The days are long, the sun is hot and it’s officially time to grill meat, vegetables, leftover Easter peeps or whatever else strikes your fancy. If you invite friends and family to share in your grilled bounty, consider making your BBQ a low-waste or no-waste affair. Here are some tips to get you started:

• As you shop for food, keep an eye out for items with minimal and recyclable packaging.

• Save paper with e-mail or phone invites.

• Decorate with flowers from the yard and reusable tablecloths.

• If guests are bringing food, nicely ask them to bring as little non-reusable packaging as possible.

• Serve food on reusable plates. There’s no need to break out the fancy dishware, but see if you can scrounge up some old plates and cups. If not, consider investing in an inexpensive set you can use at future gatherings.  Another option, use paper plates and compost them.

• Use cloth napkins instead of the disposable paper kind. Friends will think you’re super classy.

• Instead of buying plastic water bottles, serve tap water in pitchers.

• Put out a well-labeled recycling and compost bins, and let guests know that you’re trying to go waste free. And because those tricky non-compostable, non-recyclable materials sometimes come in with guests, make a small trash can available too.

It is with both great sadness and respect that Keep Knoxville Beautiful acknowledges today Mary Lou Horner, who passed away on the morning of January 1, 2013. She was the self-described “grandmother” of Keep Knoxville Beautiful, as she was on the committee that founded and first organized the Greater Knoxville Beautification Board (which has since become Keep Knoxville Beautiful). Ms. Horner was a caring and dynamic individual who actively promoted a cleaner, greener, more beautiful community since 1978. Even through her 80s, she maintained a hectic schedule of public, civic and political meetings. She always welcomed the opportunity to promote litter prevention, to organize a cleanup or to become actively engaged in a beautification effort in the city or along the roadway. Today, in her honor, we’d like to share with you her history with Keep Knoxville Beautiful:

In 1978, it was announced by local leaders that Knox County would be host to numerous guests from cities around the world attending the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. This news “lit a spark” with Mary Lou and immediately she initiated a plan—after all, if Knoxville was having company, the area needed to “clean house.” That same year the Greater Knoxville Beautification Board was born and her aggressive and skillful planning resulted in the gathering of citizens and businesses in a cooperative effort to make Knoxville cleaner and greener. With her energy and enthusiasm she continued to function in a leadership role at GKBB and Keep Knoxville Beautiful, constantly seeking funding for projects and directing programs to involve personalities of all ages, from youth to senior citizens. Today, thanks to her decades of tireless work, the name of Mary Lou Horner is synonymous with litter prevention, beautification and education efforts. Her reaching out to citizens by example in organizing, advertising, and participating in routine cleanup projects, recycling demonstrations, and tree plantings has long been influential in generating such a positive community response.

Mary Lou Horner’s accomplishments in the Keep America Beautiful system have been numerous. Mary Lou Horner assisted the City of Knoxville’s Judge John R. Rosson in becoming Tennessee’s second Environmental Court Judge in 1988, and happily contributed to the organization of Litter Offender classes. Ms. Horner was instrumental in the passage of the May 8, 1996 littering ordinance passed by Knox County Commission and in creating a Knox County Environmental Court with Judge Tony W. Stansberry.

Ms. Horner was also actively involved in making sure events become litter free. She organized the first “Trash Bash” at the popular Calhoun’s Restaurant on the Tennessee River as a fundraiser. She initiated the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program in conjunction with the American Cancer Society. In addition, Ms. Horner was personally involved in major creek cleanup projects, partnering with UT Athletics to support cleanup and beautification projects, and assisted in planning and initiating the “I SPY on Litter” Program. Mary Lou assisted in the initiation of the Christmas Tree Recycling Program and secured the donation of tree chipping services which has resulted in thousands of trees being mulched.

Keep Knoxville Beautiful nominated Mary Lou Horner for the Edith Heller Lifetime Achievement Award, which she was awarded in February of 2011. Mary Lou was the first ever recipient of the award, which is the highest honor given by Keep Tennessee Beautiful. This once-in-a-lifetime distinction award is for a person who has demonstrated longtime leadership in raising public awareness about solid waste issues, litter prevention, community greening, and recycling. Nominees are expected to have also successfully demonstrated the need for citizens to participate in activities that preserve and enhance natural resources and public lands in Tennessee. Mary Lou Horner was exactly this and much, much more.

No person better epitomizes a lifetime of service to the Keep America Beautiful system than Mary Lou Horner. She has been a backbone to our organization and a visionary for what Knoxville and Knox County can be. She was an extraordinary leader, supporter, and friend, and she will be dearly missed.

Here at KKB, we’ve been brainstorming ideas to make the holidays a little greener.  We don’t mean green as in cash (although we certainly wouldn’t complain about that), or green as in festive evergreen trees and wreaths.  We’re talking about the environmentally friendly, sustainable shade of green.  So in the spirit of green, here are a few tips and ideas:

Decorating:

• Choose LED lights for your home or tree; you’ll use less energy.
• Put holiday lights on a timer so they turn off overnight.
• Consider getting second-hand decorations from a thrift store instead of buying new.
• Decorate with pine cones and greenery from your yard.
• Make your own ornaments with supplies you have on hand instead of buying them from the store.  This is a great project for kids.

Entertaining:

• Buy food and drinks in bulk so you end up with less packaging.
• Offer guests real plates and cloth napkins to reduce waste.

Gifts

• Consolidate shopping trips and bring re-usable bags with you.
• Re-use wrapping paper and gift bags that are still in good condition.
• Wrap presents with materials you already have, such as newspaper, craft paper, brown paper grocery bags or old maps.
• Recycle packaging from your gifts such as cardboard boxes and plastic containers.

Cards

• Fashion your old greeting cards into new ones using glue, cardstock, buttons and other odds and ends from your craft drawer.
• Or, skip paper cards and send e-cards instead

Got some green holiday ideas of your own?  Submit one to amiller@keepknoxvillebeautiful.org by Dec. 13 to enter our Greener Holiday contest.

We interviewed Chipper, Green Paws spokesdog and mascot. As a part of the Green Miles and Green Paws programs, Chipper and his human Susie take walks and pick up litter.

Q: How did you get involved with Green Paws?

A: My human has been doing Green Miles since before I was a puppy. After she found me at Young-Williams, I started going with her. I LOVE my human and I will go anywhere she goes, anytime, so I LOVE doing Green Miles. When Keep Knoxville Beautiful added GREEN PAWS to the program, my human was very happy. That makes ME happy too. I get to go with my human EVERY single time she does a Green Mile unless she is going somewhere “dangerous” where people have thrown glass bottles down.

Q: Describe a typical Green Paws walk.

A: My human likes to do GREEN MILES around our neighborhood at least every week. There is not a lot of trash but with my help, we usually get about one grocery bag full. I like picking up the plastic water bottles. I can carry them but I like to play with them too.

Sometimes my human takes me to the GREEN WAY or to a park for a longer Green Miles walk. Then I get to wear my green backpack which must make me look very handsome because a lot of people like to stop and pet me and talk to me. They like it because I have soft fur and that makes them happy when they pet me. I LOVE that. I wish every single human would pet me when I’m doing a Green Mile.

Q: You’re the Green Paws mascot and you’ve recently had some media attention, how do you feel about being in the spotlight?

A: I don’t really get that. How did I get on TV? And I’m in the newspaper and on the Green Miles card. That’s ME on there! I don’t know how that happens. My human says that every time my picture is somewhere where people can see it, that’s a good thing because we need more people to join Green Miles so we can keep our communities more beautiful. I like it when the places I get to play are CLEAN! Because sometimes I put stuff in my mouth and my human makes me DROP IT!!!!! because it isn’t good for me. My human says doing Green Miles is really healthy for people too, because the more people walk and move around and breathe fresh air, the better it is. I know I really LOVE moving around. Sometimes I move around so much that it makes my human a little crazy and she starts saying, ‘NO PUPPY FITS.’ Did I answer the question?

Q: What’s your favorite part of Green Paws?

A: I LOVE going EVERYONE and ANYWHERE with my human!! And I heard that I was going to get REWARDS. Like MILK-BONES!! and maybe a DOG TOY!! or a NYLA-BONE. I LOVE all those things. Especially toys that squeak. But then I chew them up and get a look. So mostly I just LOVE going with my human. Oh BOY! I hope I get to do a GREEN MILE TODAY!! I LOVE that! Especially LONG ones!!

Q: Would you recommend Green Paws to other dogs?

A: WOOF! What do you think? It means MORE TIME with your human!! And my guys LOVE that. And oh BOY! Treats are so good. I LOVE those too and so do my guys. So WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

Q: Are your paws actually green?

A: I don’t really know because you know that rod and cone thing is going on. I googled this so maybe you humans can understand why I don’t KNOW what color my paws are. But my human LOVES my paws no matter what color they turn out to be.

So, recently (following our first Green Miles team venture in the Bearden office neighborhood) I formulated a few theories on the proliferation of the invasive litteratoxa tobaccus, also known as the Common Cigarette Butt. While it hasn’t yet been officially confirmed, I believe I may have discovered the origin of this sneakily noxious litter.

One theory (which stems from having found more than one cluster of cigarette remnants at the base of some otherwise lovely mailboxes) was that mail carriers secretly “trade” citizens’ outgoing mail for a sprinkling of filters. But this theory was debunked this afternoon when I happened to spy a Postal Service worker on-the-job; there was nary a cigarette butt in sight and she even waved hello. So much for blaming it on the government.

Another theory was that small animals like to collect the butts and save them for winter. Seeing as how summer is finally winding down, I thought that perhaps the cigarettes pooled at the bases of trees were an indication of the coming autumn. I formulated this theory based on the relative proximity of cigarette remnants to acorns, though I have since been told that squirrels (and indeed all wildlife) are not overly fond of litter. Apparently it doesn’t sit well with their digestive systems. Who knew?

I’ve heard it said that many cigarette butts you see lying on the ground are actually ejected out of car windows, but I tend to find that claim unbelievable, especially considering that launching even one cigarette butt is a Class C misdemeanor in Tennessee. So my final (and best) theory is that cigarette butts spontaneously generate. I came to this conclusion after finding well over 100 of them in an approximately ½ mile stretch of Greenway, many of them half-buried in the dirt. Cigarette filters are not biodegradable, which means that even the most hidden among them are largely intact; if these things aren’t growing up out of the ground, it surely appears that they are.

Still, the question remains in my mind: why would our beautiful planet generate such toxic waste of its own volition? Perhaps like mosquitoes and poison ivy, cigarette butts are simply meant to make our time spent outdoors just a little bit more miserable. Maybe Mother Nature’s just spiteful like that.

–Anna-Lise Burnette, KKB Programs Coordinator

We’re getting excited about the first-ever Rocky Top Pickin’ Party, September 28 at Oakes Farm.

We got to see headliner Pistol Creek Catch of the Day in action recently, and we’re impressed. Their toe-tapping tunes and You Tube-worthy antics are sure to keep the party going strong at Rocky Top.

The Rocky Top Pickin’ posters look great; we’ve been hanging them up at music shops and other spots around town. We’ve also got some pretty cool Rocky Top Pickin’ guitar picks coming in soon.

If we played any instruments, we’d be practicing, but it looks like we’ll have to rely on Allison’s daughter Kendall and her canjo to represent the KKB staff.

Go ahead and grab some tickets if you don’t have them yet; the early-bird price is just $15 for adults and $8 for kids. Or, bring an instrument and join in the jam, and pay just $5 at the door. Buy tickets online or at the KKB office.

See you September 28!

Chipper the Dog and I spent about an hour yesterday over at the park next to the Farragut Branch Library on Campbell Station Road. I must say, I was AMAZED! I had to work REALLY hard to find a few cigarette butts, tiny bits of plastic and the odd candy wrapper here and there. The trails were immaculate! This confused Chipper–I was wearing my Green Miles t-shirt and my one gardening glove. I was carrying a (large) plastic shopping bag. But I was walking at my normal “Let’s go for a walk” pace instead of my step-step-stop and lean over rhythm that works so well for Green Miles. Fortunately Chipper got over his confusion and just decided to enjoy a lovely walk in the damp woods.
We were able to find some trash (not much but an adequate amount) along the sidewalks and in the parking lot at the library. So, my Green Miles steps were justified and Chipper got his Green Miles fix too.
Oh, and you know how I always say “I do Green Miles for the money.” (I did after all find well over a buck in change in my first 70 Green Miles or so.) Well, I have achieved a NEW level because yesterday I found a $5 bill. How about that?!
I did encounter a very nice Knox County Park employee on my way out. He was picking up trash and I complimented him on how nice the Park looked. I think he appreciated the fact that I covered a good chunk of his route for him yesterday! Or maybe I’d been following him … and THAT’S why there was nothing much for me to pick up!

“It’s amazing how much you accomplish when you do just a little at a time!”

“It’s a great conversation starter. When neighbors see me picking up litter, they want to know my story.”

“After cleaning up my neighborhood, just about every weekend for the last year, I must say that the cleanliness of it speaks to me every time I walk down the sidewalk. In my mind, I picture what it would look like if no one picked up any of the trash that landed on the streets in the last year. I see plastic bags blowing in the wind, mounds of cigarette butts piled against the curb, styrofoam cups skittering down the road with each breeze. I see a song sparrow constructing her precise nest with strips of plastic, insulation, and a few styrofoam peanuts. Then I blink and the sun comes out and the grass is green, the flowers are blooming and I can’t see anything out of place and the song sparrow is singing.”

“I’m creating a ‘Hall of Fame’ of wild items I find along the way.”

“It feels good to do the right thing.”

“I do it for the money. I’ve found 47¢ in my first 50 GREEN MILES!”

“Never doubt for a moment that a small group of committed, thoughtful GREEN MILERS can change the world.”

“I like doing GREEN MILES with friends. But I like doing them alone. Well, not really alone because my dog never misses a green mile opportunity. He’s a really GOOD dog.”

“I like cleaning up litter next to a busy road. I want them to see my GREEN MILES t-shirt. I want them to notice the litter in the streets. I want them to join GREEN MILES or at least I want them to NOT throw that coffee cup out the window.”

That’s what GREEN MILERS are saying after we’ve left over 100 GREEN MILES behind us!

The 2011 Great American Cleanup results demonstrate the role of volunteers in reinforcing civic pride:

177 million pounds of litter and debris were removed from public lands and rights-of-way, including 177,000 acres of parks and public lands (150% increase over 2010), more than 12,000 acres of wetlands (16% increase), and 3,800 miles of hiking, biking and nature trails (12% increase).
2,800 playgrounds and community recreation areas were improved, restored or constructed.
6,400 illegal dump sites were remediated.

The Great American Cleanup encourages and emphasizes the role of recycling in recovering valuable resources, reducing energy consumption, and fostering community sustainability.

More than 290 million plastic (PET) bottles were collected for recycling, many through school-based programs. This total represents a 9% increase over 2010.
The 7.9 million pounds of electronics collected for recycling represented a 10 percent increase over 2010. Moreover, volunteers kept 13.4 million pounds of aluminum and steel out of landfills through their collection efforts.
12.1 million pounds of glass were collected for recycling, as well as more than 800,000 scrap tires.

Recognizing that green spaces and gardens contribute to better economies, healthier citizens and greater civic pride, volunteers grabbed tools and got to work:

5,600 beautification and greening projects were undertaken, with 728 edible community gardens planted or replanted.
1.5 million flowers and bulbs, and 166,000 trees were planted to create lasting beauty.
10,100 graffiti sites were remediated.

Keep America Beautiful thanks its National Sponsors for their generosity and hard work in making the Great American Cleanup possible. Notable contributions included:

For 27 years, The Glad Products Company has continued its financial and product support by donating 3.5 million GLAD® ForceFlex® and other GLAD® trash bags to organizations nationwide. Our volunteers could not clean up their communities without them.

Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water was the Official Bottled Water National Sponsor of the Great American Cleanup for the second year. The 25 state and local affiliates that collected the most PET bottles for recycling were each awarded $1,000 for a Nestlé® Pure Life® PET Recycling Award. Nestlé® Pure Life® also provided 3 million bottles of water to keep busy volunteers hydrated.

Returning as a third-year sponsor, Solo Cup Company donated Bare® by Solo® cups and plates – made with renewable and recycled materials – to Great American Cleanup affiliates across the country, providing an environmentally preferable alternative to traditional single-use food service products. Hundreds of Solo volunteers also created and implemented community improvement events near nine of its facilities.

In its 13th year of sponsorship, Pepsi-Cola Company once again donated soft drinks to help quench the thirst of volunteers at hundreds of events nationwide. The company also played an invaluable role in rallying volunteers, producing and distributing event posters promoting the campaign.

For the fourth consecutive year, employees from The Dow Chemical Company volunteered in 51 service projects including “trash bashes,” hazardous material collections, river, beach and bayou cleanups, tree and flower planting, recycling programs and invasive plant removal. Additionally, grants to local KAB affiliates and like-minded organizations further supported Dow’s commitment to The Great American Cleanup.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, in its seventh year as a sponsor, launched the GRO1000 initiative, a commitment to install 1,000 gardens and green spaces in the United States and select international sites by 2018. Through this program, gardens and green spaces were established in five KAB communities, with a portion of the harvest donated to local food pantries.

Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden Equipment, for the 13th year, continued its in-kind support by donating equipment upon request to local organizations. The donated equipment will continue to be used in the selected communities long after the cleanups and green-ups have ended.

Waste Management (WM) has proudly supported the Great American Cleanup for the past nine years. The company enhances its sponsorship by providing essential environmental services such as recycling and waste disposal to help clean up and beautify communities across the nation. Over 100 local KAB affiliates have also benefited from WM volunteer efforts and through the award of WM Community Improvement Grants.

As a 12-year sponsor, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., a subsidiary of Mars, Inc., provides in-kind product donations to volunteers of Great American Cleanup events. In addition, the cast of MTV’s The Buried Life participated in the Orbit® gum “Live Clean” online consumer promotion resulting in a painted mural donated to the city of Chicago.

Exclusive consumer electronics and home appliance sponsor LG Electronics USA helped bolster the Great American Cleanup’s electronics recycling results through LG’s nationwide e-cycling program, including innovative programs during March Madness® and the NCAA® Final Four® in Houston.

As a GAC Promotional Partner, Valvoline NextGen’s “Let’s Do M.O.R.E.” (motor oil recycling education) campaign educates consumers about the importance of motor oil recycling. Valvoline supported events in 10 GAC participating organization communities and continues to donate to the broader cause with each “Let’s Do M.O.R.E.” recycling pledge on nextgenmotoroil.com resulting in a $1 contribution to Keep America Beautiful.

America’s leading companies and brands support the campaign. The Great American Cleanup was proud to welcome new National Sponsors LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc. and Lowe’s Companies, Inc. through the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. Returning National Sponsors were: The Dow Chemical Company; The Glad Products Company; Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water; PepsiCo’s Pepsi-Cola and Gatorade companies; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; Solo Cup Company; Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden Equipment; Waste Management, Inc.; and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Promotional Partners: Crescent Art and Framing Products, Miss America Organization and Valvoline, a division of Ashland, Inc. Educational Partners: Owens-Illinois, Inc., Rubber Manufacturers Association and WM Recycle America. Retail Promotional Partner: Colgate-Palmolive Company.