Massachusetts Beautification Bulletin | August 2024

Dear Friend,

Yesterday's cool temperatures provided a stark reminder that summer will soon be coming to an end. While some people will be saddened by this change, the litter-picker-uppers of the world will welcome a break from the recent extreme heat and humidity. In fact, late summer/early fall is the perfect time to organize a local community litter cleanup or to go out on your own to clean up your local neighborhoods and parks. Access helpful planning resources in our Great Massachusetts Cleanup resource center. For more news and updates, please scroll down.

Donate to Support a Cleaner, Greener Massachusetts!

Sign Our Litter Prevention Taskforce Petition

Coming Soon to a Beach Near You:

COASTSWEEP 2024

COASTSWEEP, the annual statewide beach cleanup program sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal
Zone Management (CZM),
kicks off this month.

This year, Keep Massachusetts Beautiful is hosting a cleanup at Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation on Saturday, September 28 from 1-3 p.m.

We are partnering with Corona Protect Our Beaches and Oceanic Global. Register to volunteer now.

COASTSWEEP events are part of an international campaign organized by the Ocean Conservancy. Participants from all over the world collect trash and other marine debris and record what they find. This information is then used to help reduce future marine debris problems.

COASTSWEEP Cleanups are taking place from now until November. Get involved as a cleanup coordinator or volunteer at a cleanup.

Quotable: “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.”

— African proverb

Thank You To Our Newest Mass Litter Cleanup Crew Members!

Over the past few weeks, we shipped Litter Cleanup Kits to the following volunteers:

Erik C. from Uxbridge
Cindy A. from Worcester
Devon G. from Clinton
Charlotte D-H. from Salem
Stephen R. from Arlington
Boyang G. from Brighton
Gibson M. from Plymouth
Daniel L. from Northampton
Olivia W. from Methuen

Thank you for taking individual action to make your communities cleaner places to live, work,
and play. If you’d like to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of making a difference in your community, join the Massachusetts Litter Cleanup Crew today!

For new and existing Litter Cleanup Crew members, please be sure to r eport your individual cleanup results via our new online reporting form.

Take Action to Clean Up Your Community

Submit Your 2024 Clean Community Award Nominations

Do you know a volunteer, KMB chapter leader, legislator, business or municipal partner who deserves recognition for their exceptional environmental protection and community cleanup efforts?

If so, please take the time to nominate them for a Massachusetts Clean Community Award!

We are currently accepting Massachusetts Clean Community Award nominations through December 31, 2024. We will honor our award winners at our annual celebration in the spring of 2025 (date and location to be announced).

Submit Your Nomination Today

The KMB Blog:

Tackle Upstream Waste by Reducing, Reusing and Recycling

The term “upstream” refers to everything that goes into the making of a product before it is delivered to the consumer. According to a 2021 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, for every ton of trash we throw away, the process of extracting raw materials, manufacturing products, and getting products to market generates 70 times more waste. Read our blog post to learn what actions you can take to help reduce this monumental amount of waste.

Learn More Waste Reduction Tips

Spare Some Change to Be the Change: Become a Sustaining KMB Supporter

Is a cleaner, litter-free Massachusetts worth $5 a month to you? Or perhaps $10?

Please consider a modest monthly sustaining donation to help fund our ongoing efforts to raise awareness, change behaviors, clean up our state, and make Massachusetts a home we can all take more pride in.

With your monthly support, we can continue our mission of taking action to make Massachusetts a cleaner, greener place to live, work, and play!

Donate Today!

Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Events:

August 24: Community Cleanup with City Manager's Clean Team (Worcester)
September 21: National Cleanup Day
September 21: Keep Barnstable Beautiful September Cleanup
September 26: Monthly Zoom Call for KMB Chapters Leaders & Litter Loathers
September 28: Boston Beach Cleanup at Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation

See Our Full Events Calendar

Enviro-Newsworthy Developments...

Join Our KMB Facebook Group

Join Our Board of Directors

Thank you for reading our newsletter and please contact me if I can answer any questions you may have about our programs, launching a local KMB chapter in your community, or sponsorship opportunities.

Sincerely,

Neil Rhein, Founder & Executive Director

Keep Massachusetts Beautiful