20:
133:
In 2021, Keep
America Beautiful released a comprehensive litter study. Its study concluded that 90% of Americans agree litter is a problem in their community, roadside litter is down 54% in the last ten years and there are approximately 50 billion pieces of litter on the ground in the United States.
113:
In 1976, Keep
America Beautiful introduced its "Clean Community System", which encouraged local communities to prevent litter through education efforts, public service advertising, local research, the mapping of litter "hotspots", and cleanup activities. During the height of the campaign, it received
183:
in 1971 as a national cleanup and recycling program. Keep
America Beautiful also co-sponsors the "Keep America Beautiful Hometown USA Award" with the Boy Scouts of America that boy scouts can earn by completing a non-paid, community service project, with the approved scout project being designed to
87:
in 1947. Keep
America Beautiful joined with the Ad Council in 1961 to popularize the idea that individuals must help protect against the effects litter has on the environment. Gioni came up with the 1963 television campaign theme "Every Litter Bit Hurts." Another campaign in 1964 featured the
151:
Keep
America Beautiful distributes programming and materials through a network of organizations. In addition to KAB's certified affiliates, the organization partners with other groups to expand its reach. These include multiple state recycling organizations,
282:, describes Keep America Beautiful as a "masterful example of corporate greenwash", writing that in contrast to its anti-litter campaigns, it ignores the potential of recycling legislation and resists changes to packaging.
76:," although the National Council of State Garden Clubs representative exhibited a "litter bug" emblem at the first Keep America Beautiful organizational meeting. Author and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland president
196:
98:, a new campaign was launched with the theme "People Start Pollution. People Can Stop It." In what later became known as the "Crying Indian" PSA, the television ad, narrated by actor
289:
developed programs with Keep
America Beautiful that focused on cigarette litter solutions acceptable to the industry such as volunteer clean-ups and ashtrays, in lieu of
1193:
110:, who portrayed a Native American man devastated to see the destruction of Earth's natural beauty caused by the thoughtless pollution and litter of a modern society.
893:
130:. The advertising campaign has been widely credited, including in Frank Lowenstein's "Voices of Protest", with inspiring America's fledgling environmental movement.
257:
corporate fronts. She asserts that the group was created in response to
Vermont's 1953 attempt to legislate a mandatory deposit to be paid at point of purchase on
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Keep
America Beautiful's narrow focus on litter, and its characterization of litter as a consumer created problem, is seen as an attempt to divert an
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In 1970, Keep
America Beautiful began distributing free brochures. More than 100,000 copies of the brochure were requested within four months.
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representing that if all individuals picked up 152 pieces of litter, there would be no litter on the ground until someone littered again.
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Keep
America Beautiful conducted many local PSA campaigns early in its history. One of these early campaigns in Pennsylvania (
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227:
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Others report, however, that the term was coined by Paul B. Gioni, a copywriter in New York City who originated it for the
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45:, and to beautify American communities. The organization's narrow focus on littering and recycling has been criticized as
427:
358:
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at parks and beaches. The tobacco industry has funded Keep America Beautiful and similar organizations internationally.
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1248:
894:"Keep America Beautiful Merges with RETREET to Focus on Community Restoration and Resiliency Through Tree Planting"
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153:
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Keep America Beautiful is best known for its "Crying Indian" public service advertisement (PSA) which launched on
80:
published "The Litterbug Family" in 1931 containing poems and illustrations about the problem of roadside litter.
34:, with more than 700 state and community-based affiliate organizations and more than 1,000 partner organizations.
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332:
242:. In February 2023, the Keep America Beautiful organization transferred ownership of the ad's copyright to the
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840:
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In January, 2021, Keep America Beautiful merged with RETREET, which focuses on post-disaster tree planting.
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is a nonprofit organization founded in 1953. It is the largest community improvement organization in the
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to consumers who improperly dispose of the non-returnable wrappers, filters, and beverage containers.
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In concert with the study's release, Keep America Beautiful launched their hashtag #152AndYou on
1117:"Environmental impacts of tobacco product waste: International and Australian policy responses"
235:
180:
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Scouting Keep America Beautiful Day was first cosponsored by Keep America Beautiful and the
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Keep America Beautiful's, now retired, 1971 ad campaign, featuring Italian-American actor
184:"help keep America beautiful and benefit the community either physically or financially."
8:
940:"Elizabeth Warren, the Pipe Bomber and why so many white Americans claim Native ancestry"
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106:'s instrumental "Overture" playing in the background, featured Italian-American actor
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595:"Ad Council : Pollution: Keep America Beautiful - Iron Eyes Cody (1961-1983)"
450:""KEEP AMERICAN BEAUTIFUL" AND PERSONAL VS CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY"
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and book of the same name, classifies Keep America Beautiful as one of the first
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502:"Is Big Tech 'greenwashing' its environmental responsibilities ahead of COP26?"
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578:"National Parks and Conservation Magazine July-September 1954: Vol 28 Iss 118"
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over 2,000 letters a month from people wanting to join their local programs.
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234:, Espera Oscar DeCorti was of Italian descent. This sparked accusations of
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546:"How authors from Dickens to Dr Seuss invented the words we use every day"
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in that it diverts responsibility away from corporations and industries.
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Wallbank, Lucinda A.; MacKenzie, Ross; Beggs, Paul J. (April 2017).
359:"KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL RELEASES LARGEST STUDY ON LITTER IN AMERICA"
246:, who intend to restrict use of the ad to only historical purposes.
1001:
1068:"Covering their butts: responses to the cigarette litter problem"
736:"Pollution: Keep America Beautiful - Iron Eyes Cody (1961-1983)"
1041:, Scientific American blog, July 6, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
782:
761:"The 'Crying Indian' ad that fooled the environmental movement"
696:"The 'Crying Indian' ad that fooled the environmental movement"
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diverts responsibility away from corporations and industries.
965:"Rights to 'Crying Indian' ad to go to Native American group"
57:
Keep America Beautiful was founded in December 1953 by the
1066:
Smith, Elizabeth A.; McDaniel, Patricia A. (March 2011).
580:. National Parks and Conservation Association. July 1954.
211:
Keep America Beautiful's actions have been criticized as
261:
and banning the sale of beer in non-refillable bottles.
866:"Keep America Beautiful Hometown USA Award Application"
146:
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249:
Heather Rogers, creator of the 2005 documentary film
428:"Recycling Plastic Into Unique and Useful Creations"
203:
as the "Crying Indian", has often been described as
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1174:"Keep America Beautiful" 1970s "Crying Indian" PSA
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620:"Clip: Littering Public Service Announcement 1963"
1194:Public service announcements of the United States
589:
587:
23:Keep America Beautiful cleanup volunteers in 2021
1185:
671:"Great Moments In PSA's: Keep America Beautiful"
1039:"More Recycling Won't Solve Plastic Pollution"
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268:from the industries that manufacture and sell
1234:Non-profit organizations based in Connecticut
1065:
711:
709:
1229:Organizations based in Stamford, Connecticut
921:"How companies blame you for climate change"
72:) some attribute to having coined the term "
783:"The Definitive Study on Litter in America"
476:"How the recycling symbol lost its meaning"
176:, and Take Pride in America, among others.
706:
1140:
1091:
645:"Clip: Littering PSA Susan Spotless 1964"
499:
452:. History News Network. February 16, 2020
251:Gone Tomorrow. The Hidden Life of Garbage
1209:Companies based in Stamford, Connecticut
1078:(2). BMJ Publishing Group Ltd: 100–106.
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989:
785:. Keep America Beautiful. April 22, 2021
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1224:1953 establishments in New York (state)
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821:. Keep America Beautiful. 20 April 2020
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172:, Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition,
160:and the Points of Light Institute, the
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406:"The Futility of Picking Up the Trash"
361:. Keep America Beautiful. May 19, 2021
164:, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society,
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523:. New York: Bloomsbury. p. 103.
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244:National Congress of American Indians
215:. The organization's narrow focus on
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938:Reid, Darren R. (October 31, 2018).
937:
918:
763:. Chicago Tribune. November 20, 2017
694:Dunaway, Finis (November 21, 2017).
668:
521:Authorisms: words wrought by writers
464:
147:Partnership with other organizations
1026:"Keep America Beautiful: A History"
226:Despite self-identifying as having
37:Keep America Beautiful aims to end
13:
500:Tarantola, A. (October 29, 2021).
117:
14:
1260:
1199:Organizations established in 1953
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996:Ariane Conrad Hyde (2005-04-01).
963:Tang, Terry (February 25, 2023).
154:Boys & Girls Clubs of America
1219:Environment of the United States
430:. Daily Yonder. October 24, 2022
266:extended producer responsibility
230:ancestry with the stage name of
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318:Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful
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408:. Bloomberg. February 16, 2022
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333:Recycling in the United States
259:disposable beverage containers
1:
919:Park, William (May 5, 2022).
474:Yoder, Kate (June 12, 2024).
344:
338:Roads Beautifying Association
308:Container deposit legislation
1244:American advertising slogans
669:Daye, Derrick (2007-11-10).
544:Dickson, Paul (2014-06-17).
63:Owens-Illinois Glass Company
7:
323:Litter in the United States
296:
141:
126:in 1971 and for its annual
10:
1265:
88:character Susan Spotless.
52:
1133:10.1007/s13280-016-0851-0
1028:, toolkit.bottlebill.org.
716:Strandis, Ginger (2008).
675:Branding Strategy Insider
841:"Keep America Beautiful"
805:"Keep America Beautiful"
1249:Recycling organizations
1084:10.1136/tc.2010.036491
898:Keep America Beautiful
519:Dickson, Paul (2014).
385:Keep America Beautiful
236:cultural appropriation
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28:Keep America Beautiful
24:
16:Nonprofit organization
873:Boy Scouts of America
845:Boy Scouts of America
819:"Earth Day Live 2020"
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181:Boy Scouts of America
22:
328:National Cleanup Day
166:National CleanUp Day
162:Arbor Day Foundation
128:America Recycles Day
59:American Can Company
1204:Waste organizations
718:"The Crying Indian"
270:disposable products
240:racial stereotyping
900:. November 8, 2021
303:Clean Up Australia
209:
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998:"Litterbug World"
313:Keep Britain Tidy
170:Ocean Conservancy
78:Alice Rush McKeon
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387:. 2016-01-27
384:
381:"What We Do"
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363:. Retrieved
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291:smoking bans
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280:Garbage Land
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1188:Categories
1012:2008-05-20
949:2022-06-13
878:6 February
850:6 February
746:2009-04-23
680:2024-04-23
655:2008-08-04
630:2008-12-20
605:2009-04-23
563:2023-08-22
391:2019-10-04
345:References
85:Ad Council
825:April 28,
789:April 28,
558:0261-3077
221:recycling
217:littering
136:Earth Day
124:Earth Day
96:Earth Day
74:litterbug
43:recycling
39:littering
1151:27844421
1102:20966130
1053:page 184
1002:AlterNet
980:ABC News
925:BBC News
506:Engadget
485:June 29,
297:See also
142:Programs
61:and the
1179:YouTube
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365:June 5,
70:PennDOT
53:History
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