CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — An environmental group that helped organize chapters across the state will turn 40 years old in 2023. Keep Tennessee Beautiful serves as a statewide resource for litter prevention, "community greening," and education about recycling and waste reduction.
"In Tennessee, the second-largest industry is tourism. So, we have tourists that want to see our mountains and streams, and they're not going to want to come back if there is debris and it's unsightly," said Missy Marshall, the group's executive director.
The statewide group has organized chapters in different cities, including Knoxville. The Keep Knoxville Beautiful group routinely organizes trash pickup events and has collected thousands of pounds of litter.
Keep Tennessee Beautiful will celebrate its 40th anniversary at its 2023 Biennial Conference in Chattanooga. The event will be on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, where environmental leaders and community advocates will gather and learn about the best practices to keep the state beautiful and honor the recipients of "Awards of Excellence Grants."
Anyone interested in attending should register by Sept. 15. People can sign up to attend online.