The Governor’s Circle Award Goes To… Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful!

Keep Georgia Beautiful Honors Gwinnett County-Based Environmentally Focused Nonprofit for its Ongoing Efforts to Protect Environment and Educate Citizens

Lawrenceville, Ga. – December 20, 2019 – On the cusp of its 40th anniversary of having a positive impact on the beautification and sustainability of Gwinnett County while educating and motivating its citizens to act, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) received a 2019/2020 Governor’s Circle Award. The award, presented by the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation during its 2019 Awards Luncheon in Atlanta, recognizes exemplary performance in litter reduction, waste minimization, and community greening. The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation will also honor recipients at their annual legislative day at the Georgia Capitol on January 30, 2020 – at which time Governor Brian Kemp will recognize all recipients of the Governor’s Circle Award.

To qualify for the Governor’s Circle Award, affiliates must be in good standing with Keep America Beautiful, the national nonprofit that oversees state and local programming. Requirements include conducting an annual litter index, calculating the affiliate’s cost/benefit ratio, and engaging volunteers in taking greater responsibility for their community spaces. Additionally, the affiliate must be an active member of the Georgia network.

“We believe that everyone deserves to live in a clean, green, and beautiful environment,” said Natalie Johnston-Russell, executive director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. “The recipients of this award have proven themselves to be dedicated to that cause, and we’re thankful for the work they do every day to move our mission forward across Georgia.”

Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Executive Director Schelly Marlatt and Program Coordinator Kim Sullivan attended the luncheon to accept the award. Over the course of 2019, GC&B was proud to list the following among its growing list of accomplishments:

  • Celebrated second year of Food Waste Warriors Project to explore ways to limit food waste in Gwinnett County Public Schools
  • Hosted 2nd Annual Hazardous Household Waste event – resulting in the collection of more than 58 tons of hazardous household waste
  • Awarded $6,000 in scholarships to Gwinnett County Public School and Georgia Gwinnett College students
  • Awarded $5,000 to individual GCPS schools for their accomplishments in the Green & Healthy Schools program
  • Presented plaques to 23 Green & Healthy Schools with the Reaching Higher Designation at the GCPS Principals Meeting for the first time in the program’s history
  • Hosted Governor Brian Kemp at Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s 13th Annual Environmental Address
  • Received $10K Bank of America Charitable Foundation Grant to create multilingual educational residential recycling bag
  • Earth Day and America Recycles Day Annual Collection events resulted in diverting 83.4 Tons of materials from the landfill, plus 438 pairs of sneakers, 10,841 gallons of paint, 638 ink/toner cartridges and 808lbs of textiles
  • Schelly Marlatt – GC&B Executive Director was recognized with a MOXIE “Pay It Forward” Award from the Gwinnett Chamber
  • Honored as Best of Gwinnett in Non-Profit Category for 2018
  • Received $10K Primerica Foundation Grant for the creation of a new educational webpage with multilingual capabilities on GwinnettCB.org

“Each year, this event serves to inspire us,” said Marlatt. “To look around the room and see other Keep America Beautiful and Keep Georgia Beautiful affiliates connecting, hear about the things for which they’re being recognized or upcoming initiatives they’re excited about, it’s a reminder that Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful is part of a powerful network. We often get busy and maintain our own lane focused on our own individual communities, but we’re part of a much bigger picture that involves all of Georgia and – through Keep America Beautiful – the entire country. I can’t think of a more fitting title for this award than the Governor’s CIRCLE Award. We are all interconnected, all working towards the same goal – whether on the shores of the Atlantic with Keep Golden Isles Beautiful, on the banks of the Chattahoochee with Keep Roswell Beautiful, or on the streets of downtown Atlanta with the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission. We are honored to receive the Governor’s Circle Award again this year and we are even more honored to continue to serve our community and state.”

About Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful: Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GCB) is a Keep America Beautiful affiliate and award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long-term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to clean and restore public places, recycle more, protect watersheds and develop the next generation of environmental stewards. To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and its mission of “Connecting People and Resources for a Sustainable Gwinnett,” please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.

About the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation: The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation has a 40-year history of doing the little things that make a big difference in Georgia communities. Established as the first-ever state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful in 1978 by Governor George Busbee, the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation became a 501(3)c nonprofit in 2011 and builds sustainable communities through litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, water resource management, and community greening. The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation provides support to the largest network of local affiliates in the country, and our 78 local programs represent 80% of Georgia’s population. For more information, visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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