• THE DEVON ENERGY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Two outstanding GAC efforts from 2012 will be named the recipients of the 2012 Devon Energy Achievement Award, including a $1,000 cash prize.
• FREE TRASH BAGS - Each registered group who will be conducting a litter cleanup will receive trash bags donated by GLAD®.
• GRANT ELIGIBILITY - Registered groups are eligible to apply for either a $200 StartUP Grant or a $300 Growth Grant made possible by funding from OGE Energy Corp. For more information about these grants, click here. Grant deadline is February 22, 2012.
• FREE WATER - Nestlé® has donated cases of Pure Life water to help keep your hardworking volunteers hydrated during your cleanup project.
• FREE BIODEGRADABLE CUPS & PLATES - SOLO® has generously donated biodegradable cups & plates from their BARE™ product line for groups hosting events after their project(s).
• TROY-BILT® POWER EQUIPMENT - Registered groups are eligible to participate in an essay contest to win a limited number of Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden equipment to help with their beautification efforts. More about the contest will be released soon.
• FREE PR - KOB works closely with registered participants to spread the word in their community about upcoming events to attract volunteers.
• FREE BANNER - Large banners, made possible by the national sponsors, help promote local events.
• PRIZES & AWARDS - All groups that return their WrapUP Reports by the deadline become eligible for even more great prizes and recognition from Keep America Beautiful and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE
2012 GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP™ IN OKLAHOMA

Two communities, judged to have accomplished exceptional GAC efforts, each will receive the Devon GAC Achievement Award including a $1,000 cash prize.

The GAC in Oklahoma is the marquee program of Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit headquartered in Oklahoma City. Devon’s sponsorship will provide, to an already successful and growing program, opportunities to increase the number of new start-up programs and establish a competition with incentives to foster project excellence,” Gail Ingram Ederer, KOB executive director said.

During the 2011 campaign, 771 cleanup events took place and about 47,000 volunteers removed 6.5 million pounds of litter and debris in 937 communities. Activities included litter prevention, community greening and beautification, resource conservation, waste reduction and recycling efforts.

“Devon strives to be an integral part of the communities where we operate," Wendi Schuur, Devon’s director of Public and Community Affairs, said. “We encourage our employees to be involved in communities where we operate because it’s the right thing to do and a cornerstone of Devon's corporate values. We’re pleased to partner with Keep Oklahoma Beautiful to reduce litter and improve the aesthetic qualities in our communities.”

To learn how your community can take part visit www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com/great-american-cleanup or call 405-286-9141. The statewide campaign will begin its tenth season March 1, 2012.

Oklahoma City, OK (Dec 7, 2011) – Keep Oklahoma Beautiful received a Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Innovation Award at the 58th annual KAB National Conference for its innovative “Hometown Makeover - A Community Improvement Guide”, an online compendium of facts, research and practical application of today’s growing issues dealing with community improvement; environmentally, aesthetically and through sustainable practices.

Keep America Beautiful’s annual National Conference, which took place this year in New Orleans, brought together KAB affiliate leaders from across the country to share best practices and celebrate the successes of the last 12 months. The KAB Innovation Awards are judged by KAB affiliate peers only for program activities during the 12-month period from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011. The award recognizes affiliates that have created new and innovative programs and partnerships that further their mission, while encouraging individuals to engage in volunteer activities that improve their communities and their local environment.

“Keep America Beautiful presents the annual Innovation Awards to recognize breakthrough programs that push the envelope of creativity and resourcefulness,” said Matthew McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, at the awards ceremony. “It’s my privilege to honor Keep Oklahoma Beautiful for its dedication in engaging volunteers to make its community flourish.”

“We are truly honored to be recognized by the national organization for this labor of love,” said Gail Ingram Ederer, the organization’s executive director since 1996.  “Use of the Guide has prompted the formation of a network of Keep Oklahoma Beautiful affiliates,” Ederer said.

Keep Oklahoma Beautiful’s “Hometown Makeover” - Community Improvement Guide can be accessed by all who visit the organizations’s website at www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com.  It is written primarily for organizations interested in forming a KOB affiliate group - but is open to anyone interested in these topics.  There are also plenty of games, lessons and learning opportunities for kids and youth; information and resources for teachers.  The Hometown Makeover - Community Improvement Guide was made possible by a grant from the Walmart Foundation.

About Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Inc.
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is a statewide nonprofit with a mission to encourage, facilitate and recognize efforts that will improve the aesthetic, environmental and sustainable quality of life in Oklahoma.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. To learn more about Keep America Beautiful, visit www.kab.org.

KOB is raffling off TWO DAYTONA 500 Hospitality Packages, each of which contains:

Admission for TWO for 3 days of racing at Daytona, FL (February 2012)

Participants will watch the race from the Caterpillar Hospitality Suite located in the Turn 1 Infield. The 2-story Hospitality Suite provides all-inclusive food & drinks for all guests on each of the three race days. 

Hospitality guests will have an opportunity to meet the CAT #31 crew chief on Thursday, meet Richard Childress, team owner, on Thursday, and Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Car on Sunday.

Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in Pit Road Tours on Sunday.

Finally, hospitality guests will also receive admission to the Daytona FanZone. 

This package will also include hotel accommodations at the Marriott in Lake Mary, FL (approximately 40 miles from the track) for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. 

Each package is valued at approximately $3,500!

To see the complete description of this package and all the goodies, click here.

You can receive 1 entry in this raffle by making a $25 donation to Keep Oklahoma Beautiful. Donate $100 and you will receive 5 tickets. Donations can be made at keepoklahomabeautiful.com/donate or if you prefer to make a donation in person, the KOB office is open from 9-6 Monday-Friday. If you make your donation online, please be sure to type "Daytona 500" in the comments box, so that we know to enter you into the raffle. 

Because there are two hospitality packages - we will draw two ticket stubs at the Banquet - so there will be two winners.    THEREFORE,  one raffle ticket in the pot, actually provides two chances to win.   Winners will receive a certificate of confirmation - as the actual tickets will not be available until about 3 weeks prior to the Event.

HURRY! Only 10 days left to enter. The winning tickets will be drawn next Thursday, November 10th at KOB's 21st Annual Environmental Excellence Celebration. Winners need NOT be present to win. For more information about the upcoming awards banquet, click here. 

To view the official contest rules, click here. 

These packages were donated to Keep Oklahoma Beautiful by:

15 North Main - Oklahoma City, OK

Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is pleased to announce this year's finalists for the Environmental Excellence Competition. Finalists will be honored and winners announced at the 21st Annual Environmental Excellence Celebration on November 10, 2011 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City. For more information regarding this inspirational and exciting evening, click here.

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KOB has projects and events throughout the year for which the individual who fills the internship position will have hands-on responsibilities planning and implementing them. This individual will work closely with the Associate Director / Projects Manager as well as the Executive Director to accomplish this. Internship will be unpaid, however, approval for course credit is available.

This would be an excellent opportunity for those interested in pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector, especially community development and environmental/sustainable issues.

Basic Responsibilities Day to Day:

• Opportunity to participate in the development and launch of a new statewide program - The End Litter Video Contest. This will include developing marketing materials, promoting the program to K-12 Schools & Universities and reporting back to sponsors about the success of the program.
• Work closely with KOB staff to plan and execute KOB’s Annual Awards Banquet which also serves as the organizations primary fundraising event. You will be required to attend and help with all day setup of banquet on Thursday, November 10.
• Help with planning, implementation and follow-up of KOB’s statewide programs (this includes writing press releases).
• Assist staff with grant writing.
• Keep website updated - mostly text and photos (can learn on the job) but some experience with HTML or website design helpful.
• Exposure to basic nonprofit and board management practices.

• Organized and detail oriented
• Knowledge of how a 501(c)(3) operates
• Personable, relates well to others
• Flexible and ready to take on new challenges
• Good communication skills - email, phone, letters and in-person
• Quick learner, creative thinker
• Graphic design experience very helpful (i.e. knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and/or Illustrator)
• Posses a knowledge of Apple computers

General Information:

Interns are expected to work 10-15 hours per week during the fall semester (possible extension to spring semester can be negotiated based on performance). Business hours at KOB are 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday - Friday. Interns are expected to do the majority of their work from the KOB office, with exceptions being made for various activities approved by KOB. Internship will be unpaid. Applicants are encouraged to learn more about KOB by visiting: www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com

To apply, submit a resume, transcript, cover letter and two references:

Sonny Wilkinson

Associate Director / Projects Manager

6051 N Brookline Ave, Suite 125

OKC, OK 73112

or

sonny@keepoklahomabeautiful.com

• KOB Youth Awards
• Business
• Community Effort
• Collegiate Effort
• K-12 Educators & Educational Institutions
• Government Programs
• Individual Achievement
• Nonprofit Organization

• Enhanced Categories and Sub-Categories;
• Nominations accepted online only;
• and, in lieu of Letters of Recommendation, nominations are required to include a List of References.

So, what are you waiting for? Submit a nomination today and show off to the state what you have been doing to improve Oklahoma's aesthetic, environmental and sustainable quality of life!

• Altus
• Alva
• Bartlesville
• Bristow
• Broken Arrow (6310 S Elm Pl)
• Broken Arrow (3900 E Hillside Dr)
• Chandler
• Claremore
• Cushing
• Elk City
• Enid
• Guthrie
• Oklahoma City (I-40 & MacArthur)
• Owasso
• Ponca City
• Sand Springs
• Seminole
• Shawnee
• Stillwater (111 N Perkins Rd)
• Stillwater (4545 W 6th Ave)
• Tulsa (207 S Memorial)
• Tulsa (10938 S Memorial Dr)

Residents urged to give life to old electronics at events by recycling e-waste in a free, convenient, secure way.

Norman and Shawnee, Okla., July 20, 2011 – As part of the Keep America Beautiful and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful programs, Waste Management Recycle America, a subsidiary of Waste Management (WM), and LG Electronics USA (LG) are hosting two free eCycling events in the state of Oklahoma. These events offer residents an opportunity to give life to their old residential electronic equipment in an environmentally sound manner that is free, convenient and secure. During this one-day, two-city event on July 30, sponsored by LG and WM, there will be two designated eCycling drop-off sites across the state, in Norman and Shawnee, where citizens can easily dispose of and recycle their household electronic devices from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Norman and 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. in Shawnee.

Electronics are recyclable and valuable, and there are more than 5 million tons sitting in basements, closets and drawers across the country, with 2 million new tons added to the waste stream each year. In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, e-waste is the fastest growing segment of the nation’s waste stream. By recycling old electronic products, useful materials such as glass, plastic and metal can be re-used in the manufacture of other products.

“LG Electronics is taking a proactive approach to helping consumers in the Sooner State responsibly dispose of end-of-life electronics by joining forces with Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and Waste Management to offer this free collection and recycling program to local residents,” said Wayne Park, President and CEO, LG Electronics USA. “We encourage consumers to take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of unwanted electronics in an environmentally responsible manner. Life’s good when you live green,” he said.

This event allows Oklahomans to play a part in helping the environment and contribute to a more sustainable future. It is a great example of businesses and organizations showing leadership and taking responsibility in helping protect Oklahoma’s environment.

Residents in Oklahoma are encouraged to drop off and recycle their electronics between 7: 30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, at Marc Heitz Chevrolet, 1221 Ed Noble Parkway in Norman or from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Direct Colors, 430 E 10th St. in Shawnee. To make recycling of electronic products easy and convenient at the eCycling drop-off locations, residents will not even need to get out of their vehicles. The eCycling crew members will collect all acceptable electronic products from trunks or pickup beds. Products not acceptable for eCycling will be left in the vehicles.

WM Recycle America, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Waste Management Inc., the largest waste services and residential recycling company in North America, operates eight eCycling Services Division North American eCycling facilities that have earned the designation- R2/RIOS Certified Electronics Recycler® for quality, environment, health and safety and data security during the electronics recycling process. WM Recycle America operates more R2/RIOS-certified eCycling facilities than any other company in the U.S., further strengthening its position as the leader in recycling services.

“We’re very proud to provide this important recycling opportunity to the customers and residents we serve everyday across Oklahoma,” said Patrick DeRueda, president of WM Recycle America. “Recovering valuable materials and resources, reducing volume in our landfills and responsibly managing waste while protecting the environment and serving our communities are top priorities for Waste Management,” he added.

These events are part of the LG Electronics Recycling Program, which is designed to provide consumers with a convenient way to dispose of their used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronics products. It also reflects Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful’s mission of engaging individuals to reduce waste and recycle more.

Acceptable items for the eCycling events are:

• Computers – CPUs
• Computer monitors
• Computer peripherals
• Printers
• Fax machines
• Keyboards
• Photocopiers
• Televisions
• VCRs
• Stereos
• Home and office phones
• Cell phones
•  Consumer electronics

Unacceptable items for the eCycling events are:

• Microwaves
• Smoke alarms and detectors
• Fire alarms and detectors
• Thermometers
• Dehumidifiers
• Large appliances (refrigerators, etc.)
• Non-decontaminated medical equipment
• Any unit with sludge or liquids

(open from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.)
Norman Drop-off site:
Marc Heitz Chevrolet
1221 Ed Noble Parkway
Norman

(open from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m.)
Shawnee Drop-off site:
Direct Colors
430 E 10th St.
Shawnee

About Waste Management
Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

Waste Management Recycle America is a subsidiary of Waste Management and is the largest residential recycler in North America. WM Recycle America’s business lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing, commercial and residential customers.

About LG Electronics USAs
LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, all under LG’s “Life’s Good” marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

About Keep Oklahoma Beautiful
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to encourage, facilitate and recognize efforts that will improve the aesthetic, environmental and sustainable quality of life in Oklahoma. Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is pleased to be a partner in this extraordinary eCycling event. For more information about Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, visit www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com.

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     In Memorium

         Deidre Ellis, founding Chair of Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful, died suddenly on June 20, 2011, leaving a legacy of     leadership, creativity, optimism, dedication and perserverance.  She was so energetic she nearly created the light in a room.  Her peers and friends who gladly worked with her in creating what is now known as Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful, cannot believe that light is gone.  Here at KOB, we're having a hard time believing it as well. 

          Deidre was the 2010 recipient of the KOB Individual Achievement Award for her untiring efforts on behalf of Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful.  She played a major role in implementing the "Beauty Patrol", the group's program which won the top prize in last year's award celebration - it was declared the BEST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL BEST.

          Broken Arrow's annual "Trash Bash"  was one of her favorites as well and you could always count on her to get it organized, follow through on details, work along everyone and smile every minute.  It was Deidre's plan to make her once Chamber of Commerce  beautification committee one of the first state affiliates of Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and then to make Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful a stand-alone nonprofit organization with its own 501(c)(3) tax designation.   Her plan has been carried out - and in a relatively short span of time.

          Because of Deidre, a lot of people are a little more proud of their community, are taking better care of their personal environments, are taking notice of the community effort.  She rallied the troops, kept folks on task, dreamed big and simply made things happen.  Because of  her, a lot of people are a bit busier - and that would make her happy.

• Enhanced Categories and Sub-Categories
• Nominations accepted online only
• In lieu of Letters of Recommendation, nominations are required to include a List of References
• Nominations for the Lifetime Achievement and Champion Volunteer awards will come from YOU. Historically, the nominations for these two awards have come exclusively from the  KOB Board of Directors. This year we are opening the nomination process to the public - so don't miss this chance to recognize an exceptional individual in your community. Click here to view the nomination guidelines for these two awards.

     Grace is a very important part of the KOB team and since hers is the first voice you hear when you call - you can now put a face with that voice.   

The decision to forego paper and postage saves customers time and money. It saves OG&E on paper, printing and postage. If that's not enough, consider the state's natural resources that will be conserved; saving trees and water while reducing greenhouse gas emisisons.

Keep Oklahoma Beautiful thanks OG&E for being an environmentally conscious corporate citizen and thanks all OG&E paperless customers. Together, your donation to KOB will go toward statewide programming to raise environmental awareness, encourage sustainable practices and keep Oklahoma beautiful.

Go Paperless - it's a natural!

OG&E customers can switch by clicking here.

"Many of the calls we get at the MET," said Daniel Jeffries, MET public relations coordinator, "are people wanting to know where they can buy recycling bins for specific items that they can put in the kitchen or garage. The truth is anything can become a recycling bin. Buy the style of container you like, put a label on it, and voilá, you've got a recycling bin."

For more information or to print your own labels, visit metrecycle.com/recycling/recycling-labels/ 

Source - "Green Scene" - January 2011 - The M.e.t.

11 Counties Remain

In 2010, Oklahoma became one of only three states in the nation to achieve 100% county participation. Keep Oklahoma Beautiful (KOB) is challenging the state to reach this goal again in 2011. Participants will join KOB in “fighting dirty” by cleaning up streets, parks, waterways and public spaces. They will do this by removing litter, eradicating illegal dumpsites, painting buildings, planting trees & flowers, hosting recycling drives and much more.

If your county isn't shaded green or appears on the list below, then no group has registered from your area. Turn your county green and tell the state and nation that you are dedicated to improving your hometown. To sign up for the Great American Cleanup™ or to learn more about it, click here.

The Great American Cleanup begins March 1. Thousands of volunteers will help clean up Oklahoma.

From newsok.com/The Oklahoman
By: Ken Raymond
Published: January 25, 2011

During the Great American Cleanup last year, volunteers picked up trash along Oklahoma’s highways, waterways, open spaces and neighborhood streets.

“They got everything from a La-Z-Boy or a junked car to a cigarette butt on the highway,” said Sonny Wilkinson, projects manager for Keep Oklahoma Beautiful.

Over the three-month cleanup period, Oklahoma’s 27,000 or so volunteers combined to collect 8 million pounds of trash, Wilkinson said. That’s roughly the weight of 160 garbage trucks.

During the same time period, the other 49 states gathered a total of 68 million pounds, meaning Oklahoma accounted for more than 10 percent of the national total.

“That doesn’t mean we had the most litter,” he said. “It may mean that here in Oklahoma, we did a more efficient job of cleaning it up.”

The next Great American Cleanup begins March 1 and continues through May 31. Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is coordinating the state’s efforts. About 20,000 volunteers have already signed up, Wilkinson said, but more are needed.

“Community improvement goes hand in hand with economic development,” said Norma-Lynn Paschall, executive director of the Ardmore Beautification Council. “If it doesn’t look good, you won’t inspect it further. Like they say, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.”


Read more

The OKC Barons are Creating Miracles.

Lowe's features KAB in $1 million giveaway

Keep America Beautiful has been chosen by home improvement giant Lowe's and Lowe's Charitable and Education Foundation as one of four nonprofit organizations to receive part of a $1 million donation.

Although each organization will get a minimum $100,000 of the bounty, the remaining $600,000 will be distributed based on the results of an online poll that the public is invited to participate in. The other nonprofits in the running include American Forests, the National Park Foundation and Water.org.

Individuals can vote once a day until Friday January 21 at Lowes' website or on its Facebook page.

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL plans to use money from the donation to support its Great American Cleanup ™.  Last year in Oklahoma, every single county participated in the GAC and received supplies and materials.  2010 was Oklahoma's most successful Great American Cleanup™ ever.  Say thank you to KAB by voting for them once a day in this exciting giveaway. 

What an exciting and record-breaking year 2010 has been at Keep Oklahoma Beautiful. KOB earned the rare distinction of becoming one of only three states in the US to achieve 100% county participation in the 2010 Great American Cleanup™. This past week at the Keep America Beautiful annual conference in Orlando, FL, KOB was recognized for this effort which was only possible because of YOU. THANK YOU!

Registration for the 2011 Great American Cleanup™ in Oklahoma is currently open. KOB is challenging groups across the state to again help us achieve 100% county participation. Click here to learn more about the GAC and/or register your group.

Last spring, was exceptionally busy for us as we also hosted seven regional workshops and unveiled THE HOMETOWN MAKEOVER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE. The workshops were a huge success and one result has been the formation of the Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Affiliate Network. More workshops are planned for this spring and exciting new details regarding the network will be announced later this winter.

Fresh Paint Days was as popular as ever. We received a record number of applications and were able to help 20 communities realize their dream of transforming a community blemish into a source of community pride. To see before and after photos of the amazing transformations, click here.

At our 20th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards Celebration on November 16th, we honored 61 groups, organizations and individuals that are making notable efforts to improve Oklahoma's aesthetic, environmental and sustainable quality of life. One such group, the Broken Arrow Beautification Committee, was honored with the Outstanding Achievement Award for its innovative and wildly successful Beauty Patrol program. We were honored to present Mr. Fenton Rood of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality with the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.

PHOTOS OF THE BANQUET ARE NOW AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE on our Flickr site. Click here to visit the site and download your favorite photos.

DIDN'T ATTEND THIS YEAR? You can view Finalists' and Winners' videos from that evening by visiting our YouTube page where you will see highlights of everyone's amazing achievements over the past year.

With 2011 only a couple of weeks away, be sure to put these important KOB dates & deadlines on your new calendars:

• January 10 - Applications for the OGE Start Up Grant for your GAC event will be available at keepoklahomabeautiful.com/great-american-cleanup
• Fabruary 10 - Deadline to submit your application for an OGE Start Up Grant
• March 1 - May 31 - Great American Cleanup™ in Oklahoma
• April 16 - ODOT Trash-OFF
• June 1 - Fresh Paint Days applications will be available at keepoklahomabeautiful.com
• June 1 - KOB will begin accepting Environmental Excellence Award Nominations for work completed from July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011. Applications will be available at keepoklahomabeautiful.com
• July 15 - Fresh Paint Days applications due
• August 12 - Environmental Excellence Award Nominations due (must be in KOB office digitally, mail or delivered no later than 5 pm)
• September 3-16 - Fresh Paint Days in Oklahoma

As always, KOB is excited to renews its commitment to YOU, the more than 400 Oklahoma communities that continue to inspire us as you KEEP OKLAHOMA BEAUTIFUL!

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Last spring 27,000 volunteers came together to collect approximately 8 million pounds of litter/debris in more than 400 communities throughout EVERY COUNTY IN OKLAHOMA! Thank you to all who participated and made this happen.

Now, let's make 2011 even better!

Registration for the 2011 Great American Cleanup™ in Oklahoma is now open. Are you going to cleanup your corner of the state this spring? Host a litter collection event, perk up a park with plants and trees or hold a recycling drive (just to name a few possibilities).

The Great American Cleanup™ in Oklahoma (GAC) will be held March 1 - May 31, 2011. All groups who register are eligible to receive FREE trash bags, special awards, prizes and apply for participant-only grants.

The early bird gets the worm: occasionally Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful receive donations of pass-along items (i.e. coupons for FREE water, recyclable cups and plates, t-shirts, etc.) that will be available on a first-come first-serve basis.

If you would like to learn more about the GAC or are looking for project ideas, click here.

To register online for the 2011 GAC, click here.

If you prefer to register via US Mail, please reply to this email indicating your preference.

When completing the registration form, you are not required to know the exact date(s) of your event(s) nor the exact number of your volunteers. We will collect that information at a later date. We do, however, ask for a good faith estimate so we can secure enough supplies for all participating groups.

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Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is pleased and honored to announce this year's winners for the Environmental Excellence Competition. Winners were honored at the 20th Annual Environmental Excellence Celebration on November 16, 2010 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City. For more information regarding this inspirational and exciting evening, click here.

From all of the finalists, five where selected by KOB's judges as finalists for the Best of the Environmental Best Award.

• Broken Arrow Beautification Committee's Beauty Patrol - WINNER
  

• The Chickasaw Nation Re-Use Center

• City of Norman

• Operation Clean House - Bartlesville

• Chesapeake Energy's Employee Garden

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The Oklahoma Environmental Quality Education Committee invites qualified individuals to apply for a grant to promote

enthusiasm in young people for learning about the environment and natural resources. You must be an Oklahoma teacher, public or private (Pre K – 12), school environmental club, youth group leader, and/or organization with a youth component to apply for the grant. For more information about this grant opportunity, please go to: http://www.deq.state.ok.us/pubs/lpd/eegrant10.pdf

Applicants may apply for amounts from $100 up to $1,000 per grant. A total of $14,000 will be awarded in early 2011 to winning applicants. Eligible categories include:

• environmental club projects

• green school efforts

• edible school gardens

• environmental education supplies

• outdoor classroom revitalization

• recycling and composting programs.

Deadline for submission of grant applications is December 1, 2010. Recipients will be selected by December 31, 2010. Examples of previous applications are available at: http://www.deq.state.ok.us/mainlinks/eepage.htm.

• Rechargeable batteries (of up to 11 pounds)
• Cell phones
• Compact fluorescent bulbs (most Lowe's have been accepting CFLs since March)
• Plastic Shopping Bags

Contact your local Lowe's store to see if they are participating in this exciting new recycling opportunity.

Questions?
Contact Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Steve Salazar, 704-758-4345, steve.j.salazar@lowes.com or
Karen Cobb, 704-758-3504, karen.s.cobb@lowes.com

O-I’s Muskogee, OK, glass manufacturing plant visited nine classrooms during Recycle Glass Week to talk to students about the value of recycling glass containers and to promote a glass recycling collection competition among the classes. The winning class brought in 621 pounds and got a pizza party and $500 towards the teacher's classroom. During the collection event local radio station KTFX had a live remote. In all, the students brought in to the local Muskogee Recycling Center nearly a ton of glass.