keepswvabeautiful

Community cleanups often feel a lot like team sports — everyone comes together with a shared goal, whether it’s keeping streets clear of litter or cheering on their favorite players. Just as modern fans use the bovada sports betting app to stay connected to the action, our volunteers stay connected through local initiatives that combine energy, strategy, and teamwork. Both worlds show us that individual effort matters, but collective spirit achieves the biggest wins.

Creating a cleaner, safer, and more beautiful Southwest Virginia requires more than just one person’s effort — it depends on community action. From individual volunteers to local organizations, every contribution adds up to meaningful change. When neighbors come together to tackle litter, promote recycling, and support environmental initiatives, the results can be felt far beyond a single cleanup event. This spirit of collaboration has been at the heart of our work for many years, and it continues to guide everything we do today.

Litter cleanup “Safety First”

Simple steps to help the planet while staying safe. Wear a mask and gloves. Use gloves to keep yourself safe from physical contact with litter (and to prevent cuts and scrapes). “Do your part” by wearing your face mask. Avoid touching your face.

Great American Cleanup

The Great American Cleanup, coordinated locally by Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful, follows the current “green” movement with the theme, “Green Starts Here.” Keep America Beautiful, the national organization that leads this program, chose this theme to remind families that a better environment for everyone starts in our own communities. The work done in everyone’s backyards extends beyond property lines, affecting more than our families.
By virtue of its name, the Great American Cleanup obviously places an emphasis on picking up litter, but also involves so much more than that for the six-month long event that starts March 1 and runs through August 31.

For more information call 276-628-1600

The Upper Tennessee River Roundtable formed a Keep America Beautiful affiliate in 2007, called Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful.
The affiliate later departed to form a nonprofit, operating as a 501c3 for many years.
​The formation of this affiliate resulted from a unique partnership among nine counties and two cities. These localities joined to serve on a Black Diamond RC&D task force for a year and then became the Roundtable’s Tourism and Trash Team. After working on many projects together, the group decided to form a KAB affiliate, which was certified April 21, 2007. The affiliate won state and national awards for its litter prevention work in 2007.
Eventually, the funding situation became too difficult to maintain the affiliate, so Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful gave up its affiliate with Keep America Beautiful and went back under the umbrella of Upper Tennessee River Roundtable.

Mission Statement:
To engage individuals in Southwest Virginia to take greater responsibility for improving their community environment.

Purpose:
KSVB follows a practical approach based on the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) system of behavioral change that unites citizens, businesses and government to find solutions that advance core issues of preventing litter, reducing waste and beautifying communities. This work is done as a region. Members will assist each other when possible with dumpsite cleanups, special projects, educational awareness, promoting litter enforcement, etc.

Membership and Attendance:
Each locality appoints a member to serve on the KSVB committee. Upon certification with KAB, KSVB consisted of nine counties and two cities: Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise Counties, and Bristol and Norton Cities. Each of these localities will appoint a member to serve on the KSVB Board of Directors. Additionally, two town seats are filled by Abingdon and Saltville.

America Recycles Day
Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful partners each November with Sustain Abingdon to offer a collection event for America Recycles Day. Many items are accepted, including paper for shredding, electronics waste, gently used shoes.