The final breakout session I attended at the Keep America Beautiful 2020 National Conference centered on how to use simple technology.
Most of the methods discussed went beyond what we use at Keep Alliance Beautiful and may be possibilities in the future.
Jonathan Hill, Keep Charlotte Beautiful, was the first presenter. He described their Adopt A City Street program, which includes 12 crews and 60,000 miles of streets. Volunteers choose a mile to clean three times a year and receive two street signs and supplies on a lending basis. Though the intent is the same as Nebraska’s Adopt A Highway program, in Charlotte everything can be done through an online platform. Hill listed benefits: easy to manage with a small staff, cost effective, litter addressed in all areas; and drawbacks: less interaction with volunteers, no state roads, less attention to priority streets. He said the program generated 3,200 service hours and 9,000 bags of trash. “(We) try to exhaust all forms of communicating with people for followup,” Hill emphasized.
Litter also prompted a technology solution for the next speaker. Kandace Cave, Keep Aiken County (S.C.) Beautiful, told how she has employed story maps to convey the litter index.
Cave first met with the GIS (Geographic Information System) director. She explained that a story map is a form of multimedia storytelling through web applications combining narrative and images. “Maps give an overview and make it easier to absorb information,” she said. “Plays with both sides of the brain — logical, rational and informational.”
Cave listed tips for affiliates looking to incorporate story maps such as: begin with the end in mind, break up text when and where possible, and don’t overdo font types. Two positive features are the map can be updated whenever and viewers can overlay other mapped areas.
Bryan Bobbitt, Keep Brevard (Fla.) Beautiful, gave a more general approach with his affiliate’s mobile app.
Bobbitt said the approach includes: litter reports, cleanup stories (users can geolocate and tag to show where the cleanup is at), statistics reporting, the ability to sync with the calendar of events and RSVP, a timeclock, a place to upload reports at the end of the month. The administrative dashboard allows views of cleanup data, access to photos and a means to generate reports, manage events and send custom push notifications.
While the app’s development was inclusive with many staff members taking part, the feature may not be in the price range of smaller affiliates. Bobbitt noted the app cost $10,000 to develop and $1,000 a month to maintain.
The national convention generates a conversation every winter on some of the best ways to keep America beautiful. Even though our time in Memphis this year was informative, the Keep Alliance Beautiful staff always enjoys hearing from the public we serve about how we can do things better.