Keep America Beautiful’s National Planting Day Kicks Off Sept. 12
National Nonprofit Issues Nationwide Call to Action to Plant Native Species throughout the Fall
Stamford, Conn., September 2, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit which envisions a country where every community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, is mobilizing Americans to bolster their local ecosystems by planting native species of trees, shrubs and plants for its fourth annual National Planting Day. National Planting Day, which is observed on and surrounding Saturday, Sept. 12, is a fall initiative of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program.
This year, Keep America Beautiful is asking National Planting Day participants to celebrate the theme of "Keep America Bee-utiful" by focusing their efforts on planting pollinators. In collaboration with dozens of conservation and gardening organizations nationwide, Keep America Beautiful is a founding member of the National Pollinator Garden Network and is part of a national campaign – the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.
As a founding campaign partner and with prime planting season in the fall, Keep America Beautiful is encouraging its 600-plus community-based affiliates and other partner organizations to "Keep America Bee-utiful" by spearheading the planting of native species and trees, as well as sustainable community gardens, including fruit and vegetable gardens, all of which results in positive, lasting impact in communities.
“We know that natives are critical in attracting specialized pollinators and insects, which are important for our food chain and general ecological health,” said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful. “Because natives are hardy and require less water than other ornamentals, we want to encourage the planting of more drought-tolerant native species. And it’s easy. Whether you are a municipal leader who is part of a citywide beautification program or a home gardener, you can participate simply by committing to use native species for your fall planting efforts. Each and every pollinator makes a difference.”
Special planting activities will take place in dozens of communities this fall. Contact your local Keep America Beautiful affiliate for details or register your own event online. Make sure to also register your pollinator garden so that it will "BEE Counted" as part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, and check out the helpful Pollinator Partnership Ecoregional Planting Guides to help you select the best pollinator plants for your specific area of the country.
About Keep America Beautiful
At Keep America Beautiful, we want to ensure that beauty is our lasting signature. A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country where every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people end littering, reduce waste, increase recycling, and protect the natural beauty of the areas around us. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. To learn how you can donate or take action, visit kab.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.
