Hundreds of Community Leaders Attend Keep America Beautiful's 60th Anniversary National Conference in Washington, D.C.

Featured speakers include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes

STAMFORD, Conn. (Jan. 29, 2013) — Keep America Beautiful (KAB) is kicking off its 60th anniversary National Conference today in Washington, D.C. The conference, which brings together more than 350 executives from community improvement organizations across the country, will focus on building and sustaining vibrant communities, and will take place through Jan. 31.

Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Matt McKenna will open the conference with a keynote speech about creating and sustaining communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound. The conference will offer programs and breakouts sessions that cover far-ranging topics from community recycling and economic development to disaster restoration to reaching the next generation of environmental stewards, all focused on educating, motivating and encouraging activation of initiatives that create and preserve vibrant communities.

Conference keynote speaker Edward Humes, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, will discuss his recent book, “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash,” which takes readers on a surprising tour of the world of garbage. In Garbology, Humes investigates our trail of trash to reveal not just what we throw away, but who we are and where our society is headed.

Additionally, KAB will host 10 outstanding teens who sit on KAB’s newly-formed Youth Advisory Panel. Along with the youth component of the National Conference, an important focus will be on Environmental Literacy. KAB is bringing together several national experts and key stakeholders to discuss environmental education, behavior change, metrics, and more. Discussions will include service learning, connecting kids to nature, and school curriculum and policy, among other timely topics.

The 2013 National Conference and 60th Anniversary Celebration will also feature the award-winning work of KAB affiliates, partnering organizations, and community leaders and volunteers at the annual National Awards celebration.
   
For list of sessions and times, please go to KAB's National Conference Web site. On the day of the events, reporters and photographers should contact KAB on site at (202) 234-0700 and ask for the Keep America Beautiful registration desk.

About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations including state recycling organizations, we work with millions of volunteers to take action in their communities. Keep America Beautiful offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling, generate positive impact on local economies and inspire generations of environmental stewards. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. For more information, visit www.kab.org.

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