Keep Putnam County Beautiful Clean Commission Inc

The Clean Commission performs essential tasks for the Cookeville community. It coordinates litter pick up, it educates children to understand the need to preserve the environment and how to do it, and it works with businesses to help them become more environmentally savy.

I am a recently appointed board member, but have know of this organization for many years. This group sparked my interest in helping serve my community! They have been instrumental in educating the public on recycling, litter control and waste management. They have been a strong moving force in this community to improve our environment. From organizing neighborhood pickups, talking with school groups, becoming a familiar face in the local media, the Cookeville-Putnam County Clean Commission has exceeded their goals on a regular basis. The group is a vital force in this community!

As a member of Tennessee Beautiful and as State Naturalist and State Archaeologist, Emeritus, I have seen first-hand the good work done over the years and including the present by the Cookeville-Putnam County Clean Commission to make their area a great place to live. They have cleaned up unbelievable amounts of trash, particularly in the Cummings Fall area where we are currently raising a million dollars to set aside this beautiful spot as a State Park. The leadership of the Clean Commission is poised to make an even greater difference in the life of this community with their emphasis on education and by utilizing volunteer effort. If your financial grant could be made to extend their efforts to continue to beautify this area, it would make a great difference. They are in need of more educational materials and office equipment to further advance their objectives. Mack Prichard, Board Member of Tennessee Parks and Greenway Foundation as well as the Cumberland Alliance

Many years ago, before being on the board, I heard of the Clean Commission. It inspired me. I saw the things that they were trying to do. Putnam County has been credited with being one of the biggest recyclers in Tennessee, per capita. The Clean Commission continues to serve the community. Our board and coordinator hope to continue to educate and motivate our community. We want to make a difference!

The Clean Commission is fulfilling a vital role in our community that no one else addrsses, that providing leadership in a battle against litter and up to date education on recycling. The Clean Commission started as a grassroots coalition of concerned citizens that wanted to make a difference in our environmnt. Over the past 25 years, the message on litter has stayed the same. Recycling is a natural partner for this endeavor.
The Clean Commission has a twelve member working board that shares the mission of promoting a litter free environment and conserving and preserving our natural resources.
The Clean Commission has a presence in our public schools and at an array of special events, including the Upper Cumberland Home and Garden Show and the popular Fall FunFest. There is a special indoor and outdoor education program that promotes Litter Free Events

I served on the board of the Cookeville - Putnam County Clean Commission for several terms. I have never worked harder in my life! This a working group. We collected hazardous waste, did highway cleanups, lake cleanups, and educated school children. Over the years I have witnessed the changes the Commission has brought about. I see both trash and recycle bins at all public functions. I now see bins in public buildings!
I cannot express the positive feelings I have for the Cookeville - Putnam County Clean Commission. I hope that they keep going strong until the mission is completed!

The Cookeville-Putnam County Clean Commission has been a positive force in our community for 25 years. I have served on the board, as a volunteer, and lifelong donor because I believe in the adage "Think globally, act locally." The actions here include litter-free events, hazardous waste collections and educational programs in recycling, waste disposal and litter prevention. With strong leadership always at the helm, the Clean Commission is dedicated to making our part of the world beautiful and healthy for our children's children.

I live and work in Putnam County and see the litter linning the streets. I myself take the time to separate and recycle everything I can and clean up the trash when I see it floating along the roadsides. However, more funding is needed so everyone can be provided with a curbside bin designated solely for recycling making it convienient and seen. Right now the way it is, we all have to take our recycling to designated area, now I don't mind doing this, but most people just can't or won't find the time. This is a problem. If Putnam County wanted to make the change, grants and funding are available not to mention the money the County could make off of recycled products. As a region we are proud of our land and our beautiful plateau, we can become a leader in greening our communities if only we made the effort together and our elected official made recycling a budgeted priority.

For twenty-five years the Cookeville-Putnam County Clean Commission has worked tirelessly to promote recycling and litter prevention in the community. I first noticed their presence at a local festival several years ago. The current coordinator, Lisa Luck, puts in many more hours than she is paid for because she is so committed to this work. In addition to speaking at various area schools, Lisa meets with community members, elected officials and local business people to discuss a variety of topics related to the work of the organization. This is my third year as a board member and I can tell you that this board does much more than meet once a month! We clean a section of roadway twice a year and we all volunteer to staff our booth at several annual community events in addition to keeping these events litter-free with the help of many volunteers.

It amazes me to see how a small group of people can affect a community so dramatically. Cookeville has changed from a town inundated with litter to a proud community, conscious of clean-up, beautification and the need to recycle. This has been due to an active board and a dedicated administrator, Lisa Luck.
Litter-control reminders abound through display and information booths at local events and festivals. School children and members of organizations are educated creatively to keep the city clean and to recycle. The annual beautification awards for residences and businesses serve to encourage and reward. Recycling sites are provided and solid waste managed. Public events are monitored for litter by volunteers. Individuals or groups take responsibility for designated pick-up.
All this is accomplished with a small budget and a part-time director. Increased funding could provide an office copy machine and additional educational materials.

I am a director of a non-profit in Cookeville, and have worked with the Clean Commission for the four years I have been in this role. We have an annual festival around the Courthouse Square each fall with some 20,000 people in attendance. The Clean Commission has a booth there for educational purposes as well as handling the huge job of litter pick-up throughout the event. This organization has made us all aware of how much can- and should be- recycled, and are willing to work hard to show us just how to do that. I have a great appreciation and respect for Lisa Luck and the Clean Commission, and fully support them in their mission.

When I first moved to Cookeville in l981 it was the amount of litter in this area that first caught my attention. As a result, I was one of the first Board Members to the Clean Commission in the mid l980s. Since that time much time and effort has been spent on educating people about litter prevention, hazardous waste, recycling efforts, Adopt-A-Highway participants, property awards and so much more.

As the number of new residents has grown in and around Putnam County over the years so has the amount of litter. The need for curbside recycling is very real, massive education efforts in schools, civic clubs and businesses has to be addressed... all of this takes dollars and manpower.

I am proud to live in this area for many reasons. However, we have to find a way to make every person care about their environment.. at home... at work... even on the golf course!

I respectfully request that the Putnam County Clean Commission be considered for this prize. Your dollars will be well spent!

As a past Board member and President, I have been committed to the mission of the Cookeville-Putnam County Clean Commission. The Commission attempts to educate, encourage and recoginize community members to recycle and prevent littering. Our county, as any county across the nation can attest, the litter problem we face is an epidemic, defacing the beautiful countryside of all our communities and generally saying to those visiting, "we really don't care about the litter and trash along our highways!" What a sad commentary on how the general public feels about the unsightly trach and garbage that is strewn everywhere!!! Until we all take more pride in where we live and how we can improve its aesthetic appearance, litter will forever be a plague on our environment.

For 25 years, the Cookeville/Putnam Co. Clean Commission has worked to keep our community looking its best. As a new board member, I have come to learn what a very limited budget they have to work with. It is an organization that relies heavily on donations and volunteers. I have been in this community for over 20 years, and their presence is unbelievable considering their limited funding. They have always done an amazing job promoting recycling, as well as educating the general public of its importance.

The Clean Commission was founded a year after Keep Tennessee Beautiful was founded 26 years ago. Both organizations saw that the state was picking up litter but no one was trying to break the cycle of littering. Over the years this commission has made huge strides in improving, not only the problems of littering, but has also worked diligently to changes attitudes and encourage the community to take pride in where they work and live. Litter pick up and education are only a part of what they have accomplished.
The Commission has spearheaded recycling projects and encouraged its citizens to "reduce, reuse and recycle", and sponsored beautification projects across the county that have been a major factor in the improved appearance and character of their communities over the years. Keep Tennessee Beautiful and the state of Tennessee have received national recognition from Keep America Beautiful for being the first state in the nation to have 100% county participation in the Great American Cleanup and have accomplished this feat for the past four years. The Cookeville-Putnam County Clean Commission and their volunteers across the county have been one of the most active participants in this event each year and have strongly contributed to its success over the years.
I cannot think of an organization the better exemplifies the hard work and dedication that goes into maintaining such a worthwhile purpose in continually striving to better their community

I have worked with the Cookeville Clean Commission for the past four years as a Conservation Cmmittee Chairperson within the Cookeville Junior Woman's Club. During this time they have promoted a litter free program. They started an adopt a highway program. In conjunction with this program, our club has adopted a downtown park to keep it litter free.
Our club donated money for the Ceal Commission to purchase recyling bins which are used for all major city events. Our club also purchased recycling bins for all the county public schools. The clean Commission is responsible for educating the public, especially the children of our community. A wonderful organization. Bea O'Donnell

As an active member of the Cookeville Junior Womens Club, I am proud that our group supports this most worth while organization. Their work is not only timely, but necessary. Helping them to provide recycling bins in various schools in the area was of great pride to our club, especially since we did the easy part. They continue to be out there reminding the community of the importance of keeping our environment and surroundings clean for future generations. Without thei tireless efforts many would not have the option to do something as simple, yet crucial, as recycling.

The Home Builders Association of the Upper Cumberland is thankful to the Cookeville-Putnam County Clean Commission for coordinating the recycling efforts at the annual Home & Garden Show. Without the help of the clean commission, massive amounts of cardboard, aluminum and plastic would be discarded in the dumpsters during the 3-day event.

The work of this organization is important to our community not only for what they do in helping to make our county a cleaner place to live but in helping to spread the word about environmentally sound practices that will have an effect on future generations. One small action today can have a major ripple effect for the future. If all organizations with the objectives of this one had the same impact relative to size and resources that this one does, it would be an amazing world. Very impressive with the group and the goals.

The Clean Commission does an amazing amount of activism and volunteering for such a small organization. They have a presence at all community events and help keep our city clean by educating our citizens and mobilizing volunteering efforts. The Clean Commission doesn't just direct, though. They get their hands dirty picking up litter across the city and Lisa Luck is always the first one to arrive and the last one to leave at Clean Commission project sites.

The Clean Commission has worked for 25 years to keep Putnam County clean. It has only one employee and a $30,000 budget. Most work is volunteer and much of the revenue is donated. The commission promotes cleanup and recycling.