Dr. Karen Bell, Keep Liberty Beautiful.

This weekend kicks off the Great American Cleanup for Liberty County! The 2022 countywide cleanup is this Saturday, March 19.

 Keep America Beautiful is celebrating the 24th annual Great American Cleanup this year, from March to June. KAB knows that the country continues to deal with the pandemic. It is as vital as ever to help end litter across our great nation. This means that we should all make sure that waste (including PPE) gets placed in the trash and we all recycle based on local capabilities.

Regarding litter collection for Great American Cleanup events, KLB will follow clear guidance to ensure our volunteers’ safety. The Great American Cleanup is the country’s most extensive community improvement program. It kicks off with more than 4 million volunteers in more than 20,000 communities. In Liberty County, we participate in this national effort each year because we know how vital a clean community is for our quality of life.

Across America, communities like ours will recruit volunteers to engage in litter cleanups, beautify parks, clean shorelines and waterways, reduce waste, increase recycling, and remove litter and debris. The Great American Cleanup prompts individuals to take greater responsibility for their local environment by conducting grassroots community service projects that engage volunteers, local businesses and civic leaders. A successful Great American Cleanup project must fulfill the local community’s needs; that’s why we work with the local community and business leaders and other key stakeholders to learn about the community’s needs and carefully select and execute projects accordingly.

Volunteer efforts can have a powerful effect on our community. Keep America Beautiful cleanup programs help create socially connected, environmentally healthy, and economically sound communities. During the Great American Cleanup, the value of volunteer work across the nation averages $175 million in measurable benefits annually in Keep America Beautiful communities.

We thank the 2022 Great American Cleanup national sponsors: Altria Group, Diageo and the Dow Chemical Company. They help make annual Great America Cleanup events possible, but we particularly appreciate our local partners for our local cleanups.

Many of our local cities partner with Keep Liberty Beautiful to provide appreciation lunches for volunteers after each citywide cleanup. Also, more than 100 businesses, municipalities, churches, civic organizations, schools and youth groups, as well as individuals, partner with Keep Liberty Beautiful to make our community cleaner and more attractive each year. These volunteer groups have a vision for our community: It should be litter-free, attractive and healthy. These Great American Cleanup activities continue to move us toward that future. If you would like to participate in a Great American Cleanup, KLB can help you schedule a neighborhood or group cleanup on a day that works for you. KLB provides all the cleanup supplies (garbage bags, safety vests, work gloves and even litter reachers) and water. This year we are providing KLB T-shirts to all registered volunteers.

Remember, the countywide cleanup is March 19, 2022. Be sure to sign up online at https://bit.ly/KLB GAC2022, or contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880-4888 or klcb@libertycountyga.com.

Also join us at our annual Earth Day Celebration 2022 at Bryant Commons, 438 W. Oglethorpe Highway in Hinesville, from 3:30– 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22, 2022. To be a booth host, scan the code on the flyer (pictured) or contact our office.

Mark your calendar now to attend!