the post-event report. The available points are listed
below.
“Before” and “after” photographs
30 points
The neighborhood’s “before” and “after” photographs show the significant impact made in
your neighborhood during your CCS project. Both photographs should be taken from the
same distance and angle. No people should appear in your photographs. You may submit
a maximum of two sets of “before” and “after” photographs.
Sustainable throughout the year
25 points
The project will be maintained and continued beyond the scope of CCS.
Magnitude of the project
25 points
This section will be based on the comprehensive element and the impact of the group’s
project. The residents, community, and environment were all impacted by your
neighborhood’s CCS project. Additional points will be awarded for projects that include
an educational component or a partnership with the local community.
Participation
10 points
Design projects that allow all residents the opportunity to participate in the project. Points
will be awarded based on your creativity in involving all residents and the number of
neighborhood residents who volunteered during the CCS.
Additional project photographs
10 points
Please submit up to ten additional photographs that showcase the scope of your
neighborhood’s Clean Cities Sweep project. Points will be awarded based on the quality
of photographs submitted, how well they showcase the scope of your neighborhood’s
project, and if they show volunteers using the provided supplies, especially GLAD Bags.
100 total points
We would like to thank the following groups for their support of Keep North Charleston
Beautiful, the Clean Cities Sweep, and the Great American Cleanup.
Program Partners:
National Sponsors of the Great American Cleanup:
This planning packet is printed on FSC Certified 100% recycled paper.