Massachusetts Beautification Bulletin | June 2024
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Summertime and the livin' is easy... unless you're charged with keeping Massachusetts beaches clean! Be the solution to marine debris pollution this summer by placing your trash and recyclables in the proper bins, or carrying it out with you. And if come across a piece of litter at the beach or in the parking lot, please take a few seconds and clean it up. National Clean Beaches Week is July 1-July 7, so let's all do our part! For more news and updates, please scroll down.
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The Team from SouthCoast Wind in Fall River
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88 Tons of Litter (& Counting) Removed from Massachusetts Landscape
This year's 2024 Great Massachusetts Cleanup once again demonstrates the need for ongoing, large-scale community cleanups across our state.
Year-to-date through June 18, here are the results:
- # of Cleanup Events: 65
- Volunteer Hours: 18,442
- Pounds of Litter Removed: 156,782
- Tons of Litter Removed: 78
- Value of Volunteer Labor: $586,455
A few highlights from our local KMB chapter-led cleanups, including the total pounds of litter and debris collected:
- Keep Hyde Park Beautiful: March 24, 30 volunteers and 500 pounds
- Keep Attleboro Beautiful: April 13, 177 volunteers and 3,100 pounds
- Keep Framingham Beautiful: Multiple dates, hundreds of volunteers and 20,000 pounds
- Keep Salem Beautiful: April 20, 208 volunteers and 1,996 pounds
- Keep Wilbraham Beautiful: April 20, 150 volunteers and 8,020 pounds
- Keep Mansfield Beautiful: April 27, 650 volunteers and 6,000 pounds
If you lead a Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapter or other volunteer organization and have yet to report your 2024 cleanup results to us, please submit your data by June 30. It only takes a few minutes! This information arms us with the data we need to enlighten our government leaders about the need for state support and leadership on the litter problem here in Massachusetts.
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Quotable: “There is no medicine you can take that has such a direct influence on your health as a walk in a beautiful forest.”
— Dr. Qing Li, Forest Medicine and Immunology expert
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Annual Deadline for Plant Something Bee-autiful Grants is July 31
Our Plant Something Bee-eautiful program supports the planting of pollinator-friendly plants and trees in public spaces.
Thanks to generous support from our sponsor, Edrington, we will be able to award eight grants this year as follows:- Three $2,500 grants are reserved exclusively for communities that support a certified local KMB chapter
- Five $500 grants are available to communities with a KMB chapter, as well as other nonprofit entities
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Volunteers from Alarm.com
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Community Service Partners Take Action for a Cleaner, Greener Massachusetts
Over the course of April, May, and June, several companies participated in our Company Community Service Cleanup program. Thank you to the following difference makers:
- Hitachi: April 10 along the Riverwalk in Waltham
- BWT Pharma and Biotech: April 17 at the Grove Conservation property in Marlborough
- Catalent Pharma Solutions: April 19 at Mary O’Malley State Park in Chelsea
- Samsonite: April 25 along Route 140 in Mansfield
- Alarm.com: May 2 on the Boston Common and Beacon Hill
- Qineteq: May 9 at the Ward Well Conservation property in Canton
- South Coast Wind: May 15 at Kennedy Park in Fall River
- Boston Beer Company: June 6 at Castle Island in South Boston
- Orsted: June 11 at Savin Hill and Malibu Beach in Dorchester
If your company is looking for a great team-building and community service event, we're now scheduling for weekday events starting in September through year-end.
If your company is interested in leading its own local cleanup events, sign up for Massachusetts Employers for Clean Communities. This program makes it easy for you and your co-workers to keep the areas around your business litter-free all year long. We will ship cleanup kits so that your employees can clean up as often as they like. Each Litter Cleanup Kit contains a Garbo Grabber litter cleanup tool, a pair of gloves, and a safety vest that can be customized with your company’s logo.
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Clean Coast Coalition Seeking Cleanup & Education Sponsors
This new program seeks to address the marine debris problem along Massachusetts coastlines and inland waterways through targeted water-based cleanups and education.
Clean Coast Coalition’s goal is to improve local water-based ecosystems through the use of “Blue Technology” devices, such as the PixieDrone. The PixieDrone is a remote-controlled aqua-drone that filters debris and invasive fauna out of the water to be separated into four categories; trash, compostables, plastics, and other recyclables. Removing this water-based debris creates a safer and more enjoyable environment for marine organisms and humans alike.
Through the collection of marine debris, we aim to raise awareness and inspire residents to prevent debris from entering local waterways in the first place.
We are seeking sponsors to help us grow and manage this program. If you know of a local marina or marine debris hotspot that could use some help keeping the waters trash-free, please contact us to learn more.
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The KMB Blog:7 Ways to Decrease Waste at Your Next Summer Cookout
Summer is here and that means cookout and BBQ season is in full swing! It's the perfect time of year to enjoy a meal outdoors, but unfortunately, this al fresco dining often leads to increased use (and disposal) of single-use materials. However, sustainability and a good cookout do not have to be mutually exclusive! These seven tips will help you reduce waste and even save money when planning your next cookout.
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Welcome to Keep Wakefield Beautiful
We’re excited to welcome our newest local chapter: Keep Wakefield Beautiful
Keep Wakefield Beautiful grew out of the Wakefield Warriors—a community cleanup effort initiated by the children of Wakefield. Their mission is to instill accountability through action and foster social responsibility by urging Wakefield residents not to litter and to pick up litter when they see it. You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
If you would like to organize volunteers to clean up and green up your community, visit our website to learn more about the benefits of launching a local chapter of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful or contact us to schedule a phone call.
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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 place we can all take 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!
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Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Events:
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Enviro-Newsworthy Developments...
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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
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