Blog

By Alecia Casper, Education Coordinator and Adrianne Kartachak, Environmental Educator

It is hard to believe the school year is about to begin (again). It seems like yesterday we were visiting schools daily to lead hands-on, experiential activities in the classroom. As it turns out, it wasn’t only yesterday but for the last ten years!

Story and Photos By: Crysta Hernandez, Communications Intern

From interesting MVP’s to #oddtrash you never know what you will find on a cleanup. On Saturday, June 13th, I headed out on my first Keep Austin Beautiful cleanup. The site: Joe’s Crab Shack on East Riverside, the newest of 21 locations being cleaned as part of Clean Lady Bird Lake initiatives.This was the second time Joe’s Crab Shack had hosted a cleanup. Keep Austin Beautiful initiated the partnership after increased complaints about trash build up underneath the boardwalk.

Over 4,200 volunteers headed out on Saturday, April 11th to help remove litter, beautify green spaces, and share in a day of service.

At this year’s 30th Clean Sweep, we shook things up with the BioBlitz dance. The dance is taking on the nation and now Clean Sweep. The dance, started by the California Conservation Corps, was created as a means to advocate for green space in cities, access to those spaces, and experiences that make nature both educational and entertaining.

Fire. It is elemental and has fascinated humans for millennia. We have learned to harness it; to cook with it, to warm up by it, and to gather around it to share stories. For the past few weeks, our Keep Austin Beautiful Green Teens have been learning about “primitive” survival skills. They have built shelters using natural materials, practiced orienteering using the landscape and hand-held compasses, and learned about wild edibles growing in Austin’s parks and preserves. However, nothing in the unit has created as much anticipation as fire building.

For 29 years, Keep Austin Beautiful has been recognizing the outstanding achievements of businesses, individuals, and communities who clean, beautify, and protect the Austin environment by awarding Keep Austin Beautiful Awards in multiple categories! The Keep Austin Beautiful Awards serve to distinguish those who demonstrate continued commitment to Austin’s vibrancy and serve as an inspiration for others. For these reasons and many more, Keep Austin Beautiful celebrated the Award Winners at the29th Annual Awards Brunch on Wednesday, February 4th, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.