By Jeffrey North
In 2008 volunteers and government leaders in Mansfield convened, and more than 700 volunteers assembled to give that town a good spring cleaning. They formed a Keep America Beautiful (KAB) chapter the next year to continue their efforts. Now Belmont can do the same—drastically reduce the volume of refuse littering our public spaces and strengthen our sense of community by organizing volunteers and donations for a cleaner, greener place to live. Belmont can take its place among the 33 local nonprofit KAB chapters across Massachusetts (collectively KMB) that are making significant improvements to their communities.
Litter attracts litter. Research shows that when an area is frequently littered or experiences illegal dumping (like some of our conservation and roadside areas), that sends a message that the behavior is acceptable, or unobserved. Conversely, when a local park or an entire community is litter-free, that sends a message that littering is unacceptable behavior.
Clean communities tend to stay clean, which is why litter prevention and cleanup in Massachusetts are so important, according to KMB. Where litter and dumping already exist, a sustained effort is usually needed to clean it up.
Trash collected at a 2018 Lone Tree Hill work day. Photo: Radha Iyengar
A Belmont KMB chapter will complement groups of engaged residents, government, and business leaders who already focus on issues like litter prevention, organized cleanup, waste reduction and recycling, beautification, and community greening. By implementing proven methodologies and sharing ideas that have helped other KMB chapters succeed, we can make dramatic improvements to our townscape.
Let’s Do Something About It
It’s time that Belmont had its own town beautification brigade. Join other interested Belmontians for a kickoff meeting at 7 PM on Thursday, July 15. Meet Belmont organizers and KMB founder and executive director Neil Rhein, who will present a primer on launching a Keep Belmont Beautiful chapter.
Visit www.keepmassbeautiful.org and click on the events tab to register.
Patrick O’Dougherty AKA “the litter guy” has been Belmont’s stalwart one-man clean-up crew for years now. He recently launched the Keep Belmont Beautiful Facebook page for interested residents, www.facebook.com/keepbelmontbeautiful.
But let’s not leave it all to Patrick. If you are tired of seeing litter and want to improve the appearance and health of our community, soon you’ll be able to do something about it. Learn more about the benefits of launching a KMB chapter at www.keepmassbeautiful.org/join.
Jeffrey North is managing editor of the Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter.
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