Keep Evanston Beautiful || Programs

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

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS 2002-2003
Keep Evanston Beautiful, Inc. provides educational programs for the Evanston community to promote the responsible use of our natural resources through the three R's - reduce, reuse & recycle. We also encourage the aesthetic improvement of our community through litter prevention and landscaping. During the past year, we have continued or set in motion the following projects:

TRASHBUSTER'S DAY - the last Saturday in April, over 400 volunteers helped pick up a winter's worth of trash all around Evanston, in parks, shopping districts and around schools. Volunteers were comprised of families, students, church groups, scout troops, neighborhood groups and individuals.

ADOPT-A-SPOT - in a effort to improve the litter situation in Evanston year-'round, we have started recruiting individuals, groups and businesses to "adopt" areas around Evanston which are prone to litter. See our list of adopted spots.

13th ANNUAL Earth Day Contest & AWARD CEREMONY- students in grades 1-12 were asked to write an essay on various environmental topics. This year's topic was "Promoting our Planet" Many entries were submitted, and volunteer judges selected 4 winners in each of four age groups. Prizes were primarily donated by local businesses. Prizes are presented at a ceremony in the Civic Center in May. This year's guest presenter was Roger Crum, City Manager.

GREEN TEAM - formed in 1999, the Green Team is comprised of teachers representing all the elementary and middle schools in Evanston. Meeting during the school term, a project is selected in September. The emphasis is on getting the school-recycling program on track, and facilitating the development of natural areas or outdoor classrooms on school sites. Six schools have received grants for creating gardens, and another two that already had gardens are making improvements.

DIRECTORY OF RECYCLING OPTIONS - 6TH EDITION- we printed 6,000 copies of this handy directory and have distributed them to our membership, and to interested residents at local public events. The directory provides information about where to recycle most household items, lists places to buy recycled products, and provides information about non-toxic household cleaners. Currently being updated, the directory will be on line in 2003.

HOUSEHOLD BATTERY RECYCLING - working in cooperation with the City, we have set up a drop-off system at all Evanston fire stations and the Ecology Center, where residents can bring their expired batteries. Keep Evanston Beautiful pays for the cost of this recycling, approximately $1800 per load.

INKJET CARTRIDGE RECYCLING - we have set up dispensers for postage-paid envelopes in various locations around Evanston, so that residents can mail in their spent cartridges for re-use. KEB receives $1 for each cartridge that is successfully recycled. Merchants who can display a dispenser should phone the KEB office.

AMERICA RECYCLES DAY - on a Sunday in November (this year November 17) we work with the high school to have student volunteers in downtown Evanston, handing out information on "Buying Recycled" and giving out inkjet recycling envelopes. We also provide a recycled product, such as a recycled plastic "hand" chair, to be given away. Last November we had 16 students from ETHS handing out information and recycled pencils at Whole Foods.

GARDEN WALK - this June was our 13th annual Garden Walk, a look at seven private and one public garden in Evanston. This is our annual fundraiser, which has become very popular, generally attended by about 500 people. As well as raising money for KEB, the Garden Walk has encouraged residents to improve their property through landscaping, to the aesthetic benefit of the community as a whole.

KEB WEB SITE - we maintain a web site, which gives visitors information about our events and programs, as well as general information about recycling and waste reduction. We provide links to several other sites as well. For the Adopt-A-Spot program, we will give the adoptive person or company credit on our site.

RESOURCE - twice a year, we publish our newsletter, and send it to our mailing list, which consists of approximately 1400 Evanston residents, plus people from neighboring communities who participate in some of our events.

PUBLIC EVENTS - during the summer, KEB has representatives at not-for-profit day at the Farmer's Market, giving out information about recycling and waste reduction and about KEB.

INFORMATION DISSEMINATION - because the City of Evanston no longer has a recycling coordinator, there is no one to serve as the contact person for recycling and waste reduction questions. KEB has helped to fill this gap, and calls are frequently directed to our office.

ANNUAL MEETING - our Annual Meeting is held in March, usually in conjunction with another community organization, and speakers are chosen to appeal to both groups. This year we joined with the SWANCC, the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County.