Keep Knoxville Beautiful

Board & Staff List | Meeting Minutes | Award Winning Programs | History | Strategic Partnerships

Keep Knoxville Beautiful History

1978 - Knox County, the City of Knoxville and the Chamber of Commerce jointly create the Greater Knoxville Beautification Board. The original organizing committee included Mary Lou Horner, Jean Teague, Bee DeSelm, Ernest Youngblood and Barbara Apking. The Beautification Board became a Keep America Beautiful affiliate that year.

1979 - the first full year budget for the Beautification Board was $16,850. Neighborhood cleanup and tree planting committees were activated. The first community-wide photometric index of litter was conducted in accordance with Keep America Beautiful Clean Community System guidelines. The first Orchids & Onions Awards were presented.

1980 - The Knoxville Beautification Board newsletter was first published. Volume 1, Number 1, featured stories on improving the appearance of the business community before the '82 World's Fair, results of a citizen survey on sign control, UT Vols Coach Johnny Majors recorded litter cleanup ads called "Johnny's Clean Team" and an Adopt-A-Tree program was begun.

1981 - South Central Bell’s Community Relations Team made a Clean Team challenge to more than 100 other businesses to look at their own waste handling practices, train employees to help solve the litter problem and use internal communications to encourage litter reduction. A PSA campaign was planned to encourage paint-up, clean-up, fix-up, removal of old signs, planting and landscaping. All City and County schools, grades K-6 have the KAB Waste in Place curriculum. The business membership campaign raised $26,500.

1982 - GKBB sponsored the CHARETTE, October 18 and 19, 1982, Knox 2000: A Vision of the Future. The purpose was to stimulate awareness of long-range plans and to invite community groups to discuss what our countywide community should look like and be like in the Year 2000. Eighty-eight of Knoxville’s leading citizens defined the possible futures for downtown, housing, land use/transportation, neighborhoods, parks and recreation, rivers and creekways and signs. The Charette provided direction for GKBB’s activities for several years.

1983 - Adopt-A-Spot Program was presented to the Keep America Beautiful coordinator’s training institute in Memphis in July. During its first year, 147 spots had been adopted and 1,500 people participated. At each Clean Community System presentation the Adopt-A-Spot is the most popular way for interested citizens to get involved. A few Adopt-A-Spot signs remain around the community today.

1984 - GKBB programs touched 24,000 students, 960 teachers and 60 principals with Waste In Place educational activities, School Pride projects and litter clean up.

1985 - The Trash Bash - The first Trash Bash was held at World’s Fair Park. This festival atmosphere event attracted thousands to hear music, eat, and learn about trash and littering. The Trash Bash is credited with being the first major community event at World's Fair Park after the end of the 1982 World's Fair.

1986 - The GLAD Bag-A-Thon - Knoxville’s first GLAD Bag-A-Thon was sponsored by GKBB. This national event with Keep America Beautiful continues today as the Great American Cleanup™.

1987 - Orchid Winners for the 9th annual beautification awards included: the Althen Building, Blair House Antiques, East Tennessee Regional Eye Center, Homberg Village Shopping Center, Knoxville Orthopedic Center, Southern Foundry Supply, Waterford Village and Western Plaza Shopping Center.

1988 - After a visit and presentation by Judge Larry Potter from Memphis, Knoxville established its first Environmental Court with Judge John R. Rosson at the bench. Designed to rid the city of abandoned vehicles, illegal dumps, dirty lots and other health and safety violations, Judge Rosson can fine violators $50 a day and impose a 30 day jail sentence. This partnership with the City’s Department of Community Development was undertaken to "enhance community pride, livability and beautification through unity, fellowship and citizens working together to build better communities". Specific areas targeted included Westview, Bethel Avenue Cemetary, Parkridge, New Hope, Lonsdale, Oakwood/Lincoln Park and others. Juvenile offenders were involved in the cleanup.

1989 - The Trash Bash - The fifth year of this large-scale event at World’s Fair Park was planned around Keep America Beautiful and featured information booths from Metro Knox Solid Waste Authority, games with "trashy" themes for children and a "mock" litter court. More than 20,000 people attended. Schools Program - "Mountains of Trash" were turned into "Mountains of Pride" with this GKBB program to encourage recycling. Sequoyah School won a day in the mountains by bringing in 2,200 pounds of aluminum.

1990 - Environmental Education - after taking a long, hard look at our mission, the Beautification Board decided to "intensify" its environmental work. An environmental expo during Keep America Beautiful Week with concurrent topics on a variety of topics was planned. The Living Tribute Program - the kickoff for this program was planned for November 1. Trees were planted for the late Milton Roberts and 6 other Fountain Citians. The GLAD Bag-A-Thon - The goal for the 5th annual trash clean up was 60 tons of litter.

1991 - The Greater Knoxville Beautification Board moved its offices from the City County Building to 402 11th Street, in the Victorian Houses at World's Fair Park. GKBB would operate from this location until August 2004.

1992 - Shelba Murphy, marketing director of the Knoxville News-Sentinel Company was elected board president. Shelba was instrumental in developing the partnership between GKBB and the News-Sentinel to present the Environmental Achievement Awards each year.

1993 - The Environmental Achievement Awards of the Knoxville News Sentinel, managed by GKBB were presented for the first time. "Be Pretty Proud" - the official community cable program of the Beautification Board hosted by Mary Lou Horner, was first broadcast aired in June this year.

1994 - The Litter Hotline - Later called "I Spy on Litter" kicked off in January.

1995 - Read, Then Recycle - This News Sentinel program encourages citizens to recycle their newspapers in specially marked bins. Bins located at Rural Metro stations benefit GKBB. More than $1,500 was raised the first year. Environmental Court - Knox County Commission established the Knox County General Sessions Court Division 5, the "Environmental Court" with Tony Stansberry as the County’s first and current environmental judge.

1996 - Talking Tree - this delightful mascot begins providing basic environmental education to school-aged children - over the years thousands of children will benefit.

1997 - Keep Knoxville Beautiful - becomes the new name of The Greater Knoxville Beautification Board. This was part of a nation-wide initiative involving all Keep America Beautiful affiliates.

1998 - At a planning retreat in January board members adopt a new mission statement - to promote a cleaner, greener, more beautiful community. A celebrity roast of long-time supporter Mary Lou Horner takes place in April. A record setting 186,000 pounds of trash was cleaned up during the GLAD Bag-A-Thon. Keep Knoxville Beautiful celebrated its 20th anniversary with a party with cake and dancing to honor board volunteers and long-time supporters at Calhoun’s on-the-River. Keep Knoxville Beautiful won the Distinguished Service Citation from Keep America Beautiful, its first award since its founding 20 years ago.

1999 - Keep Knoxville Beautiful won a national award from the organizers of the GLAD Bag-A-Thon for its 1998 record-setting campaign. Keep Knoxville Beautiful launched its website - one of the first interactive KAB affiliate websites in the nation, with online forms to report illegal littering and report cleanup results. KKB received a 1999 First Place Award for Innovative Media Campaign from Keep America Beautiful for "setting an example for the nation."

2000 - KKB was selected by the National Soft Drink Association to receive their First Place Award in the non-profit category for Outstanding Efforts in Furthering Comprehensive Litter Prevention. KKB unveiled a 64 foot-wide mural of Knoxville’s Music History in the historic Old City. Two 30 second television ads called "TRASHBUSTERS" were totally donated by Atmosphere Pictures. The ads were shot on film with live actors and featured the Trashbusters, a group of kids who confronted litter bugs "in the act." KKB received a Rogers Award from Keep America Beautiful at its 2000 Annual Meeting for the Trashbusters Television PSA Campaign.

2001 - KKB, in partnership with Knox County Solid Waste conducted the most successful Christmas tree recycling program in our community with more than 1,900 trees recycled at four locations. KKB’s Executive Director Tom Salter was selected Keep Tennessee Beautiful coordinator of the year for the year 2000. KKB received a first place award from Keep Tennessee Beautiful and TDOT for the Litter-Free Schools Program. KKB dedicated the Knoxville Historic Train Mural, its second major mural located in the Old City. National award from Keep America Beautiful for best GAIN clothing drive promotion in the nation during the 2001 Great American Cleanup™.

2002 - Liberty Gardens Campaign - huge success with more than 50 local patriotic them gardens created at businesses and homes. KAB national website featured garden created by Knoxville Rohm & Haas plant. Keep Knoxville Beautiful initiates a Youth Advisory Board with 2 representatives from each local high school to help fulfill our mission by greater involvement with teenagers. YAB members set their own priorities, choose their own projects and develop their own goals. Keep America Beautiful recognizes Keep Knoxville Beautiful with a first place award for its work with Knoxville area Target® stores during the 2002 Great American Cleanup™. This represents the 9th national or state award for Keep Knoxville Beautiful in 5 years.

2003 - KKB began the process of looking for new office space. Keep America Beautiful awarded KKB its second Distinguished Service Citation for overall programming and for the Youth Advisory Board's efforts to improve participation in the Knox County Schools mixed paper recycling program. KKB began a "blog" on its website to profile individuals, groups and projects on a daily/weekly basis. KKB assisted Scott Frith and the Halls B&P to implement the Halls Tribute Trees project that planted 260 trees on the median of Maynardville Highway.

2004 - After conducting focus groups and surveys, KKB launched its anti-litter slogan: Don't Throw Down on K-TOWN. Radio ads, bumper stickers and billboards were used. Mayor Haslam and Mayor Ragsdale recorded promotion ads for the 2004 Great American Cleanup. KKB received the highest award possible from Keep America Beautiful - the First Place Affiliate Award for communities with a population of 200,000 or more. KKB also received two other first place and one second place award. KKB moved to its new offices at 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 103 in the historic Emporium building.