Category Archives

Engaged Citizens

Celebrating a year of impact

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: December 27, 2023
Categories: Adopt-A-Block, Clean Neighborhoods, Engaged Citizens, Great Indy Cleanup, KIB Ambassadors, Trees and Native Habitats, Uncategorized, Urban Naturalists, Volunteers

We’ve been making our city cleaner, greener, and friendlier since 1976. With the support of our volunteers, advocates and partners, we continue to accomplish extraordinary things together. This year was no exception! Just like ecosystems in nature, communities that are connected and support one another become stronger and more resilient. None of our work would […]

Local Faith Leaders Gather for Tree Planting

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: November 28, 2023
Categories: Community Forestry, Engaged Citizens, KIB in the News, News & Features, Partners, Trees and Native Habitats, Volunteers

For the last decade, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been touted as Giving Tuesday, a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. But for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, it’s Giving Treesday. On Tuesday, November 28, we partnered with the Center for Interfaith Cooperation to host “Giving Treesday” […]

Protecting our waterways together

Posted by: Benjamin Shine
Posted: November 8, 2023
Categories: Busy Roads and Waterways, Clean Neighborhoods, Education, Engaged Citizens, Partners, Volunteers

Indianapolis is a city where collaboration thrives. And our waterways are no exception! In October, we teamed up with Frank’s Paddlesports Livery and Friends of the White River for a water cleanup to help protect and preserve Wallet Island and Butterfly Island. During this guided cleanup, volunteers made a meaningful contribution to the health and […]

Bin Your Butts goes mobile

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: October 23, 2023
Categories: Adopt-A-Block, Clean Neighborhoods, Education, Engaged Citizens, Great Indy Cleanup, Partners

Allow me to the set the scene: a friend of mine was standing in her kitchen, carefully removing a staple from her tea bag, so that she could compost it. She considered herself an A+ composter and was happy to be doing her part to live more sustainably. The television was on, and as she […]

Illegal dumping is a problem in Indianapolis. Here’s how you can help.

Posted by: Derek Glass
Posted: July 10, 2023
Categories: Adopt-A-Block, Clean Neighborhoods, Engaged Citizens, Great Indy Cleanup, KIB in the News

Summer Keown, KIB’s director of clean neighborhoods, was recently featured in the IndyStar to discuss Illegal dumping and what you can do about it. From reporting issues to the Mayor’s Action Center to organizing a Great Indy Cleanup, we’ve got you covered. Read the full story here.

Volunteerism in Indianapolis

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: April 4, 2023
Categories: AES Indiana Project Greenspace, Clean Neighborhoods, Education, Engaged Citizens, News & Features, Trees and Native Habitats, Volunteers

At Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, we rely on thousands of Hoosiers every year who help us co-create a city that is cleaner, greener, healthier, and safer. Last year, everyday citizens happily donated 16,660 hours to help us plant trees, create new greenspaces, and remove litter from our streets. When one of us lends a hand, it […]

KIB is addressing lead contamination, and you can, too

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: November 14, 2022
Categories: Education, Engaged Citizens, News & Features

Toxic lead contamination is a scary topic that sometimes creeps into our news headlines, like it did with the crisis in Flint, Michigan, in 2014. Lead exposure can affect all of us, especially children, throughout the year, and high levels of exposure can be incredibly damaging to our health. The good news is that there […]

The Danger of CoDom Stems

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: December 6, 2018
Categories: Education, Tree Tenders, Trees and Native Habitats

Yep … you read that correctly. CoDom stems are a danger to tree health. Here is an easy way to protect your tree. The term “co-dominant stem” is used to describe a tree that is composed of two main stems or leaders. Both stems are usually the same in diameter and length. As the tree […]

Working with Urban and Suburban Soils

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: November 7, 2018
Categories: Education, Tree Tenders

Maria Gulley is the horticulturist at Gardens of Growth, a full service landscape design, build and maintenance firm, where she also manages the company blog. She guests blogs about her experience volunteering as a Tree Tender for KIB and her passion for the value of urban trees and greenspaces, and enhancing our communities. When a soil […]

The Three Cut Pruning Method: What is it?

Posted by: Jeremy Kranowitz
Posted: November 2, 2018
Categories: Education, Tree Tenders, Trees and Native Habitats

What is the three cut pruning method? The three cut pruning method is a strategy used to remove larger limbs from a tree. Why is it used? This method is used to reduce the weight of the branch and make a clean proper cut. If a heavy weighted branch is removed improperly, the bark of the tree […]