KEB Featured Product
Keep Evanston Beautiful, Inc. is a 501c3 corporation dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Evanston through environmental education, beautification, recycling, litter abatement, conservation and community collaboration.
Evanston, Illinois USA
About KEB
Keep Evanston Beautiful engages individuals to greater responsibility for improving Evanston.
We do this by:
- Support and contribute to environmental education.
- Encourage preservation of our natural resources by promoting waste reduction, reuse, recycling and purchase of recycled products.
- Improve neighborhoods through beautification and clean-up programs.
- Showcase the best of Evanston through our annual Garden Walk.
History
In 1985, the City of Evanston's Environment Board began examining ways to implement recycling, reduce litter, control solid waste, eliminate graffiti, and tackle other related problems. After looking at various options, it was determined that communities with a membership in the nationwide Keep America Beautiful system showed 60-80% declines in litter and were also leaders in waste reduction. Keep Evanston Beautiful, Inc., was certified by Keep America Beautiful and chartered by the City of Evanston in 1986 as a not for profit, volunteer, non-partisan group of citizens representing government, business and the community. The group was also interested in reducing government costs related to litter pick up and solid waste removal.
With the support of KEB, curbside recycling was adopted in 1989 as a citywide service. In 1992, the City of Evanston built a recycling processing center to generate revenue, keep jobs in the community and provide a job-training program. Curbside recycling was privatized in 1999, which eliminated the need for the processing facility.
Keep Evanston Beautiful continues to introduce programs to promote environmental awareness.
1987-Trashbusters' Day
1987-CanMan mascot introduced
1989- Earth Day Contest
1989-KEB Garden Walk
1990s-Household Battery Recycling funded by KEB
1999- Directory of Recycling Options (six editions)
1999-KEB Green Team of District Educators
2001-School Garden Initiative
2003-Lucansky Environmental Stewardship Award
2003-Cell Phone Recycling
2003-Athletic Shoe Recycling
Funding
Keep Evanston Beautiful is a 501 c 3 not-for-profit organization. We receive in-kind contributions from the City of Evanston. KEB also has an annual membership drive to raise money for programming. Our Annual Garden Walk is a significant source of income.
Funding to maintain website and other programs is provided by Illinois EPA.
We continue to seek for other income sources as we develop and initiate programs. North End Mothers Club and Lincolnwood Garden Club of Evanston have provided funding. This past year, Keep Illinois Beautiful provided funding for KEB to offer complete funding of environmental field trips to the Evanston Ecology Center and Chicago's North Park Nature Center for elementary school students.
Board of Directors & Committees
September 2006-2007
Executive Board
Dick Peach - President
Marge Lucansky - Secretary
Judy Elsass - Treasurer
At Large Board Members
Sue Thompson
Virgina Stanton
Staff
Sheila Hilliard, Office Administrator
Andrew Lehman Design, Webmaster
Honorary Board of KEB
Nancy Burhop
Ellen Fierer
Sam Hunter
Maryjane Klein
Hon. Lorraine H. Morton
Charles Smith
Yvonne Vanden Avenne
Board of Directors
Sally Ennis
Sandy Whiteley
Mimi Davis
Nancy Stermer
Ad Hoc Directors
Lynn Hyndman, School Gardens
Phil Klein, Financial Advisor
Community Awareness Committee
This committee organizes Trashbusters Day, the annual spring clean up in Evanston and Adopt-A-Spot, the everyday clean up program. It plans activities for America Recycles Day with Ricky Recycle. This committee also organizes the Bake Sale and provides volunteers to give out information for Not-For-Profit Day at the Farmer's Market. It is the liaison between KEB and other local community groups.
Education/KEB Green School Initiatives
This committee is composed of parents and local educators planning environmental education programs in the schools. They quarterly during the school year. The meetings provide information about current issues and devise the questions for the Earth Day Contest. The School Garden Initiative seeks to engage children with natural resources through developing school gardens.
Education/KEB School Recycling Coordinators
Felicia Przekota, Chute Middle School
Kitty Okano, Chute Middle School
Sue Jicha, Dawes School
Gwen Blossom, Dewey Elementary
Pat Cleveland, Dewey Elementary
Kathy Bosan, Haven Middle School
Melissa Green, Haven Middle School
Jeannie Young, King Lab
Alicia Liay von Bodman, Kingsley Elementary
Diane Peachin, Lincoln School
Emily Bowles, Lincolnwood School
Allison Harned, Nichols Middle School
Patricia Nameth-Rich, Nichols Middle School
Marcay Washington, Oakton School
Amy Kipfer, Orrington School
Karen Rosenbluh, Orrington School
Hilary Bernheim, Park School
Barbara Blount, Rice Children's Center
Beth Schiff, Walker School
Monica Schiffer, Washington School
Ray McLaughlin, Willard School
Garden Walk
Held the last weekend of June, our annual fundraiser is the Garden Walk, which showcases seven or eight private and one public Evanston garden.
Nancy Burhop, Committee Member
Judy Elsass, Committee Member
Natalie Fisher, Chair
Leah Johnson-Manos, Committee Member
Marta Pappert, Committee Member
Morgan Simmons, Committee Member
Sandy Whiteley, Committee Member