Volume 8, Number 1 — Spring/Summer 2011 - The University of ...

from dump sites; and youth engaged in recyclingprograms spanning first through 12th grades.But that wasn’t all. An anti-trash-themed floatbecame a regular participant in Christmas parades.The first year, it was chosen as a winner based on itsnovelty, Monday thinks. “We had a canoe with twoboys paddling, and a stream filled with the trashyou’d expect to see in the water and then some.”Youth in the county decorated 45-gallon aluminumcan collection barrels that were placed around thecounty. Whittaker and Monday gave presentationsto children about the importanceof stopping litter by “hitting thecan and not the land.”The county has three litter cleanupdays a year. A ton of trash wasgathered on a recent one. Muchmore, though, has been removedsince this program began. Oneillegal dump site was cleared,producing 11,300 pounds of litter—enoughtrash to fill a 40-yarddumpster. More than 1,700 tireswere picked up. And much ofthe trash was recycled: more than11,600 pounds of newspaper,500 pounds of aluminum, 25,100pounds of cardboard (recycled bylocal schools), and 2,380 pounds of plastic.“What impresses me most,” Whittaker says, “is thatthe youth took the recycling idea and ran with it.They’re now engaged on their own, continuingwith these efforts, and they’re having an impact.”We have had impactsin more areas thanwe realize. There’s arippling effect, andwhen people seethese efforts goingon, they get excited.roadways; dump sites that were situated too closeto waterways and springs used for water supply andrecreation; and a lack of education regarding recyclingand the new litter law that went into effect July1, 2007. Another factor that concerned the groupwas the economic downturn experienced in downtownGordonsville. Even the courthouse was leavingthe square, and businesses had closed as a result ofan arrival of a national superstore in the area.“Our working group found that everything wasconnected,” Monday says. “By cleaning up the area,we created a community that attractedpeople, but what wouldthey do once they got here?We wanted to invite touristsinto our area.” With the helpof Whittaker, Regina Brooks ofthe Chamber of Commerce,Leadership Smith County,and a number of civic groupsand businesses, a “Welcome toHistoric Smith County” sign waserected at the interstate. Whittaker’shusband, Clay Bane,laid the stacked stone that addsbeauty to the sign. And the ideaof a quilt trail was born to highlightplaces of scenic beautyand tourist interest. Senior andjunior high students helpedpaint many of the quilt paintings. Funding from theEmma Ree Crooks Oates Stimulus Grant paid forthem to be mounted on buildings and covered thecost of printing for 5,000 brochures to be placed intravel centers and other locations.“We’re getting the impact that we’ve wanted inbeautification,” she says. “I’m grateful that it tookoff the way it did, and that people recognized whatKeep Smith County Beautiful is about, and thatthere’s a lot of support for that.“Longer term, what I would really love to accomplishis to get the kids more involved with communityprojects and help them understand whattheir impact is – on the environment, on tourismand on economic issues. Everything is connected.Once they understand that, they’ll be more apt tobe involved in the community, and that will makea difference for everyone. Those connections willlead to overall improvement.” –Margot EmeryProgram PartnersChamber of Commerce, Smith CountyGovernment, Leadership Opportunity SmithCounty, Smith County Solid Waste Department,Tennessee Department of Transportation, SmithCounty Historical Society, Hull York LakelandRCD, Smith County School Board, U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers and othersAt the outset, Monday, a Family and Consumer Sciencesagent, conducted a countywide needs assessmentfor Smith County involving the FCS AdvisoryCommittee, local government, civic groups and theChamber of Commerce. The biggest issues identifiedthrough the assessment were dumps alongWhittaker, who is now with the Smith CountyMayor’s office and serves as chair of the Keep SmithCounty Beautiful Committee, explains that thegrassroots effort she helped launch isn’t just abouttourism and cleaning up litter. It’s about sustaininga community.Dezi Gageimproved her Carthagehome (alsofeatured on thecover) and won it a2010 CommunityInitiative Award.11