Community gardening is a nationwide trend that is definitely catching on here in Irving.  Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) began its adventure in gardening in 2012 by attending the groundbreaking of the Gerald Taylor Memorial Garden, and then planting in the spring using newly learned techniques like “square foot” gardening and planting seeds using wooden templates to properly space them depending on the amount of room each plant needs.  KIB has been very successful in growing tomatoes, radishes, peppers and a variety of herbs.  Other attempts, like strawberries and carrots, fell a little short of expectations, but gardening is nothing if not a learning experience.  This spring KIB is focusing on herbs by planting basil, chives, oregano and thyme in their raised bed to join two rosemary bushes that not only survived the winter, but are thriving.  The other beds, which have been adopted by community members, are a vibrant, colorful mix of many different vegetables, flowers and herbs, while the common areas have fruit trees like lemon and peach. 

“One of the things I really like about the garden is how willing everyone is to share,” said KIB staff member Julie Schmitt.  “One Saturday when I was here, I experienced fellow gardeners loaning their tools, giving me cuttings to transplant into our bed, and sharing their extra vegetables and herbs.  One gentleman just pitched in and started pulling weeds next to me without my having to ask, and shared his knowledge of gardening during the process.  Gardeners bring varying levels of experience and expertise with them, and we all seem to learn from each other.  The garden also has benefitted from the generosity of companies like Lowe’s, who donated and built the shed, and Bonnie Plants, who supplied many, many plants and seeds, especially during the first year, to get gardeners excited about growing.”

Irving North Christian Church has also started a community garden on the church grounds which they call “Sacred Ground.”  There are currently nine beds built, with more to come, that are open to anyone to lease for a small yearly fee.  Like the Gerald Taylor Memorial Garden, they ask that gardeners donate a portion of what they grow to a local food pantry. 

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.  To find out how you can volunteer, go to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org or call the KIB office at 972-721-2175.

Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) continued its Faith Groups Outreach program by partnering with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a volunteer community service project at Running Bear Park on Saturday, May 2.  The project involved both a cleanup of the park and painting of several metal safety railings and the main entry gate.  A total of 88 volunteers participated, including 51 adults and 37 children, who gave 352 hours of service by collecting litter that had washed in from recent rains or by giving a fresh coat of paint to the fencing.  The group collected 360 pounds of trash, as well as 180 pounds of recyclables which were diverted from the landfill.

“We are enjoying our partnerships with more and more faith groups of all denominations,” said KIB Board member and Faith Groups Co-Chair Rachel Moon.  “We had a big turnout today with the LDS members, and it was great to see so many families spending their Saturday morning by giving back to the community.  Getting children involved in volunteering at an early age is so important, and it really becomes part of their way of life as they grow up.”

The City of Irving was also an important partner in this project.  The Parks Department provided materials and logistic support for the project, while Solid Waste Services provided a roll-off container for the volunteers to place their bags of trash and recyclables in, then weighed the materials after the cleanup was over.  Irving Community Television Network (ICTN), part of the city’s Communications Department, had a cameraman out to capture the volunteers in action. Code Enforcement Manager Darrell Hammond commented on this by saying, “This is a perfect example of city staff working together toward a common goal.  We had internal partnerships among the different city departments, which combined with KIB’s outreach to the faith community, led to a wonderful project like this.”

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.  To find out how you can volunteer, go to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org or call the KIB office at 972-721-2175.  

On Saturday, April 18, the Irving Lake Association held its annual spring cleanup of Lake Vilbig, an event, along with the fall cleanup, that has taken place for over 20 years.  Another long standing tradition is the partnership with Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB), which provides supplies – litter pickers, trash and recycle bags, gloves and safety vests – for the volunteers who take boats, canoes and kayaks out on the lake to collect litter.  KIB also coordinates with the Hunter Ferrell Landfill to allow access and provide weights of materials collected.  The volunteers were joined by members of KIB’s North Lake College Service Learning team who helped to make the south Irving lake cleaner and more beautiful for not just the people who live on Lake Vilbig, but also for the fish and other wildlife who call it home.  The group collected over 1,000 pounds of trash and recyclable material from the lake and shoreline, as well as two small boats and 200 pounds of wood. 

“Our relationship with the Irving Lake Association has been an enjoyable and mutually beneficial partnership over the years,” said KIB Board Member Arnold Martin. “They really care about Lake Vilbig and work hard to keep it clean and environmentally healthy.  It’s a pleasure to support their efforts, and it’s also nice to be able to offer our student volunteers an opportunity to assist in the cleanups.”

     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.  To find out how you can volunteer, go to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org or call the KIB office at 972-721-2175.

On Saturday, April 11, Keep Irving Beautiful held the “Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off” at Trinity View Park, their contribution to the state’s signature event for the “Great American Cleanup.”  A total of 261 volunteers – 160 adults and 101 youth – gave a combined 783 hours of service as they removed litter from creek beds, tree lines and wooded areas of the park, performing the very important task of keeping trash out of the nearby Elm Fork of the Trinity River.  When the cleaning was done, the group had collected over 2220 pounds of litter and 1020 pounds of recyclables. Several City of Irving departments were instrumental in the success of this event, including Parks for ground support and logistic guidance, Solid Waste Services for providing the roll-off container and weighing the materials, and Code Enforcement for providing the equipment to transport all the materials collected to a central location at the park.  A team of volunteers from Code Enforcement and Housing and Human Services prepared and served a hot dog lunch, which featured chips donated by Frito-Lay’s Irving facility, a long-time sponsor of KIB activities.  Other sponsors of the event included VHA, Inc., PlayTri, Kroger, Rambler Newspapers, Irving Family YMCA, North Lake College, Arnold Brothers Wood Products, Dr. Elba Garcia, Texas Trees Foundation and Fast Signs Las Colinas. 

     “This may look like just a day in the park here in Irving, but it is part of a much bigger picture,” said KIB Board President Scott Wilson. “Affiliates all over Texas are conducting their own Trash-Offs today, and throughout the spring, communities across the United States will be holding a variety of Great American Cleanup events.  Our partnerships with Keep Texas Beautiful and the Texas Department of Transportation as well as nationally with Keep America Beautiful really connect our volunteers with others who have the same passion for improving their environment.”

      Keep America Beautiful’s “Great American Cleanup,” the nation’s largest annual community improvement program, runs from March 1 through May 31 and harnesses the power of volunteers to build vibrant communities.  In 2014, more than 4 million volunteers in over 20,000 communities gave 7.9 million hours of service in Great American Cleanup activities like cleanups, tree plantings and other beautification initiatives, with an estimated $179 million in measurable benefits to the communities involved. 

     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.  To find out how you can volunteer, go to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org or call the KIB office at 972-721-2175.

Since 1948, Future Farmers of America chapters at schools across the country have celebrated “National FFA Week” during the week of Washington’s Birthday, in recognition of our first president’s legacy as an agriculturist and farmer. The Nimitz High School FFA chapter chose to kick off the week by partnering with Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) and the Parks Department for a service project at Trinity View Park.  Also participating in the event were North Lake College students from both the Service Learning Program and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.  In total, 37 adult and teen volunteers gave 148 hours of service on Saturday, February 21, in a project which involved both painting and collecting litter.  Volunteers who were on the cleanup teams collected over 234 pounds of trash and recyclables from different areas of the park.  The paint crews gave a fresh coat of yellow paint to the handrails and boundary markers at the football fields, and brightened up the nearby pavilion with green paint. 

“As a former member of FFA myself, I am proud that the Nimitz group decided to work with us again this year,” said KIB Board Member Arnold Martin.  “FFA Week involves a number of activities that promote the organization while emphasizing education and giving back to the community through service projects.  Inviting the North Lake students to join in was a great idea, and it was nice to see everyone working together to make the park a nicer place for the many people who visit.”

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.