2022 KJB Award Application
The Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission (KJB) and the City of Jacksonville invite nominations for the 20th annual Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Awards. This award celebrates individuals, organizations, businesses, and schools that have made strides to keep the city clean in 2022.
DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION for the 2022 Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Awards.
Application deadline: 5 p.m., Friday, October 6, 2023, but may be submitted earlier.
Applicants should have demonstrated an outstanding and ongoing effort in 2022 in the area (s) of:
- Beautification
- Litter/Graffiti Prevention, and/or
- Litter Cleanup
The winners will be acknowledged during KJB’s recognition event. The time and location of this event are to be announced.
If you have questions, please call 255-8276. Thank you for participating, and for all your efforts to Keep Jacksonville Beautiful!
2021 KJB Award Winners
The Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission recognized seveal winners in its annual awards compenttion at the Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board luncehon at the Univeristy of North Florida on November 17. Applicants were acknowledged for their outstanding and ongoing efforts in beautification, litter/graffiti prevention and liter cleanup in Duval County. Award winners that were recognized had an extra challenge last year—conducting projects and activities in the midst of a worldwide pandemic that shut things down and made projects difficult, if not impossible to do. But they did it and were recognized for their examplary work.
Individual Award
James Cook: In 2020, James organized and conducted 55 activities that included cleaning up illegal dump sites, removing graffiti and planting trees. James has cleaned retention ponds, mowed overgrown yards and has even helped with cleanups in counties outside of Duval.
Organization Award
Timucuan Parks Foundation: The Timucuan Parks Foundation developed and marketed “Student Self-Guided Volunteer Cleanups” for youth to visit parks and assist with litter cleanups on their own. Between June and December, 123 students participated (often with their families) and picked up 3,00 pounds of litter from 23 area parks.
Military Award
Naval Air Station Jacksonville: Naval Air Station Jacksonville continued its commitment to improving and beautifying our community through a variety of activities:
- Participation in Covid-mitigated International Coastal Cleanup sponsored by KJB 175 volunteers from 11 commands collected 600 pounds of litter.
- An installation-wide beautification effort with landscaping improvement at buildings’ entrances.
- Improvement to butterfly-pollinator garden at the base, including planting 35 native pollinator species, installing educational signs and fencing.
- Recycled more than 3,000 tons of metals, glass paper, cardboard, wood and other materials/
- Reduced nitrogen discharge into the St. Johns River through re-use of treated water on golf courses.
High School Award
Fletcher High School: The Marine Coastal Club at Fletcher High School has been active for many years with KJB in beach cleanups, including the Annual St. Johns River Celebration Cleanup, July 5th Cleanup, International Coastal Cleanup. Under the tutelage of Marine Science teacher Kevin Brown, who retired in 2021, the club is also active in dune restoration and planting sea oats to enhance the protection during storms.
Elementary School Award
Christ the King Catholic School: Christ the King Catholic School is being recognized for its environmental initiatives, including collaborating with the St. Johns Riverkeeper on water testing, raising chickens, growing gardens and eliminating the use of plastic water bottles by installing a refillable water fountain.
Mayor Jake M. Godbold Award
The Mayor Jake M. Godbold award is presented to an individual who has consistently demonstrated community advocacy and environmental stewardship. Chris Buckley is the immediate past Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Chair who has been on the commission for more than a decade—most of them as Chair. Under Chris’s dedicated, consistent and engaged leadership, Keep Jacksonville Beautiful has flourished with a number of initiatives and projects, including:
- Rain barrel installation at local schools for their gardens.
- Planting of dozens of trees at local parks.
- Expansion of the annual America Recycles Day event to a partnership with Greenscape of Jacksonville to include both a paper collection and free tree giveaway event.
- Installation of community gardens.
- Annual cleanups that draw thousands of volunteers with thousands of dollars in savings to taxpayers.