Dr. Karen Bell
Keep Liberty Beautiful
In collaboration with the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, The Home Depot, Davey Tree Expert Company, Georgia Forestry Commission, WXIA 11 Alive, Ferry Morse Company, and Burpee Seed Company, Keep Liberty Beautiful recycled over 410 Christmas trees on Saturday, January 6, during its annual Bring One for the Chipper event, joining over 6 million trees that have been diverted from landfills statewide since the program’s inception in 1991.
It is always nice to see Liberty County and Fort Stewart community come together to recycle live Christmas Trees to keep them out of the landfills. Plus, when 450 new trees are planted, the whole community benefits.
Keep Liberty Beautiful Advisory Board partnered with Georgia Power, Hinesville Public Works Department (ESG), Liberty County Road Department, Liberty County Recycling Department, Liberty County Solid Waste Authority, Jet Gas Station, CORE, Top Teens of Bryan-Liberty County, Fort Stewart, Lowes, Hinesville Rotary Club, and Georgia Forestry Commission to make this event a success.
The trees will be recycled into mulch for playgrounds, city and county landscaping projects, and individual home use, and also will be used to provide habitats for fish and other animals.
Christmas tree recycling programs such as Bring One for the Chipper also support wider eco-friendly holiday efforts. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, for each tree harvested, one to three seedlings are planted in its place. Nearly 350 million Christmas trees currently grow on U.S. farms, absorbing carbon dioxide, emitting fresh oxygen, stabilizing soil, protecting water supplies, and providing refuge for wildlife.
“Bring One for the Chipper extends the wonder of the holiday season in so many beneficial ways,” said Natalie Johnston-Russell, executive director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. “Tens of thousands of trees across the state get repurposed each year into mulch for trails or community gardens or provide shelter for aquatic life. We’re incredibly grateful for the volunteers and participants that make that possible.”
Keep Liberty had 26 volunteers come out to help with the Bring One For The Chipper, and 80 people came out to pick up their trees and seeds to plant. And some of them brought donations for the Clothes and Shoes Drive. We collected over 525 pounds of clothes and shoes to donate to local missions. We partner with local churches like Connection Church Mission Possible Team to support missions in our local community.
Keep Liberty Beautiful was established in 1983, and is one of 70 Keep America Beautiful / Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation affiliates. Keep Liberty Beautiful is a community education and volunteer action program focusing on litter prevention and eradication, waste reduction and recycling, stormwater pollution and water conservation, and community beautification and environmental improvement. For more information, visit www. keeplibertybeautiful.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation has a 45-year history of doing the little things that make a big difference in Georgia’s communities. Established in 1978, we aim to educate and inspire Georgians to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environments. The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation supports more than 70 local affiliates across the state, and its programs represent 80% of Georgia’s population. We also strive to engage new communities and individuals in our efforts to end littering, promote recycling and waste reduction, and beautify communities. For more information, visit www.kgbf.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Keep Liberty Beautiful would love to have you volunteer for our next event, which is Arbor Day! Visit our website, www. keeplibertybeautiful.org, for more information. You can also call us at (912) 880-4888 or email klcb@libertycountyga.com.