ABOUT KEEP OHIO BEAUTIFUL
We are developing communities that care
for the environment and individuals in Ohio.
Keep Ohio Beautiful, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, believes that everyone deserves to live in an environment that is healthy, safe, clean and beautiful. As a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Keep Ohio Beautiful serves as Ohio’s umbrella organization for our local 40+ affiliate organizations in numerous Ohio communities. By providing a strong support system and sharing best practices, Keep Ohio Beautiful enables volunteers in communities throughout Ohio to improve waste handling practices, litter prevention, recycling, beautification and community greening efforts
Keep Ohio Beautiful encourages public-private partnerships and the connections that strengthen our communities, protect our land and water, and improve our quality of life. Ours is not an isolated mission. It requires diverse partnerships with all community stakeholders. Working together — businesses, government, neighborhoods, individuals and other nonprofit teams — we can be successful in improving our communities
OUR MISSION
Empowering Ohio communities to take greater responsibility for improving our local environment through litter prevention, beautification, community greening, waste reduction and recycling.
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Education– The key to encourage positive behaviors toward community improvement.
2. Individual Responsibility– Improving communities, their environment and quality of life begins with personal responsibility.
3. Public-Private Partnerships– Broad-based community alliances are essential to achieve sustainable community improvement.
4. Volunteer Action– By engaging volunteers, we extend the reach of our educational efforts and multiply the impact of our actions.
OUR HISTORY
Keep Ohio Beautiful History
- 1953
Keep America Beautiful was formed - 1960
Lady Bird Johnson brought awareness to wildflowers and beautification replacing litter - 1978
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1979
Keep Ohio Beautiful was incorporated - 1981
Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1982
Hancock County SWMD Environmental Services certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Lakewood Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Mentor Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1983
Green Youngstown certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Columbus Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1985
Keep Alliance Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Montgomery County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Perrysburg Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep The Mahoning County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1986
The Ohio General Assembly established the Keep Ohio Beautiful Commission with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention (DRLP). KOB’s tenure with DRLP was recognized by KAB as having one of the best comprehensive litter prevention and recycling programs in the country.
Keep Wickliffe Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1987
Keep Akron Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1988
City of Newark Litter Prevention & Recycling certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Middletown Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1989
Keep Cuyahoga Falls Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Defiance County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1990
Keep Lake Milton Clean & Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Logan County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1991
Keep Grove City Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1992
Keep Hardin County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1993
Geneva Clean & Green certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1995
Keep Lorain County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 1996 Keep Delaware County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
- 2002
Keep Ohio Beautiful left the Division to become a 501(c) 3 organization, thereby enabling the program to expand and seek more private and public partnerships. - 2004
Keep Allen County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2005
An expanded board was appointed and is currently working to re-establish
state-wide support. - 2007
Our first State Roadway Cleanup in Columbus. - 2008
The first full time Executive Director was hired in 2008.
Keep Clark County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2011
Our first Great Ohio Planting Day held in Maumee
Keep Belmont & Jefferson County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2012
Our first National Planting Day at the Ohio Statehouse & Environmental Law Enforcement Training Workshops held throughout Ohio
Our first VA Hospital Beautification Project in Dayton
Keep Southeast Ohio Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2014
Keep Cleveland Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Marion County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2015
Our first Great American Cleanup of Ohio Statewide Litter Supply Distribution; in which, Keep Ohio Beautiful donated over $141,000 to our Affiliate Network. - 2016
Keep Ohio Beautiful celebrates our 30th Anniversary as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate!
Our first Earth Day Celebration at the Ohio Statehouse with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Our first Native Plant Pollinator Garden located at the Middle Ridge and Vermilion Valley Service Plazas on the Ohio Turnpike
Keep Knox County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Morrow County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Reynoldsburg Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Whitehall Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2017
Keep Darke County Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Euclid Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Hudson Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep Mayfield Heights Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2018
Keep Ohio Beautiful began to partner with the Ohio Department of Transportation to change littering behavior including Statewide Litter Summits
Keep Hilliard Clean & Green certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2019
Keep Brooklyn Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Keep New Concord Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2020
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day - 2021
Keep Kirtland Beautiful certified as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate - 2023 – TBA
Call or Email to see your community listed…’Keep _________ Beautiful’