Together is Beautiful: Finding Connection by Working Together

Volunteers at a KKB cleanup. Photo by KKB.

This past February, members of KKB’s staff had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to attend Keep America Beautiful’s annual conference. The conference’s theme was Together is Beautiful, focusing on how beautifying our communities is a powerful tool to bring people together. In a time of such social, political, and economic division, it is important for us all to find common ground. To focus on the things that unite us, and not the things that keep us apart. Care for our communities is something that brings us together. 

Americans are facing a time of "stacked crises" - whether it is worrying about inflation, political divisiveness, climate change, or COVID - it feels like there is no end to the number of things to worry about on a national and global scale.  The stress of all of this is felt by many; in fact, 71% of Americans feel that our society is not well equipped to handle the multiple crises that we are facing.

Volunteers at a KKB garden work day. Photo by KKB.

It is understandable to feel powerless when looking at problems on a national or global scale, and that is why many individuals look locally to quell anxiety and make a difference. It is something that always impresses us at KKB about our volunteers - they are people who feel activated to make a difference right here and right now. In a time when it is so easy to become paralyzed by dread and hopelessness, it is inspiring to see so many people take action on a local level. 

Coming together at a community cleanup or beautification event not only quells anxiety, but it actively makes us feel better. 92% of Americans believe that keeping our communities clean is essential for everyone's overall health and mental well-being. In a time of such divisiveness, it is exciting to see a statement that almost 100% of Americans agree on. Beautification is important. Green spaces are important. Taking care of our community for our mental and physical well-being is important. At a community cleanup event, it is invigorating to see people across generations, race, background, political views, gender, etc. working together for a common goal. This feeling of connectedness that this shared goal creates helps make us feel less isolated and stressed. 

If you haven't before, join Keep Knoxville Beautiful at one of our upcoming volunteer events. We hope that you will find your time volunteering with us to be inspiring and empowering. Whether it is cleaning up litter, planting trees, or removing invasive species, we want the work we do to not only create clean, green, and beautiful spaces, but to bring people together for this common purpose so that they feel connected, hopeful, and an important part of something larger. Because after all, the KAB conference was right in their theme this year - when we all work together, it really is beautiful. 

To learn more and find the statistics listed in this post, you can view The Harris Poll’s presentation from the Keep America Beautiful Conference 2025 here.