The recent “Collision” Youth Conference held at Heartland World Ministries in Irving was the latest in a series of “Green Events” made possible by partnerships with Keep Irving Beautiful. KIB provided the group with recycling stations and signs which were placed throughout the location, which allowed the 500+ youth and adult attendees to recycle during the conference. By doing so, they diverted over 80 pounds of recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans from the landfill. Examples of other large-scale green events were the PlayTri Triathlon Festival in June and numerous events at Lindero Ranch over the past five years. At the triathlon, not only did KIB volunteers collect the usual plastic and aluminum from the 1,500 participants and supporters, but added the collection of organic materials which were composted instead of thrown in the trash. KIB created a green partnership with Lindero Ranch in 2009, and continues to provide Green Event supplies for their events, such as a recent quinceañera with 600 guests in attendance, where 40 pounds of aluminum and 15 pounds of plastic bottles were collected.
“Having the presence of the recycling containers as well as the signs which remind people to recycle is important in reinforcing that behavior,” said KIB Board member Kelly Horn. “The intention to recycle may be there, but if physical equipment is not, they can’t do so. Partnering in all these green events has brought recycling to the attention of thousands of people, and hopefully has made a difference in their attitudes and increased their recycling in day-to-day life.”
Keep Irving Beautiful is a non-profit, grassroots, leadership organization dedicated to educating our community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification in order to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of our city. As an award winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to and partners with all sectors of our city including government, business, church, cultural, educational, neighborhood and civic organizations. If you are interested in volunteering with KIB, or making your activity a “green event,” please go to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org, or call the KIB office at 972-721-2175.