Keep America Beautiful

Keep America Beautiful, founded in 1953, is an organization best known for the famous "Crying Indian" public service advertisement (PSA) which launched on the first Earth Day in 1971. KAB focuses on three key issues: litter prevention, waste reduction and community beautification. This is accomplished through a combination of community organizing, public education and the fostering of public/private partnerships.

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Today, Keep America Beautiful is the nation's largest community improvement organization, with 560 affiliate organizations (similar to local chapters) and over 15, 000 participating communities in their signature annual event - the Great American Cleanup. In 2004, their accomplishments included:

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Cleanups

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Litter & debris collected: 150,000,000 lb (68,000,000 kg)

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Roads, streets & highways cleaned: 97,000 miles (156,000 km)

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RR tracksides cleaned: 900 miles (1400 km)

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Area of parks cleaned: 32,300 acres (131 km²)

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Hiking/biking/nature trails cleaned: 2,000 miles (3,000 km)

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Playgrounds & community recreation areas cleaned, restored, constructed: 4,000

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Rivers, lakes & shoreline cleaned: 6,500 miles (10,000 km)

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Underwater cleanups conducted: 80

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Wetlands restored: 8,200 acres (33 km²)

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Illegal dumpsites cleaned: 2,600

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Junk cars removed: 7,200

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Reduce, reuse, recycle

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Clothing collected for reuse: 5,800,000 lb (2,600,000 kg)

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Bags of aluminum/steel recycled: 645,000

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Bags of newspaper recycled: 691,000

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Tires collected for recycling: 1,220,000

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Batteries collected for recycling: 21,000

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Beautification

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Trees planted: 131,000

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Flowers and bulbs planted: 5,000,000

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Homes & commercial buildings painted: 1,300

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Graffiti sites abated: 6,000

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Education

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Educational workshops held: 4,400

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Educational workshop attendees: 393,000

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