Volunteers Remove 9,208 Lbs. of Trash from Tennessee River over Cleanup Series Last Weekend

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Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) partnered with Johnsonville State Historic Park in a three-part river cleanup series last weekend at which 25 volunteers helped to remove a whopping 9,208 lbs. of trash from the Tennessee River.

Volunteers hopped in KTNRB’s 25-foot aluminum work boat launching from Pebble Isle Marina to go clean nearby shorelines at cleanups over the course of three days.

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“The really exciting thing about the cleanups in this new area of focus for our organization is that you see momentum building with our partners and volunteers from the time we held a cleanup in October to this past weekend,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director. 

Gibi said the volunteer turnout for the public cleanup more than tripled this time around compared to their October visit, and that three river miles were adopted by volunteers who wanted to keep up the work on their own after this weekend. 

“That’s how the change for our river will happen: through local partners and individuals who are eager about taking ownership to protect and improve their beautiful river community,” said Gibi. “It’s been truly inspiring for us to see these change makers take action—especially with the local leadership from Johnsonville State Historic Park.”

The cleanup series took place over the course of three days:

·       Friday, Jan. 8 - River Cleanup with Chemours company staff                      2,011 lbs. 
·       Saturday, Jan. 9 – River Cleanup open to the public                                    5,378 lbs. 
·       Sunday, Jan. 10 – River Cleanup with Humphreys County 4H Club            1,819 lbs. 

When KTNRB hosted a cleanup partnered with the state park in October, they partnered with the national nonprofit Living Lands & Waters who brought along their five 30-foot work boats for transporting volunteers and the litter they collected. At that cleanup, volunteers removed 4,811 lbs. of trash. Combined with the January cleanups, that’s a grand total of 14,019 lbs. of trash removed from four cleanups held at the same area within a four-month span.

“On the banks of the Tennessee River, agriculture, industrial growth, fishing, Civil War battles, and much more have shaped the culture of Humphreys County,” said Ranger Noah Sinz of Johnsonville State Historic Park. “Cleanup projects like this past weekend help us to preserve those cultural resources, as well as the natural resource of the Tennessee River for many years to come.

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We are so thankful for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, the local community partners, as well as the public volunteers who took time to make a difference and remove this amazing amount of litter from our banks of the Kentucky Lake Reservoir. We hope that these numbers help to show just how much waste ends up in our waterways, and with that, open eyes to how we can prevent it from continuing in the future.” 

Ranger Sinz was instrumental in the local organizing efforts leading up to the cleanup weekend, pulling together local partners who made the cleanup series possible.

Humphreys County Sanitation donated a large, 30-yard roll off dumpster that Pebble Isle Marina allowed to be staged in their parking lot. By the end of the cleanup series, the dumpster was completely full.

KTNRB is in talks with Ranger Sinz about another potential cleanup weekend this April. Follow KTNRB on social media or visit www.KeepTNRIverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups to learn about upcoming cleanup dates.

In the meantime, individuals, organizations, and companies can officially adopt a Tennessee River mile by visiting www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/adopt. Participants in the free program receive cleaning supplies, KTNRB swag, and a sign with their name declaring their river mile adoption. 

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New Year’s Resolution Opportunities that are Socially-Distanced and Can Help the Tennessee River this Year

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New Year’s resolution makers may need to be a bit more creative this year with considerations around social distancing, and Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) has some great options for those who want their resolutions to make a difference this year.

One of KTNRB’s new programs, #Pledge4Rivers, can be done without ever leaving the house. Other initiatives offer adoptions of river miles or storm drains in which volunteers can have supplies shipped to them for free to clean our waterways on their own. Plus, there’s always the option of socially-distanced river cleanups that KTNRB has made safe with a thorough COVID-19 policy.

“Just because our world has been changed by this pandemic, doesn’t mean we can’t find creative ways to keep helping our world,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director. “We hope these initiatives designed to protect our waterways will inspire many New Year’s resolutions in the Tennessee Valley this year.”

Gibi said that KTNRB has a resolution of its own for 2021. They plan on reaching 100,000 lbs. of trash removed, beating their total of 61,499 lbs. reached in 2020 with the help of 343 volunteers. Resolution makers can help with that goal, and here are some of the ways how:

 

#PLEDGE4RIVERS

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KTNRB has launched a new campaign that empowers people to stop the litter problem before it even reaches our waterways, all without ever leaving the house. With #Pledge4Rivers, pledgers can visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/pledge4rivers to commit to eliminating one plastic or Styrofoam throwaway item from their daily habits for one year. 

KTNRB staff will then follow up with pledgers to offer tips on avoiding single-use items and even provide one-on-one solutions.

With 38 pledges in the new campaign made thus far, the totals are already adding up:

Single-Use Item           # Pledges                     Items Saved/Year

Plastic Bottles               14                                2,338 plastic bottles saved / year
Styrofoam Cups  13                                1,066 Styrofoam cups saved / year
Plastic Straws                7                                  4,088 plastic straws saved / year
Plastic Bags                   3                                  4,500 plastic bags saved / year

                                    11,992 single-use items pledged so far to be saved in 2021.

Pledges can be made at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/pledge4rivers

 

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ADOPT A RIVER MILE

If you want to get outside, a great socially-distanced option to support the Tennessee River at your own pace is the Adopt a River Mile program. This can be a river mile on the Tennessee River or one of its tributaries.

Individuals or groups can pledge to adopt a river mile by hosting two cleanups a year. In return, participants will receive cleaning supplies, stainless steel water bottles, t-shirts, and a sign provided by Living Lands & Waters with the individual or company name listed, proclaiming the adoption. 

To register for the Adopt a River Mile program, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/adopt

 

ADOPT A STORM DRAIN

KTNRB’s Adopt a Storm Drain program was launched last year. It’s a great way to do small, regular cleanups in segments of 30 minutes or less while still making a big impact.

The program is completely free and participants will receive cleaning supplies, t-shirts, water bottles, and a marker for the storm drain declaring their good deed (with the municipality’s permission). Through their pledge, participants commit to cleaning the storm drain on a monthly basis.

It’s estimated that 80% of the litter in our waterways is originally littered on land, and rain waters like what the Tennessee Valley has been getting in recent years will wash that litter from local streets into nearby storm drains. The storm water (and everything it carries) is then redirected into our creeks and rivers.

To adopt a storm drain, please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/stormdrain

  

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ORGANIZED RIVER CLEANUPS

Throughout the year, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful hosts organized river cleanups in which volunteers are taken out on KTNRB’s 25-foot aluminum boat to do shoreline cleanups. Since the pandemic hit in 2020, those cleanups have only been held under KTNRB’s thorough COVID-19 policy, which may be viewed here: www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/covid

There are also eight KTNRB cleanups hosted each year in partnership with the national nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters, who bring additional boats to pull out even more litter. 

This is a great way to make a difference while practicing social distance guidelines and getting to share comradery with friends and new faces alike. 

KTNRB’s organized cleanup calendar is already filling up. Here are the scheduled cleanups:

Saturday, January 9 – Humphreys County, TN | REGISTER
Saturday, March 20 – Kingston, TN | REGISTER
Sunday, March 21 – Knoxville, TN | REGISTER
Friday, April 9 – Pickwick Lake, MS | REGISTER
Saturday, April 10 – The Shoals, AL | REGISTER

To register, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups

Ripple Effect Awards Highlight River Champions within the Tennessee River Watershed's Seven-State Span

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Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) announced Wednesday the winners in the 2nd annual Tennessee River Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™. This year, the awards were expanded to recognize winners of nine categories in three regions that touch Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina.

“The Tennessee River is a precious resource that impacts everyone living within its watershed and beyond, so it’s only fitting that our award recipients come from so many different walks of life,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. “We’re proud to recognize this year’s recipients, who have demonstrated good stewardship of our waterways even through a pandemic.”

The goal of the awards is to inspire new river champions through sharing the winners’ success stories, thus the concept behind the ‘Ripple Effect’ title. Each award category will soon be presented digitally to each recipient:

CONSERVATION
East – Norris Lake Project
Middle – David Bolling, City Manager of Kingston, TN
West – Tennessee Riverline

ADOPT A RIVER MILE / STORM DRAIN
East – Knoxville Volunteer Rotary Club
Middle – Jim Hill / Chickamauga Fly, Bait, & Casting Club
West – Phillip Toon

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT / LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
East – City of Knoxville Stormwater Engineering
Middle – Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
West – Johnsonville State Historic Park

ELECTED OFFICIAL
City Councilwoman Paige Bibbee – City of Decatur, AL

STANDOUT YOUTH
East – Cash “The Conservation Kid” Daniels
Middle – Hannah Bailey

MARINA / RESORT 
Fontana Village Resort & Marina 

BUSINESS / CORPORATION
East – Dollywood 
Middle – Discovery, Inc.
West – Caterpillar Reman

 

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL AFFILIATE
Keep Knoxville Beautiful 

BEACON AWARD
East – Donna Dunn
Middle – Mark Campen
West – Darrin Samborski

Each winner is receiving a glass trophy that resembles a rippling river. The awards are sponsored by Yamaha Rightwaters™, a sustainability initiative of the international watercraft company, Yamaha.

"Yamaha Rightwaters is fighting to protect our most precious and essential natural resource – water,” said Martin Peters Yamaha Marine Division Manager, Government Relations. “It embodies all of Yamaha's conservation initiatives, and becomes a platform for many plans the company has in store to improve our water resources.

“We are proud to partner with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful in their efforts to preserve and protect this amazing resource so that future generations can continue to enjoy the Tennessee River for decades to come." 

Nominations for the 3rd annual Ripple Effect Awards will be made available Monday, January 4, 2021 and will remain open for submissions until October 2021. Nominations may be submitted at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/awards

“Yamaha Rightwaters has made these awards possible, and we are so grateful to them for helping us tell the stories of these amazing champions for the Tennessee River,” said Gibi. 

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Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is a 501c3 nonprofit and is the first Keep America Beautiful affiliate to focus solely on a river. With a 25-foot-long aluminum boat used for hauling volunteers to shoreline cleanups, KTNRB seeks to inspire people to preserve, improve, and protect the river for generations to come. In 2020 alone, more than 300 volunteers helped KTNRB to remove over 60,000 lbs. of trash from the Tennessee River watershed. 

For more information, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org or e-mail Kathleen Gibi at kathleen@keeptnriverbeautiful.org.

 

Volunteers Remove 35,500 lbs. of Trash at 8 River Cleanups During ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month’

Volunteers celebrate the trash they removed at a cleanup in New Johnsonville, TN on Oct. 24, 2020.

Volunteers celebrate the trash they removed at a cleanup in New Johnsonville, TN on Oct. 24, 2020.

October, which was declared by four governors and four mayors to be ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month,’ proved to be a very busy month. 

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) collaborated with volunteers, community stakeholders, businesses, and elected officials to host river cleanups, an online pledge campaign for those wanting to make a difference from home during the pandemic, and issue the 2nd annual Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™.

“The achievements that our volunteers and partners helped us reach over the last month are a testimony to the spirit we have here in the Tennessee River Valley,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for KTNRB. 

“We weren’t going to let the pandemic slow down the momentum that’s been growing in stewardship for this river, and we’re so grateful that our volunteers and partners were willing to follow our COVID-19 policy to keep everyone safe while working to keep the Tennessee River beautiful.”

 

RIVER CLEANUPS 

The most staggering statistic that came out of the month was the total trash removed by 103 volunteers participating in eight river cleanups held within four states. The cleanup series was funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Keep America Beautiful and Yamaha Rightwaters™. 

There were 35,500 lbs. of trash removed at these cleanups, including 903 bags of trash and 136 tires. Here’s a breakdown of each cleanup’s totals:

Chattanooga, TN on Nickajack Lake (TN River)        |    3,364 lbs.
Decatur, AL on Wheeler Lake (TN River)                   |    2,617 lbs.
Iuka, MS on Pickwick Lake (TN River)                       |    6,307 lbs.
Waverly, TN on Kentucky Lake (TN River)                 |    4,811 lbs.
Golden Pond, KY on Kentucky Lake (TN River)         |    4,141 lbs.
Maynardville, TN on Norris Lake (Clinch River)         |    5,783 lbs.
Oak Ridge, TN on Melton Hill Lake (Clinch River)    |    4,658 lbs.
Dayton, TN on Chickamauga Lake (TN River)           |    4,094 lbs.

The crew from the national nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters, contributed largely to the numbers by bringing their five 30-foot work boats to take volunteers to clean shorelines at each cleanup.

“These last weeks have been so uplifting—working with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is something we look forward to every year,” said Dan Breidenstein of Living Lands & Waters, who serves as Board Vice President for KTNRB. 

“It’s remarkable to see the huge impact that can be made in such a short time span thanks to volunteers who faced the large amounts of shoreline trash head on.”

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Volunteers ride back from a good day’s work of cleaning in Golden Pond, KY on Oct. 25, 2020.

#PLEDGE4RIVERS

During the awareness month, KTNRB also launched a new campaign that empowers Tennessee River Valley residents to stop the litter problem before it reaches our waterways, all without ever having to leave the house. With #Pledge4Rivers, pledgers can visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/pledge4rivers to commit to eliminating one plastic or Styrofoam throwaway item from their daily habits for one year. 

With 38 people making pledges so far, the totals are already adding up:

Single-Use Item         # Pledges                   Items Saved/Year

Plastic Bottles            14                                2,338 plastic bottles saved / year
Styrofoam Cups         13                                1,066 Styrofoam cups saved / year
Plastic Straws             7                                  4,088 plastic straws saved / year
Plastic Bags                3                                  4,500 plastic bags saved / year
11,992 single-use items pledged to be eliminated annually

“Just looking back at Tennessee’s statewide cleanups over the last year, many of those cleanups were centered around flooding and tornadoes that turned properly disposed trash—much of it single-use items—into litter,” said Kyle Howard of Keep Tennessee Beautiful, who also serves as the KTNRB Board President. 

“When more people start moving toward reusable items, there won’t be an opportunity for this unintentional litter to make its way to our waterways.”

#Pledge4Rivers is an ongoing campaign and pledges can be made at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/pledge4rivers.

 

PROCLAMATIONS

Each year, KTNRB seeks proclamations from elected officials to declare October as ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month.’ This year, four governors and four mayors made proclamations:

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee                       Knoxville, TN Mayor Indya Kincannon
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey                       Lenoir City, TN Mayor Tony Aikens
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves               Cleveland, TN Mayor Kevin Brooks
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Marion County, TN Mayor David Jackson

“The Tennessee River is arguably the most valuable natural resource in the Southeast, and we are grateful to these elected officials for taking a leadership role in recognizing its importance,” said Gibi.

 

RIPPLE EFFECT AWARDS

The 2nd annual Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™ will be presented digitally this year. River champions in three different geographic regions within the Tennessee River watershed are recognized for their river stewardship.

Traditionally, the awards are presented at a banquet held before a large river cleanup during Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month. While the highly sought-after glass-blown trophies will still be awarded, they will be presented via professionally edited virtual videos this year. Winners will be announced before the end of the year.

 ———-

“We couldn’t be prouder of the work accomplished in our jam-packed Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Month this year,” said Gibi. “We’re so grateful to our sponsors, partners, and especially the volunteers for making it all possible!”

 

For information on Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s ongoing programs or to view their river cleanup schedule, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org.

Volunteers at the Pickwick Lake cleanup in Iuka, MS on October 23, 2020 celebrate pulling three boatloads of trash (over 6,000 lbs.)

Volunteers at the Pickwick Lake cleanup in Iuka, MS on October 23, 2020 celebrate pulling three boatloads of trash (over 6,000 lbs.)

Getting ready to put two boatloads of trash into the dumpster after the Nickajack Lake cleanup on October 10.  Left to right: Kathleen Gibi, Cash ‘The Conservation Kid’ Daniels, Adam Weinzapfel, and Chad Pregracke

Getting ready to put two boatloads of trash into the dumpster after the Nickajack Lake cleanup on October 10. Left to right: Kathleen Gibi, Cash ‘The Conservation Kid’ Daniels, Adam Weinzapfel, and Chad Pregracke

Ripple Effect Awards Expand to Highlight Tennessee River Watershed Champions in Seven States

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Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) is currently seeking applications for the 2nd annual Tennessee River Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™. This year, the awards will expand to recognize winners of nine categories in three regions that touch Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina.

“Last year’s awards really showcased just how much residents along the Tennessee River love where they live and just how many different ways there are to contribute to our river community,’” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for KTNRB. “There are still many individuals, groups, and projects that deserve praise, and we’re thankful to Yamaha Rightwaters™ for continuing this important recognition.”

The goal of the awards is to inspire new river champions in sharing success stories, thus the concept behind the ‘Ripple Effect’ title. Each award category will be presented to a recipient within the following regions:

Each award category will be presented in the following Tennessee River watershed regions:

  • West : West of I-65

  • Middle: East of I-65 and west of I-75

  • East: East of I-75

The 2020 Ripple Effect Award categories include:

  • Conservation

  • Adopt a River Mile

  • Marina

  • Standout Youth

  • Business

  • Government Department / Law Enforcement

  • Keep America Beautiful Affiliate

  • Elected Official

  • Beacon (ongoing leadership)

Each winner will receive a glass trophy that resembles a rippling river. The awards are sponsored by Yamaha Rightwaters™, a sustainability initiative of the international watercraft company, Yamaha.

"Yamaha Rightwaters is fighting to protect our most precious and essential natural resource – water,” said Martin Peters Yamaha Marine Division Manager, Government Relations. “It embodies all of Yamaha's conservation initiatives, and becomes a platform for many plans the company has in store to improve our water resources.

“We are proud to partner with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful in their efforts to preserve and protect this amazing resource so that future generations can continue to enjoy the Tennessee River for decades to come."

The Ripple Effect Awards coincide with ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month,’ which is celebrated in October along with multi-state river cleanups and proclamations by governors and mayors within the river’s watershed.

Due to the need for social distancing around COVID-19, this year’s Ripple Effect Awards will be presented to the 27 recipients virtually.

ALL NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020.

Nomination forms may be submitted at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/awards.


The PPE Problem for Our Waterways

A gull whose feet got wrapped in a disposable mask.  Source: RSPCA

A gull whose feet got wrapped in a disposable mask.
Source: RSPCA

Written by: Adam Weinzapfel, KTNRB AmeriCorps Member

There’s a new type of waste plaguing the world’s waterways. It’s trapping gulls in England, trashing shores in Asia, and flowing right through Tennessee’s storm drains. The culprit: Disposable Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and it could be sitting right over your nose.

This new pollutant boom is especially a problem for our waterways. Most PPE items are made of plastic, and once in the river, will eventually break down into microplastics. According to a 2019 report from German scientist, Dr. Adnreas Fath, Tennessee is already the worlds’ most micro plastic polluted river studied to date, and this new PPE concern only raises that concern.

PPE waste pulled from Hong Kong shoreline. Source: Anthony Wallace/AFP

PPE waste pulled from Hong Kong shoreline.
Source: Anthony Wallace/AFP

Like most plastic waste, the PPE that we find in the river comes from improper disposal on land that’s either been blown or washed into our waterways by rains. That’s why we tend to see an increase in river pollution after heavy rainfall.  Though most think of intentional littering when it comes to marine debris, 80 percent of all litter in our waterways was originally littered on land. Either way, we’ve got masks in the river now. What are we supposed to do about it?

First off, take the easiest preventative measure. Try to wear reusable masks, and if you do  use a disposable PPE, make sure it gets to a trashcan and stays in it. Early action saves the most waste. Once you’ve dealt with your waste, now you can focus on litter from others. 

The first rule of handling PPE litter is that if it was littered, it should be assumed to be contaminated. That means no handling with your bare hands*. If you’re a fan of using your hands, you should use PPE to remove PPE.  Just make sure to remove disposable gloves immediately after picking up PPE waste.  Be sure to properly remove your gloves when going to wash them or disposing of them to reduce contact with potential contaminants. 

*COVID-19’s half-life on plastic is seven hours and requires heavy handling to get the virus out of the mask and onto your hands. PPE waste could be contaminated by a number of other pathogens and bacteria, so you should still handle with protection.

*COVID-19’s half-life on plastic is seven hours and requires heavy handling to get the virus out of the mask and onto your hands. PPE waste could be contaminated by a number of other pathogens and bacteria, so you should still handle with protection.

If you don’t want to contribute to the cycle PPE waste, use devices like grabbers, a litter stick, or even just a broom or shovel.  Even a pair of old kitchen tongs is safer than bare hands. 

But what if one day, you happen to see PPE litter while gloveless and dangerously lacking in tongs? No problem! You can still pick it up if you’re carrying some disinfectant with you. Just apply a ample amount to the waste, let it sit for a few minutes, then you can take it to the trash.  

In any of these cases, it’s still a good idea to wash your hands after handling PPE waste ASAP. Remember, no matter how you grab it, make sure that it’s secured within the trash can. This pandemic won’t last forever, but the micro plastic left behind by PPE very well might. But if we work together, we can keep these plastics out of our waterways for a cleaner future.

A post KTNRB made earlier this year about PPE entering the Tennessee River. Source: KTNRB Facebook Page

A post KTNRB made earlier this year about PPE entering the Tennessee River.
Source: KTNRB Facebook Page

‘Community Restoration Cleanup Series’ Launched, KTNRB Boat & Truck Outfitted through $6,000 Keep America Beautiful Grant

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This week, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) will launch the ‘Community Restoration River Cleanup Series’ held within the Tennessee River watershed to mitigate litter following this past spring’s flooding.

The cleanup series, as well as the outfitting of KTNRB’s 25-foot aluminum work boat and new truck, is made possible thanks to a $6,000 Community Restoration and Resiliency grant awarded by Keep America Beautiful (KAB). The grant is offered to KAB affiliates year-round to restore communities either through cleanup efforts, beautification, or infrastructure replacement following natural disasters.

The grant was awarded to KTNRB earlier this year, but the group had to hold off on hosting cleanups with volunteers due to the pandemic. Now that they have developed a COVID-19 policy* to ensure volunteer safety, they’ve scheduled an increased number of cleanups with a lower number of volunteers allowed on the boat to follow best social distancing practices.

“Though this grant was named for restoring communities after disaster events, I think this time around the term ‘community restoration’ will have a multilayered meaning for many of us,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director. “We’re all in the need for some good news these days, to feel like we’re not only part of a community, but still able to give back and we will be getting that sense of restoration, too, thanks to this Keep America Beautiful grant.”

Though more cleanups will be scheduled, the following are currently lined up:

COMMUNITY RESTORATION RIVER CLEANUP SERIES
Thursday, August 6 @ 9 a.m. | Fort Loudoun Lake (Knoxville, TN)
Friday, August 7 @ 5:30 p.m. | Douglas Lake (Dandridge, TN)
Saturday, August 8 @ 9 a.m. | Watts Bar Lake (Kingston, TN)
Tuesday, August 11 @ 9:30 a.m. | Cherokee Lake (Bean Station, TN)
Friday, August 14 @ 9:30 a.m. | Nickajack Lake (Chattanooga, TN)
Saturday, August 29 @ 9 a.m. | Chickamauga Lake (Chattanooga, TN)
Saturday, September 19 @ 10 a.m. | Norris Lake (Norris, TN)

The KAB grant will support the cleanup series with supplies for the volunteers including gloves, bags, litter grabbers, and skimmer nets on 16-foot poles, among other supplies. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) supports KTNRB’s river cleanups through an ongoing work plan agreement.

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OUTFITTING THE FLEET

The impact of the KAB grant will extend beyond this 2020 cleanup series, as it will also fund equipment and materials to outfit KTNRB’s 25-foot aluminum work boat and recently purchased Ford F-250 truck. Both vehicles were purchased in part with supportive funds from TVA and others. The boat is now sporting a new Yamaha SHO 90 outboard motor donated by Yamaha and Anderson Marine Family Boating Center.

The improvements made to the boat and truck will help KTNRB’s river cleanup effectiveness. Some of the improvements include:

  • Ramps to allow large, heavy tires to be rolled up onto the boat from the shore

  • Heavy-weight chains for towing items that can’t be immediately pulled from the water

  • All-terrain, collapsible wagons that help to haul litter to the boat when floods push debris far inland (litter can be deposited as far as 50 yards inland)

  • Kayaks for retrieving marine debris in shallow waters

  • Loppers and hedge trimmers to cut through brush that inevitably grows over litter piles

  • Netting to hold litter in the boat for hauling when a dumpster is not available on site

  • Shelving/hooks to store tools in the truck bed camper shell

“These improvements to our fleet are giving us the chance to do more heavy-duty work,” said Gibi. “Thanks to supportive donations and grants like these, we’re truly staged to make a greater impact for our river community.”

Gibi said that this will help with flood mitigation as larger items like dock foam blocks, tires, lawn furniture, grills, and infrastructure pieces can get pulled into the river during high, forceful waters.

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In early 2020, flooding hit the Tennessee River Valley hard for a second year in a row, with the first three months of the year marking the wettest start to any year in Tennessee River Valley history. The previous record was set in 1891. In 2019, KAB awarded KTNRB with a $10,000 monetary grant through the same program following the wettest February that had been recorded to date. This year’s grant was awarded through gift cards provided by Lowe’s, the home improvements store.

“It's just fantastic to be able to work with our partners who invest in Keep America Beautiful to help administer these grants, and with affiliates like Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful who put these funds to great use,” said Helen Lowman, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “The team at KTNRB continues to impress with their ability to serve all the communities that surround the Tennessee River with their focus on this important American waterway."

For more information on or to sign up to be part of the Community Restoration River Cleanup Series, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/communityrestoration.

* To view KTNRB’s COVID-19 policy, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/covid.

Volkswagen of America and The Conservation Fund Announce Community Grant Winners

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Chattanooga, Tenn. — Volkswagen of America and The Conservation Fund announced the winners of the Volkswagen Community Grant Program. Five charitable organizations located in eastern Tennessee received grants of up to $50,000 to advance efforts that will provide environmental learning and leadership opportunities for local youth, help keep rivers and waterways within the Cherokee National Forest clean, and provide current recreational access information for outdoor lovers in the region.

The Volkswagen Community Grants have been awarded to:

  • Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, for the expansion of a successful pilot program that provides a pathway of environmental learning, recreation and leadership experiences for underserved Knoxville youth;

  • WaterWays, for the development of an environmental educational program—including outdoor classroom and interpretive nature trail—for local K-12 students;

  • National Forest Foundation, for a program that brings youth from the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma to their ancestral homelands in the Cherokee National Forest for several weeks of learning, service and exploration;

  • Keep The Tennessee River Beautiful, for river cleanups with volunteers that raise awareness for conservation of waterways and showcase the vastness of the Cherokee National Forest spanning from Watauga Lake to the Ocoee River; and

  • Partners of Cherokee National Forest, for the update of a popular regional outdoor recreation map that shows access locations to all federal and state public land near the Cherokee National Forest.


    “We are committed to being good stewards of the environment especially in our production home of Tennessee,” said Duncan Movassaghi, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Volkswagen of America. “Working with The Conservation Fund, we are proud to help these great organizations improve access and education related to our greatest natural resources.”

    The Volkswagen Community Grant Program is part of an ongoing initiative to help protect and restore forestland in the United States, starting in eastern Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest. A portion of Volkswagen’s $1.25 million donation to The Conservation Fund was awarded via the program. The remaining funds will be used by the Fund to buy, conserve and donate approximately 1,500 acres of land to the U.S. Forest Service for inclusion in the Cherokee National Forest later this year, helping to protect wildlife habitat and cultural resources, improve water quality, and provide additional recreation access and environmental education.

    “We applaud these exemplary organizations for their expanded efforts to maintain and enhance access to the Cherokee National Forest’s many recreational, educational and inspiring offerings,” said Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund. “We are honored to support their efforts and are grateful for Volkswagen’s commitment to help protect the environment and support the communities in which they work.”

    Tennessee Valley Authority, a steward of natural resources in Tennessee since 1933, also contributed by providing administrative support to the Program. For more information on the collaboration, visit https://www.conservationfund.org/our-work/business-partnerships/our-partners/volkswagen.

    About The Conservation Fund
At The Conservation Fund, we make conservation work for America. By creating solutions that make environmental and economic sense, we are redefining conservation to demonstrate its essential role in our future prosperity. Top-ranked for efficiency and effectiveness, we have worked in all 50 states since 1985 to protect more than eight million acres of land. 


    About Volkswagen Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, with headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. Volkswagen’s operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Arteon, Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Golf, Golf GTI, Jetta, Jetta GLI, Passat, and Tiguan vehicles through more than 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.

Carhartt, Bassmaster Classic Fans Donate $5,000 to Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful

Carhartt pro angler, Matt Lee, recently met up with Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, to present the donation check in Guntersville, Ala. where the Bassmaster Classic was held earlier this year.

Carhartt pro angler, Matt Lee, recently met up with Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, to present the donation check in Guntersville, Ala. where the Bassmaster Classic was held earlier this year.

Fans who attended the 2020 Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham earlier this year had the chance to help keep Lake Guntersville and other Tennessee River reservoirs clean by making a $10 donation to the Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful organization at the Carhartt booth in exchange for a custom Carhartt Classic beanie.

During the 3-day 2020 Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo on March 6 - 8, hard working folks from the Carhartt manufacturing plant were in the Carhartt exhibit booth sewing the B.A.S.S. logo on Carhartt’s famous “A18” acrylic watch cap. 

Thanks to loyal and generous fishing fans who purchased the custom beanies, $4,990 was raised to help assure Lake Guntersville and other iconic bass fisheries along the Tennessee River are far less littered with trash for years to come.

Keep the TN River Beautiful organization performs inspiring work. Thus far, they have collected 99,000 pounds of trash from popular Tennessee River bass fisheries such as Guntersville and Pickwick through roughly 30 cleanups annually. 

Kathleen Gibi, executive director of the organization recently met Carhartt pro angler Matt Lee at Lake Guntersville, and had this to say about the generous donation fishing fans helped make possible. 

“Our goal is to inspire Tennessee River Valley residents to take action for a positive impact on their river, and this donation will help us push even further with our education and river cleanup efforts using our 25-foot work boat,” says a very grateful Gibi. “The team at Carhartt has demonstrated how they can lead with good river stewardship by supporting water conservation.”

While 2020 has been a challenging year with cleanup postponements due to COVID-19, Gibi says she still expects the organization to conduct nearly 30 cleanups this calendar year, and intends to name a future cleanup day in Carhartt’s honor. 

The custom Carhartt beanie project is an ongoing annual effort by Carhartt to partner with B.A.S.S. and avid fans at the Classic each year to support conservation agencies and projects in the host state of the Classic each year. 

About Carhartt, Inc.

Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium workwear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged products for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, Carhartt is family-owned and managed by the descendants of the company’s founder, Hamilton Carhartt. For more information, visit www.carhartt.com and follow @Carhartt on Twitter.

New Year’s Resolution Opportunities with New ‘Adopt A Storm Drain’ Program and Other Tennessee River Programs

If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution that helps to make an impact, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful has some great opportunities to pledge volunteer work within the Tennessee River watershed, thanks in large part to support and sponsorship from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

ADOPT A STORM DRAIN

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Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) has launched its latest program to empower Tennessee River watershed residents to protect their waterways with the ‘Adopt a Storm Drain’ program.

The program is completely free and participants will receive cleaning supplies, t-shirts, water bottles, and a marker for the storm drain declaring their good deed (with the municipality’s permission). Through their pledge, participants commit to cleaning the storm drain on a monthly basis.

It’s estimated that 80% of the litter in our waterways is originally littered on land, and rain waters like what we experienced over this past weekend will wash that litter from our streets into our storm drains, which ultimately redirect the water into our creeks and rivers.

“Participants in our Adopt a Storm Drain program will help to protect our waterways from potential litter while also serving as ambassadors that educate passersby as they work,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for KTNRB. “While litter removal is important, awareness is crucial to change the societal habits that cause litter in the first place.”

To register to adopt a storm drain, please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/stormdrain.  

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ADOPT A RIVER MILE

Another option to support the Tennessee River at your own pace is to adopt a river mile. There are currently more than 20 river miles adopted to date on the 652-mile Tennessee River. 

Like the storm drain program, individuals or groups can pledge to adopt a river mile by hosting two cleanups a year. In return, participants will receive cleaning supplies, stainless steel water bottles, t-shirts, and a sign provided by Living Lands & Waters with the individual or company name to proclaim the adoption. 

To register for the Adopt a River Mile program, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/adopt.

ORGANIZED RIVER CLEANUPS 

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Throughout the year, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful hosts organized river cleanups in which volunteers are taken out on KTNRB’s 25 foot aluminum boat to do shoreline cleanups. 

There are also six cleanups hosted each year in partnership with the national nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters, who bring additional boats to make a greater impact.

Through 17 cleanups hosted in 2019, 434 volunteers helped to remove over 48,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River watershed.

This is a great way to make a difference and share comradery with friends and new faces. 

To register, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups.

‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month’ Results: 22,276 lbs. of Trash Pulled, 8 Proclamations, & 25 Award Winners

One of the groups stand with the trash they collected at one of six sites along the Tennessee River’s shorelines on Pickwick Lake in Mississippi.

One of the groups stand with the trash they collected at one of six sites along the Tennessee River’s shorelines on Pickwick Lake in Mississippi.

Throughout the month, October has been recognized as ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month’ across the four states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky—and there’s quite a bit to show for it!

The results of the month’s celebrations include 22,276 pounds of trash removed, eight proclamations by four governors and four mayors, and 25 award recipients recognized in the 1st annual Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™.

“It’s been inspiring to see so many volunteers, businesses, governments, and elected officials all come together for the cause of the Tennessee River watershed,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB). “We released the slogan, ‘Your River. Your Impact.’ this month, and we’ve seen a diverse network of river champions willing to do what it takes for that positive impact on our river.”

RIVER CLEANUPS

‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month’ was kicked off with two large cleanups partnered with the national river cleanup nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters (LL&W). Volunteers were transported to shorelines by five 30-foot-long boats brought in by LL&W staff to supplement KTNRB’s boat. LL&W helped to celebrate National Public Lands Day in Lenoir City, Tenn. on Sept. 28, and then again in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sept. 29, to officially kickoff the upcoming, month-long celebration.

“The Tennessee River is such a beautiful river and gift to the region!” said Chad Pregracke, LL&W Founder and President and 2013 CNN Hero of the year. “There was so much enthusiasm from all the wonderful volunteers that showed up, and we got a lot done!"

The two Tennessee cleanups were in large part funded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s special litter grant. KTNRB then spent the rest of the month traveling along the river, hosting four additional cleanups within the four states that the river touches.

The river cleanups were sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), Yamaha Rightwaters™, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, Keep Alabama Beautiful, Keep Mississippi Beautiful, Friends of Land Between the Lakes, Kenlake State Resort Park, the City of Guntersville, Lake Guntersville State Park, Knox County Solid Waste, and Hardin County Solid Waste.

The combined seven cleanup events in four states saw 22,276 pounds of trash removed by a total of 171 volunteers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the cleanup totals:

• Saturday, Sept. 28, in Lenoir City, TN 5,903 lbs.

• Sunday, Sept. 29, in Knoxville, TN 3,497 lbs.

• Friday, Oct. 4, in Guntersville, AL 3,158 lbs.

• Saturday, Oct. 5, in Chattanooga, TN 896 lbs.

• Saturday, Oct. 19, in Golden Pond, KY 3,809 lbs.

• Sunday, Oct. 20, in Pickwick Lake, MS 4,318 lbs.

• Tuesday, Oct. 29, in Knoxville, TN (UT class) 694 lbs.

TOTAL 22,276 lbs.

PROCLAMATIONS BY ELECTED OFFICIALS

Earlier in the year, TVA tasked KTNRB with pursuing proclamations from the governors of the four states touched by the Tennessee River for the purpose of declaring October as ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month.’ As plans developed, corresponding river cleanups and 1st annual Ripple Effect Awards ceremonies developed.

Ultimately, the governors of all four states as well as four mayors issued proclamations. Proclamations were made by:

• Governor Bill Lee | Tennessee

• Governor Kay Ivey | Alabama

• Governor Phil Bryant | Mississippi

• Governor Matt Bevin | Kentucky

• Mayor Madeline Rogero | City of Knoxville

• Mayor Glenn Jacobs | Knox County

• Mayor Andy Berke | City of Chattanooga

• Mayor Leigh Dollar | City of Guntersville

“We’re grateful to these elected officials for making public proclamations about the importance of our river,” said Gibi. “We saw firsthand over the last month how statements from the leaders of our communities can ignite action at many different levels.”

In fact, when Cash ‘The Conservation Kid’ Daniels, one of the Tennessee Ripple Effect Award recipients, saw that Knoxville and Knox County had made proclamations for the month, he wanted the mayor of his home town in Chattanooga to be included. Cash himself submitted the request for the proclamation, and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke soon made a proclamation of his own for the month-long river celebration!

RIPPLE EFFECT AWARDS

In addition to supporting the river cleanups with donated supplies, Yamaha Rightwaters™ sponsored the 1st annual Ripple Effect Awards. The awards were established to recognize the often-unsung good stewards of the Tennessee River watershed. The hope is that sharing the award recipients’ stories will help to inspire future river champions in a “ripple effect” of good deeds for the river.

Three awards ceremonies were held prior to corresponding river cleanups, with state winners in the following three geographic divisions:

TENNESSEE

Adopt a River Mile - Anthony Laurino
Conservation - Ijams Nature Center
Corporation - Waterfront Management
Standout Youth - Cash ‘The Conservation Kid’ Daniels
Keep America/TN Beautiful Affiliate - Keep Bristol Beautiful
Government Department - TDOT’s Highway Beautification Office
Elected Official - Alderman John Stamps of Collierville, TN
Marina - Hickory Star Resort & Marina
Beacon - Jake Davis

ALABAMA

Adopt a River Mile – Pickwick Parrot Head Club
Conservation – Tennessee River Keeper
Corporation – Alabama Outdoors
Standout Youth – IKF Leadership Team
Keep America/Alabama Beautiful Affiliate - Keep the Shoals Beautiful
Government Department – City of Guntersville Recycling
Elected Official – State Senator Clay Scofield, 9th District
Marina – Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina
Beacon – Nicole Reyes

KENTUCKY

Adopt a River Mile – Phillip Toon
Conservation – Friends of Land Between the Lakes
Standout Youth – Four Rivers District of the Boy Scouts of America
Government Department – Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge
Elected Official – Wade White, Lyon County Executive Judge
Marina – Big Bear Resort
Beacon – Emily Cleaver

“Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Watershed Month was an incredible show of support for an invaluable body of water, but it was also a celebration of the unsung heroes who spend their precious time and effort to keep it that way,” said Kyle Howard, KTNRB Board President. “As we acknowledge the accomplishments of the award winners, we hope to go forward with a strengthened resolve to stop litter at the source in our everyday habits.”

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Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is a 501c3 nonprofit and is the first Keep America Beautiful affiliate to focus solely on a river. With a 25-foot-long aluminum boat used for hauling volunteers to shoreline cleanups, invasive exotic plant removals, and native tree/plant plantings, KTNRB seeks to inspire people to preserve, improve, and protect the river for generations to come.

Volunteers Remove 9,400 Pounds of Trash; Tennessee Recipients in 1st Annual Ripple Effect Awards Recognized over Weekend

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In a kickoff weekend celebrating October as ‘Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Month,’ 73 volunteers removed a total of 9,400 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River’s Fort Loudoun Lake in Lenoir City and Knoxville during river cleanups.

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) hosted the events in partnership with Living Lands & Waters, Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)’s Highway Beautification Office, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, and Yamaha Rightwaters™.

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Living Lands & Waters brought five 30-foot-long aluminum boats to add to KTNRB’s 25-foot-long boat. Volunteers ventured out to various shorelines, collecting 270 bags of trash (mostly filled with plastic bottles), 30 tires, 855 pounds of scrap metal that will be recycled, a 30.5-foot-long concrete dock, and much more.

In Lenoir City, 30 volunteers removed 5,903 pounds of trash before enjoying a free lunch sponsored by Calhoun’s at the Marina at the riverside restaurant. The 43 volunteers in Knoxville removed 3,497 pounds of trash after enjoying a sponsored brunch at the Lakeside Tavern, where KTNRB’s 1st annual Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™ were awarded to nine Tennessee recipients.

“It was a truly inspiring weekend, with passionate volunteers smiling the whole time they cleaned the river, elected officials reading proclamations for our waterways, and river champion award recipients getting recognized,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director.

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TDOT Transportation Manager Mike McClanahan read a proclamation by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declaring October to be ‘Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Month.’ City of Knoxville Vice Mayor Finbarr Saunders and Knox County Commission Chairman Hugh Nystrom presented similar proclamations from Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.

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“We’ve got a lot to be proud of with this treasure called the Tennessee River, and what we’re seeing through KTNRB Month is that everyone—private citizens, companies, sponsors, nonprofits, governments, elected officials—are all demonstrating how valuable the river is to them,” said Gibi.

Recipients of the 2019 Tennessee Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™ included:

Cash ‘The Conservation Kid’ Daniels accepts his Ripple Effect Award for the Standout Youth category. Also in photo: Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director and Kyle Howard, KTNRB Board President.

Cash ‘The Conservation Kid’ Daniels accepts his Ripple Effect Award for the Standout Youth category. Also in photo: Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director and Kyle Howard, KTNRB Board President.

Adopt a River Mile - Anthony Laurino

Conservation - Ijams Nature Center

Corporation - Waterfront Management

Standout Youth
Cash ‘The Conservation Kid’ Daniels

Keep America/TN Beautiful Affiliate Keep Bristol Beautiful

Government Department
TDOT’s Highway Beautification Office

Elected Official - Alderman John Stamps of Collierville, TN

Marina - Hickory Star Resort & Marina

Beacon - Jake Davis

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful will continue with two additional 2019 Ripple Effect Awards ceremonies for Alabama/Mississippi and Kentucky on the following dates:

Friday, Oct. 4 @ 8:30 a.m. – Guntersville State Park Lodge | Guntersville, AL
Saturday, Oct. 19 @ 10 am. – Kenlake State Park Bayview Building | Golden Pond, KY

River cleanups will be held immediately following the awards. Please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups for more information.

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‘Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Month’ to Officially Kick Off Sept. 29

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) will soon launch a month-long tour of weekend cleanups and awards ceremonies in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky in celebration of October being declared ‘Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Month.’

“We’re excited to get out with our new boat and generate awareness for the Tennessee River, which is arguably the most intrinsic foundation block to our region’s basic life source, our thriving economy, and our very culture,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director.

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s new 25-foot-long boat ready for upcoming river cleanups

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s new 25-foot-long boat ready for upcoming river cleanups

RIVER CLEANUPS

The new, KTNRB boat is a 25-foot-long aluminum john boat, and will debut with public cleanups on this tour, taking volunteers out to do river cleanups and invasive plant pulls near public park shorelines.

Living Lands & Waters, a national nonprofit that cleans North American rivers, will assist with two cleanups in East Tennessee on September 28-29, supplementing the cleanups with five 30-foot-long john boats, opening the opportunity for 75 volunteers to head out on the river.

PARTNERSHIPS

Gibi said that it was the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), who challenged KTNRB to celebrate an awareness month for the Tennessee River. The awareness month was launched in the state of Tennessee in 2018 and has now expanded into a four-state awareness campaign this year. A governor’s proclamation will be presented in each state declaring the month for the Tennessee River.

KTNRB volunteers ride back into shore on a Living Lands & Waters boat at an April 2019 cleanup in Oak Ridge, TN.

KTNRB volunteers ride back into shore on a Living Lands & Waters boat at an April 2019 cleanup in Oak Ridge, TN.

“The momentum we’ve seen spread throughout the Tennessee River Valley in KTNRB’s three-year existence is indicative of how much people care for and want to protect our river,” said Kyle Howard, KTNRB Board President who also works at Keep Tennessee Beautiful. “We’re just happy that Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is able to facilitate events and resources that are inspiring so many people to take action!”

TVA and Keep Tennessee Beautiful were the founding partners who initiated the formation of KTNRB as a nonprofit that would rally support for the 652-mile Tennessee River. To date, KTNRB has rallied more than 1,000 volunteers to remove over 70,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River and its tributaries.

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As KTNRB Month is celebrated in different states, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, Keep Alabama Beautiful, Keep Mississippi Beautiful, and the Land Between the Lakes have served as acting co-organizers. Local nonprofits such as Keep Knoxville Beautiful, Keep Guntersville Beautiful, My Lake Guntersville, and Friends of Land Between the Lakes are also supporting partners.

Additionally, the cleanups in Knoxville and Lenoir City are largely funded through a Tennessee Department of Transportation Special Litter Grant. In the grant, litter was collected and analyzed from the same sites in 2018 and will be compared to litter collected this year.

RIPPLE EFFECT AWARDS

Coupled with the river cleanups during ‘Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Month will be the 1st annual Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters. Judges from national-level organizations and companies have been enlisted to select from nominated hard-working champions for the Tennessee River to be recognized in three separate state ceremonies.

REGISTRATION 


Volunteers may register for any cleanup at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups.

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Ripple Effect Awards to Highlight Champions for the Tennessee River

MEDIA RELEASE | 9.4.19

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) is currently seeking applications for the 1st annual Tennessee River Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters™. The awards will recognize winners of nine categories at ceremonies in the four states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky.

“There are so many individuals and groups that have long been working to protect and improve our waterways, often playing the role of unsung heroes on the Tennessee River, which is ironically also known as the ‘Singing River,’” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for KTNRB. “We feel it’s time to sing their praises!”

The goal of the awards is to inspire new river champions in sharing success stories, thus the concept behind the ‘Ripple Effect’ title.

The 2019 Ripple Effect Award categories include:

• Conservation
• Adopt a River Mile
• Standout Youth
• Marina
• Corporation
• Government Department
• Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
• Elected Official
• Beacon (ongoing leadership)

Each winner will receive a glass trophy that resembles a rippling river. The awards are sponsored by Yamaha Rightwaters™, a sustainability initiative of the international watercraft company, Yamaha.

"Yamaha Rightwaters is fighting to protect our most precious and essential natural resource – water,” said Martin Peters Yamaha Marine Division Manager, Government Relations. “It embodies all of Yamaha's conservation initiatives, and becomes a platform for many plans the company has in store to improve our water resources.

“We are proud to partner with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful in their efforts to preserve and protect this amazing resource so that future generations can continue to enjoy the Tennessee River for decades to come."

Held in sync with cleanups celebrating October as ‘Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Month,’ awards will be presented at three locations:

Tennessee Awards

Sunday, September 29 @ 9:30 a.m.
Lakeside Tavern

10911 Concord Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37922

Alabama/Mississippi Awards
Friday, October 4 @ 8:30 a.m.
Guntersville State Park Lodge

1155 Lodge Drive, Guntersville, AL 35976

Kentucky Awards

Saturday, October 19, @ 8:30 a.m.
Kenlake State Park Bayview Building
Kenlake Resort Park, Benton, KY 42025

ALL NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019.

Nomination forms may be submitted at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/awards.

Marinas Install Art-Wrapped Waste Receptacles to Keep Cigarettes Out of Waterways

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Targeting the No. 1 littered item in the world.

With recent reports finding the Tennessee River to possess some of the highest levels of microplastics of rivers studied to date, 150 cigarette waste receptacles are currently being installed in five states within the river’s watershed. Plus, a recently received $5,000 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) grant from Keep America Beautiful® (KAB) will fund an additional 200 receptacles to be installed later this summer.

In January 2019, CNN reported cigarette filters, which contain tightly compacted plastic fibers, to be the No. 1 plastic pollutant in the world. Furthermore, littered cigarettes that are inevitably washed into waterways have been known to contain enough toxins with the potential to kill aquatic life within two gallons of surrounding water.

In an effort to reduce this impact and change societal habits, 24 marinas in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Georgia will be installing metal waste collection receptacles in a project coordinated by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB). Serving more than the mere function of collecting discarded cigarettes, the receptacles also feature educational art wraps.

“Cigarettes are the most littered item in the world because we’ve accepted the act as part of our culture for generations,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for KTNRB. “Our goal with these art wraps is to inform users of the detriments of cigarette waste in the water, such as plastic and toxic pollutants that harm our aquatic life, and then gradually change those accepted norms through awareness.”

Staff at Caney Creek Marina show off their site’s new cigarette waste receptacles.

Staff at Caney Creek Marina show off their site’s new cigarette waste receptacles.

Working to support the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Tennessee Valley Clean Marina Program, KTNRB requested the high-quality receptacles from Keep America Beautiful, who donated and the durable infrastructure pieces.

TVA funding and a special litter grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation paid for the art wraps. Keep Tennessee Beautiful contributed funding to support delivery of the 90 cigarette waste receptacles to marinas in Tennessee.

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful hired Dan Frye, a local graphic designer, to design the art wraps, while Allen Sign Company out of Knoxville, Tenn. printed them onto the receptacles.

TVA connected KTNRB with the 200+ marinas along the Tennessee River watershed, of which 24 marinas quickly responded and volunteered to install and maintain the receptacles on their properties. (See end of document for list.)

The new KAB grant awarded to KTNRB will fund another 200 cigarette waste receptacles with the same educational art wraps.

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Lakeside Marina on Cherokee Lake

Rather than disposing of the collected cigarette butts, participating marinas will ship them to be recycled. TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based company that recycles hard-to-recycle materials, partnered with KAB in a nationwide effort, recycling plastic cigarette filters at no additional expense. All 52 recipients in KAB’s 2019 CLPP will participate in this recycling initiative.

Marinas located within the Tennessee River watershed may submit requests for the free cigarette waste receptacles at www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/cigarettelitter.

The first batch of cigarette waste receptacles have already been delivered to Tennessee marinas and will soon be shipped to marinas in the other four states. The participating marinas in the first round include:

Tennessee
Boone Lake Marina | Boone Lake
Jay's Boat Dock | Boone Lake
Greenlee Campground & Marina | Cherokee Lake
Lakeside Marina | Cherokee Lake
B and B Marina | Chickamauga Lake
Chickamauga Marina | Chickamauga Lake
Gold Point Yacht Harbor | Chickamauga Lake
Pine Harbor Marina | Chickamauga Lake
Volunteer Landing Marina | Fort Loudon Lake
Birdsong Resort | Kentucky Lake
Paris Landing State Park Marina | Kentucky Lake
Perryville Marina | Kentucky Lake
Riverstone Marina | Kentucky Lake
Erwin Marine Riverfront | Nickajack Lake
Ocoee Inn and Marina | Parksville Lake
Watauga Lakeshore Resort and Marina | Watauga Lake
Caney Creek Marina | Watts Bar Lake

Alabama
Jackson County Park Marina | Guntersville Lake
Sunrise Marina | Guntersville Lake
Florence Harbor Marina | Pickwick Lake

Kentucky
Big Bear Resort | Kentucky Lake
Lakeview Cottages and Marina | Kentucky Lake

Mississippi
Aqua Yacht Harbor | Pickwick Lake

Georgia
Lake Blue Ridge Marina | Blue Ridge Lake

Click HERE to listen to a National Recreation and Parks Association podcast with KTNRB’s Executive Director, Kathleen Gibi, and Keep Tennessee Beautiful’s Executive Director, Missy Marshall, as well as their Affiliate Services and Training Coordinator, Edmond McDavis III, speaking about the consequences of cigarette litter and solutions coming to the Tennessee River watershed.

Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina Seeks to Go The Extra River Mile in Green Efforts

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Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina is a sponsor for the 2019 Pickwick Lake Cleanup. We caught up with Rodney Vanhoose, General Manager, to find out why Safe Harbor chose to make an investment in the Tennessee River.

Tell us about Safe Harbor.

Safe Harbor is the world’s largest owner of marinas with about 80 marina properties from the east to the west coast (and growing). Our marina, Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina, is one of the larger marinas on the river system.

The river’s health is vital to our business and way of life. Our parent company has hired two environmental consulting firms to make sure that we are environmentally responsible and doing the right thing. Our goal is to exceed federal environmental expectations.

How long have you been at the marina on Pickwick?

I’ve been here at Aqua Yacht Marina for 27 years. I’ve lived in Hardin County my whole life and it’s a great place to live and work. I didn’t make plans to stay here my whole life, but I guess I just can’t keep away from the lake. It’s home.

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Why did you choose to invest in Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s Pickwick Lake Cleanup?

I didn’t realize just how many people would come out to the cleanup at our lake until I saw it for myself the last couple of years. It was great to see the big turnout—to know that so many people understand the value of our river and have a passion to preserve its beauty.

We have our staff go out and participate in the cleanup each year. It obviously is important to us to keep the marina area and lake in general as clean as possible. It’s not just a good thing to do. It’s about safety and this cleanup tradition will help to keep our lake clean and looking good for generations to come.

What’s your favorite thing about Pickwick Lake personally?

I guess we take for granted how beautiful the lake is, and the fact that we live where other people come to vacation. I guess you could say we’re on permanent vacation! Even when I’m on land, I drive over the dam and enjoy that beautiful view on a regular basis. Not everyone gets a view like that every day.

What advice do you have to boaters and visitors to any part of the Tennessee River?

I would just encourage everyone to do the best they can to keep trash bags in their boats so that it stays in the boat.

We offer free pump out and we encourage people to take advantage of it so that the sewage goes where it’s supposed to. We also hope people use our recycling bins stationed on each of our piers. I just hope everyone strives to be good environmental stewards so that we can all enjoy Pickwick Lake and its beauty.

To learn more about Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina, visit www.AquaYachtHarbor.com.

MARCH 15: KICKOFF OF ‘TENNESSEE RIVER GRAND SLAM CLEANUP’

This March, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) will launch the ‘Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup,’ bringing four major cleanups spanning 400+ river miles in four weeks.

“Each of these four cleanups are unique in their own right, showcasing the diverse scenery and cultural resources that the Tennessee River has to offer—precisely why we need to keep it clean and beautiful,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director. “Volunteers will serve as part of a force of millions nationwide in the Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup, and now also as needed recovery after damage from recent flooding in each community.”

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The cleanups will offer a timely service following severe flooding that occurred in the wettest February ever recorded for the Tennessee Valley. States of emergency were declared for Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Though the river is expected to have receded, it will leave behind debris where flood waters temporarily occupied higher grounds.

Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Schedule *Further details on next page.

• Friday, March 15, 2019 noon – 3 p.m. | Iuka, MS | Pickwick Lake

• Saturday, March 16, 2019 8:30 a.m. – noon | The Shoals, AL | Pickwick & Wilson Lakes

• Saturday, April 6, 2019 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Knoxville, TN | Fort Loudoun Lake

• Sunday, April 7, 2019 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. | Dayton, TN | Chickamauga Lake


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KTNRB will work with volunteers to document the types of litter collected, as the cleanups are also taking place one month after German scientist Dr. Andreas Fath released his findings that the Tennessee River was one of the most plastic littered rivers in the world. In 2017, Fath swam the 652-mile river, collecting samples that returned high levels of microplastics.

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The Grand Slam Cleanup campaign will receive reinforcement from Living Lands & Waters, a national nonprofit that has removed more than 10 million pounds of trash from American rivers. Chad Pregracke, Living Lands & Waters founder and 2013 CNN Hero of the Year, brings a crew that make the cleanups memorable and fun-filled for volunteers. LL&W will drive volunteers on plate boats to reach more remote shorelines for litter collection.

“LL&W is thrilled to be able to assist Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful with its Grand Slam cleanups!” said Pregracke. “Their leadership will maintain this great natural resource for the area that is truly one of the most beautiful rivers I've ever had the privilege to work on!"

This Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup is part of a nationwide effort known as the Great American Cleanup®, a signature program of national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful®. Through this far-reaching effort, which takes place from March 20 through June 20, Keep America Beautiful’s national network of community-based affiliates host cleanups in more than 20,000 communities, engaging over 1.5 million volunteers and participants.

“With 80 percent of marine debris coming from land, stopping the flow of litter to the oceans is of paramount Importance," said Helen Lowman, President & CEO for Keep America Beautiful. "We're thrilled to join Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful and its partnering organizations in this effort to keep the Tennessee River and neighboring watersheds litter-free through this notable Great American Cleanup initiative."

Lowman and her team will join the cleanup in Iuka, MS on Friday, March 15, to officially kickoff the Great American Cleanup nationwide and to launch Keep America Beautiful’s new Common Ground Campaign. Local elected officials have been invited to each of the Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup events to demonstrate that the cleanliness of our communities—and, by extension, our waterways—is Common Ground, a non-partisan issue. The hope is that this new initiative will serve as crucial, tangible steps for the nation moving forward.

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is the first KAB affiliate in the nation to focus solely on a river, seeking to maintain the beauty and health of the Tennessee River watershed. The nonprofit is the brainchild of a collaboration between the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Keep Tennessee Beautiful (KTnB), and Living Lands and Waters after the organizations co-sponsored a Tennessee River awareness campaign in 2015.

Thanks to support and partnership from TVA, KTnB, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful has been able to rally 704 volunteers to remove 55,655 pounds of trash from regional waterways in just over two years. The upcoming cleanups are expected to significantly increase those statistics.

THE TENNESSEE RIVER GRAND SLAM CLEANUP EVENTS

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Volunteers will need to wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, and shoes that can get muddy. All cleanup supplies will be provided. Each volunteer will receive a t-shirt and some other KTNRB swag. To register, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org.

• Friday, March 15, 2019 | noon – 3 p.m. | Iuka, MS | Pickwick Lake
Volunteers will receive free lunch at the Aqua Yacht Harbor Grille at noon and then hit the water for cleanup at 1 p.m. This unique location on the Tennessee River is a popular vacationing site and touches on the state borders for Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. This event will serve as the official kickoff cleanup for the 2019 Great American Cleanup.


• Saturday, March 16, 2019 | 8:30 a.m. – noon | The Shoals, AL | Pickwick & Wilson lakes
This unique cleanup will impact four cities that meet at the Tennessee River in Alabama—including Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia—(a.k.a. “The Shoals”). Volunteers can clean the shoreline from Riverfront Park, located in front of the notable Cypress Moon Studios. Now a concert venue, recording and film production studio, it was once the location of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where Bob Dylan, the Commodores, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Melissa Etheridge, Jimmy Buffet, and other legends recorded. Living Lands & Waters will transport volunteers via boat from the park to other shorelines along The Shoals. Alternatively, volunteers can hop in a shuttle van to be taken to Living Lands & Waters boats working at a higher elevation on Wilson Lake, putting in at Fleet Harbor. After the cleanup, lunch will be provided back at Riverfront Park. Pre-registered volunteers will enjoy a free tour of Cypress Moon Studios!


• Saturday, April 6, 2019 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Knoxville, TN | Fort Loudoun Lake
This effort is supporting Ijams Nature Center’s 30th annual Ijams River Rescue, which averages more than 800 volunteers each year. As part of the Ijams “Take Action” campaign, a Living Lands & Waters staff member will speak in the multi-purpose room in Ijams Nature Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 5. This annual Ijams cleanup was the kickoff event for the 2015 Tennessee River Tour, a campaign cleanup initiative that led to the forming of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, so KTNRB’s history runs deep with this one!
 Visit www.Ijams.org/ijams-river-rescue to register for this particular event.

• Sunday, April 7, 2019 | 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. | Dayton, TN | Chickamauga Lake
This is a first-time cleanup site for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful! The cleanup will take place two days prior to Major League Fishing’s prestigious Bass Pro Tour that will be aired on the Discovery Channel. Chickamauga Lake is a well-known fishing mecca, and MLF’s professional anglers reacted enthusiastically when this fishing site was announced on the Bass Pro Tour. Volunteers will be provided a free meal following the cleanup.

To register for a Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/register.

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1st Annual Polar Plunge Makes Another Splash: Proceeds Presented to Keep the TN River Beautiful

Julie Graham of 9 Lakes of East Tennessee (right) and Lauren Hurdle of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce (left) present Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s Kathleen Gibi (middle) with a proceeds check from the 1st Annual Polar Plunge held at…

Julie Graham of 9 Lakes of East Tennessee (right) and Lauren Hurdle of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce (left) present Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s Kathleen Gibi (middle) with a proceeds check from the 1st Annual Polar Plunge held at Cherokee Lake on New Year’s Day.

Julie Graham, Executive Director for the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council (branded as 9 Lakes of East Tennessee) presented a check to Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful at a local tourism meeting held at White Pine City Hall on Friday, Feb. 1. The donation comes from the proceeds of the organization’s 1st Annual Polar Plunge, which was held on New Year’s Day at the Cherokee Lake Recreation Area.

Organizing partners for the event included Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council (METTC), Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce (JCCC), Cherokee Lake Realty, and Cherokee Lake Users Association (CLUA).

“This was a fun way for people to get out and enjoy Cherokee Lake at the start of the year while also highlighting the many benefits of the Tennessee River,” said Graham. “We thank all sponsors and event organizers, especially Lauren Hurdle (Tourism Development Coordinator for JCCC).”

A little post-plunge joy!

A little post-plunge joy!

More than 200 people attended the event, including six mayors from the region:

  • Mayor Mark Potts, Jefferson County

  • Mayor Beau Tucker, City of New Market

  • Mayor Terry Wolfe, Town of Bean Station

  • Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Knox County

  • Mayor Mike Byrd, Grainger County

  • Mayor Mitch Cain, Jefferson City

“We wanted to highlight and benefit Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful because it’s a great organization that’s tying together all of our local waterway efforts,” said Graham. “The attendance of six mayors is a testament to the river’s reach in East Tennessee.”

The mayors served as the judging panel for the Parade of Penguins, which had some interesting costume entries, including Elvis, men donning tutus, and a group of elves. The winning entry went home with a new kayak provided by Jefferson City Wal-Mart.

“We’re grateful to Julie for her passion for the river, for the efforts of the event organizers, and for this donation that will be used to raise awareness around keeping the Tennessee River healthy and beautiful,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. “Six mayors attended this event because they understand the impact our river has on our economy, tourism, and culture.”

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Graham currently serves as President of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s Board of Directors, and plans are underway to continue the Polar Plunge next year at Cherokee Lake.

Sponsors included Bush Beans, Tennova, Citizen Tribune, Mossy Creek Foundation, Greenlee Marina, Honda Marine, Smarketing, Jefferson County Post, Standard Banner, Off the Hook, First People’s Bank, Hibbert Sports, Walmart, Bucks and Bass, and TVA Credit Union.


Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council is a 16-county not-for-profit that serves to promote the assets of the region to build local community and economic opportunities through tourism. Branded as the 9 Lakes of East Tennessee, they partner with businesses and tourism agencies to serve 16 counties in the region.

www.EastTNVacations.com
Contact: Julie Graham, Executive Director
9lakes.easttn@gmail.com
865.585.0811

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is the first Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the nation to focus solely on a river. The non-profit’s mission is to educate and inspire people to take action to create a clean, healthy, beautiful TN River. They aim to rally communities along the river to preserve, improve and protect the river for generations to come.

www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org
Contact: Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director
kathleen@keeptnriverbeautiful.org
865.386.3926

3/3: As Oceanic Trash Islands Grow, What You Can Do from the Tennessee Valley

We’ve spent the last two installments of this blog series understanding the severity of litter—especially plastics—and how far it can go.

Here are six ways that you can help with reducing some of the biggest plastic culprits that Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is finding along the river valley.

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1. CHOOSE REUSABLE CUPS/BOTTLES/ TUMBLERS

Plastic bottles are projected to take up to 450 to 1,000 years to break down and Styrofoam cups can take anywhere from 50 to 500 years. Any time you opt against the use of a throwaway bottle or cup, that’s one less item that can contribute to the floating trash islands. After a length of time, similar conditions that bust up shells into microscopic pieces would bust up the bottles and cups for aquatic animals to ingest. Reusable cups, bottles, and tumblers help to reduce the frequency of this outcome.



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2. CARRY STORE BOUGHT GOODS IN TOTE BAGS

Plastic grocery bags are some of the most common items we find littered along the waterways. Though they take 10 to 100 years to break down, plastic bags are used in masses on a daily basis. Because of their light-weight nature, they are easily blown from garbage cans or trucks, eventually winding up in—you guessed it—our waterways.



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3. DON’T USE THOSE PLASTIC STRAWS!

Many have seen the viral video of the sea turtle with a straw lodged in its nostril. (If you haven’t, check it out: https://bit.ly/2DmBHHi) If placed end to end, the amount of straws used in the U.S. in one day alone could circle the planet 2.5 times. For those who simply must use straws, there are metal straws that can be purchased from your local grocery store for $6-$10. Or, try reusing those larger plastic straws from souvenir cups.



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4. BYOC - BRING YOUR OWN CUTLERY

Similar to straws, plastic cutlery is a one-time use item with minimal weight that makes it a good candidate for long-distance travel on our waterways. When ordering takeout, consider declining cutlery and using your silverware at home. There are also plenty of options for reusable cutlery sets that you can keep with you for dining out. Some of these options come in nice little cases. Some are packaged as a pocket knife of cutlery. These items make excellent stocking stuffers or wedding giveaways (also serving a dual purpose as giveaways/utensils for the wedding meals).


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5. PACK FOODS WITH REUSABLE STORAGE CONTAINERS

Throwaway sandwich bags have become a staple of the American packed lunch. They’re also a common find during river cleanups! You’ll help your wallet and reduce your chances of contributing to litter that’s blown from landfills, trash cans, or garbage trucks and into our water system. It’s also a great opportunity to teach the kids about reducing your household’s waste impact. Next time you pack your food to go, consider using glass or plastic reusable storage containers!


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6. RECYCLE!

While reducing waste is the best way to prevent litter in our waterways, recycling is still a great option to make a difference! If you haven’t already, sign up for your garbage collector’s recycling program. It’s estimated that 80 percent of plastic is not recycled each year.


It’s going to take time for us to get this plastic crisis under control, but it’s in your power to start making a difference today. Any of these options are a good start!

We encourage you to begin eliminating those brief purpose, long-term presence items from your day-to-day routine. Just don’t try to make all of these changes at once. Be sure to ease into it with one item at a time so that it isn’t too overwhelming.

It’s a decision that will continue to make a positive impact on our planet for (450 to 1,000) years to come!

Keeping our waterways healthy and beautiful will do the same for our oceans. To find out how you can help to remove the plastics already in our waterways, visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org.

Read the previous installments of this blog series, “As Oceanic Trash Islands Rise, What You Can Do from the Tennessee River Valley”:

1/1 - published on 1.23.19

1/2 - published on 1.24.19

Part 2/3: As Oceanic Trash Islands Grow, What You Can Do from the Tennessee River Valley

Over the years in our increasingly hurried lives, we’ve developed the habit of using throw-away items like sandwich bags, plastic cutlery, straws, and fast food cups.

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“Brief purpose, long-term presence items”

In the solid waste industry, these items are called “single-use items.” It’s a label way too benign for their effect. We should call them what they really are: Brief purpose, long-term presence items.

For example, scientists estimate that plastic straws will take up to 450 years to break down.

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Now, stop and think about the amount of time you personally use a “disposable” straw. Is it three hours? Five? Let’s go so far as to say that you use it through one full waking day. Is your 12 hours with that straw worth its estimated 3,942,000-hour lifetime on earth? (Don’t forget, that’s just an estimate because straws haven’t been around long enough for us to actually watch them break down.)

We’ve all participated in today’s throw-away culture. It was an innocent societal step toward what seemed to solve our shrinking schedules. After all, asbestos was once a great solution to roofing ailments.

Is your 12 hours with that straw worth its estimated 3,942,000-hour lifetime on earth?

We now know that our plastic throwaway companions are causing vast environmental consequences, and those consequences are about to rear their heads.

A dead fish washed up alongside litter on Gulf Coast Beach.

A dead fish washed up alongside litter on Gulf Coast Beach.

Experts are sounding the alarm because fish have been found to be ingesting tiny bits of plastic. A study was recently released that found that 73 percent of deep-sea fish in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean had ingested plastic.

In 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration opened the Gulf of Mexico to companies for aquaculture purposes in the hope of reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign fish imports.

We are about to be literally eating our problem—if we’re not already!

In the last installment of this blog series, we’ll explore some options on how you can personally stop plastic from entering your water (and food) systems. Click below to read the final installment of this blog series:

As Oceanic Trash Islands Grow, What You Can Do from the Tennessee River Valley
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Part 1/3 (Released on 1.24.19) | Part 3/3 (Released on 1.25.19) —->