In the heart of downtown Indianapolis near Fletcher Place and the North Square neighborhood is Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, an environmental and community nonprofit with a mission to help people and nature thrive for more than 40 years. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., a national organization dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and environment in American communities.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc. has roots tracing back to 1953, and in present day has almost 700 local affiliates, including Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, and millions of volunteers from coast to coast.
Making a Difference in Indy
As an organization, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful works with its neighbors and volunteers to make an impact and maintain the city’s beauty, whether it be through planting trees, creating community spaces, picking up litter or engaging students of all ages in nature. At the heart of the nonprofit organization, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful aims to engage with the surrounding communities to create vibrant public places, and help both people and nature thrive.
In 2023 alone, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful collected 828,435 pounds of litter, planted 3,503 trees, accumulated 41,239 volunteer hours, adopted 1,025 blocks, completed 406 community projects, and maintained 38.72 acres of habitat restoration.
To further its mission and values, the organization has three categories of programs — clean neighborhoods, trees and native habits, and engaged community. One of its most notable programs is “Adopt-A-Block,” which is a partnership between Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and the City of Indianapolis, and empowers neighbors to start beautifying the community, starting with their own block.
Adopt-A-Block
For the Adopt-A-Block program, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful provides free tools and resources, and participants commit to keeping their block free of litter. The provided cleanup kit includes trash bags, gloves, and participants’ choice of four items: broom, shovel, coated-gloves, dustpan, bucket, reflective vest and litter-grabber.
Project Greenspace
Through its Project Greenspace program, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful works with selected applicants to transform publicly accessible properties that have a lifespan of at least 10 years, and transform them into thriving, public green spaces.
According to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, its program “turns vacant lots into community spaces such as parks, orchards and outdoor classrooms.” Applicants that are accepted to the program work with the organization and landscape architects to “create a design that captures the sense of spirit and pride of their local neighborhood.” In return, the design is brought to life through volunteers, hired contractors, and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful staff.
An additional asset of the program is maintenance support from the program, which ensures that the spaces retain their function and beauty.
Clean Waterways
Another notable program is Clean Waterways, which aims to keep Indianapolis waterways clean, with a focus on Little Eagle Creek, Pleasant Run and Pogue’s Run. According to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, “Left uncollected, garbage can become trapped in the waterways by sediment, debris and vegetation. Then, over decades, that trash can degrade and pollute water with microplastics and toxic forever chemicals, such as PCBs.”
For a full list of programs and details, or to view upcoming events or get involved through volunteering, visit kibi.org.
