Dr. Karen Bell

Keep Liberty Beautiful

November is a wonderful time to reflect on how we can make our community cleaner, greener, and more beautiful. With America Recycles Day on November 15, Keep Liberty Beautiful (KLB) encourages residents throughout Liberty and Long counties to look more closely at what they throw away and discover how recycling can make a positive difference in our community.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much we throw away each day? From plastic bottles and aluminum cans to cardboard boxes, paper, and food packaging, many items we consider trash may have another useful life. Recycling conserves natural resources, reduces landfill waste, and saves the energy used to manufacture products from new materials. Just as importantly, proper waste management helps prevent litter from spreading through our neighborhoods, along our roadways, and into the waterways that make our coastal community special.

Litter prevention is another important part of recycling conversation. People can’t easily recover recyclable materials when they throw them onto roadsides, leave them in parking lots, or let rain carry them into storm drains. Once litter enters our waterways, it can threaten wildlife, damage habitats, and affect Liberty County’s natural beauty. Keeping our community clean requires responsible waste disposal, and we must remember that recycling only works when we do our part.

One of the best ways to teach these lessons is by involving our young people. That is why Keep Liberty Beautiful is sponsoring a Recycled Art Contest for students in Liberty and Long counties. This contest encourages students to look at everyday discarded materials differently and discover that creativity and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.

Students are invited to transform clean, safe recyclable or discarded materials into original works of art. Each entry must be made from at least 80% recyclable or discarded materials and measure no more than 15 inches by 15 inches by 25 inches. Artwork must be easy to transport, be able to be displayed outdoors, and be appropriate for public viewing.

The contest includes three categories: elementary school, middle school, and high school. Students must enter individually, and each participant may submit one original entry. Group projects are not permitted. Artwork must be the student’s own work, and the student’s name must not appear on the front of the piece. Each entry must include a completed entry form and a separate sheet describing the artwork in detail. There is no entry fee.

Members of the Keep Liberty Beautiful Advisory Board will judge entries based on creative use of recycled materials, neatness, difficulty, craftsmanship, and overall appearance. Gift card prizes will be awarded in each school category:

• First place: $75
• Second place: $50
• Third place: $25 There will also be a People’s Choice Award, with online voting taking place on the Keep Liberty Beautiful Facebook page from November 16, 2026, through November 20, 2026. The People’s Choice winner will receive a KLB Gift Bag.

All artwork must be submitted by 4 p.m. on November 13, 2026.

Entries may be delivered to either of the following locations. Please call (912) 880-4888 KLB, or (912) 876-2133 LCEO, to arrange delivery:

• Keep Liberty Beautiful: 9397 E. Oglethorpe Highway, Midway, GA 31320
• Liberty County Extension Office: 100 Main Street, Suite 1200, Hinesville, GA 31313 Keep Liberty Beautiful will announce winners at their respective schools and on social media on November 16. The People’s Choice winner will be announced during a Facebook Live presentation on November 20, at 1 p.m.

I am excited to see how our students use their imaginations to turn materials that might otherwise be thrown away into something meaningful. This contest is about more than creating artwork. It gives young people a chance to see that their choices matter and that protecting our environment can be both educational and fun.

As we celebrate America Recycles Day, I encourage every household, school, business, and organization to find one new way to reduce waste and recycle responsibly. Talk with your children about recycling, participate in a community cleanup, and encourage others to take pride in keeping Liberty County beautiful.

For more information about the Recycled Art Contest, recycling education, or volunteer opportunities, contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880-4888, email klcb@libertycountyga. gov, or visit www.keeplibertybeautiful. org.

Together, we can turn small actions into lasting change. Let’s make every day an opportunity to reduce waste, protect our natural resources, and keep our community clean, green, and beautiful!