Q&A with Hannah Bagley, Executive Director of Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful
Have you ever wondered if one small change could create a ripple effect in your community? Join us for a conversation about litter cleanups, field trips, and the simple actions anyone can take to improve their environment and transform collective behavior.
Hannah, welcome! You recently took on this role after Emma Wells, the previous director, transitioned to the county’s solid waste department. What led you to apply?
I’ve been in Rome’s public works division for five years now, which Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful heavily relies on. They’re the maintenance men and women of our city—they patch potholes, pick up litter, and do everything in between. When she led Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful, Emma used to come over and ask us questions. She’d need our permission to encroach on a property in order to do a litter pickup, or would need our assistance moving larger pieces of trash that volunteers had dug up. Those interactions really piqued my interest, and now that I’m in the role, I get to see both sides. Before, as the public works operations coordinator, I was getting complaints and calls from residents—“I saw somebody do this” or “There’s a lot of litter on x street”—now I can recall those spots that need some love and am able to meet the needs of our community.
Have you always been passionate about improving the environment?
At this level, my passion has definitely grown. My daughter is eight now, but years ago, when she was born, I took time off from my previous job with the Department of Child and Family Services to form my own photography business. I formed a lot of relationships with families that way, and when I took their pictures, I would always pick up litter in the areas where I did photo shoots. I’d think to myself, how in the world did all this get here? I’d wonder what we could do to rectify the issue, because I would literally spend hours picking stuff up. Remembering that now, and being a Rome native myself, it feels so amazing to be the person working with volunteers and the city to make our city a more beautiful place.
What have some of your favorite projects or events been so far?
I really enjoyed facilitating our Rome-Floyd employee cleanups. Our city and county departments have a healthy partnership, but we can also be competitive with each other. I originally came from the city division, and grew to love everyone there, and now I know so many county employees. We held two separate cleanups, and between them we collected over 3,000 pounds of litter. I had so much fun watching everyone come together. Nothing gets done unless we all touch something.
We also have an arboretum here in Rome. Each tree is a memorial for someone’s passing. We have plaques with inspirational quotes, and they adopt the trees, so to speak. The city of Rome waters and cultivates them and makes sure they stay healthy, and recently about 50 students from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center came out and mulched every single tree. We have close to 70 trees in total, and it not only made them more pleasant to look at but gave them the nutrients they needed. It was such a fun project to do, and a great way to educate people, because our arboretum is a hidden gem. It’s a beautiful tribute to the people of Rome.
Students learning about the water cycle
What does your affiliate look forward to in the future? What further impact do you hope to see?
One thing I love is that we’re beginning to incorporate Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful into more field trips. We’re housed at the Rome-Floyd ECO Center, which showcases information on our native wildlife and ecology. Kids come through in the summer and during the school year to learn about animals and their impact on our environment, and we’re adding a stop at our office. We’re implementing fun games and new ways for kids to understand the importance of recycling and not littering. We’re also working in conjunction on bee curriculum. Rome is a certified Bee City, so we’ll have literature and demonstrations to share, and we have a lot of pollinator gardens planted around the center. My daughter’s just infatuated with bees now, and I’m learning to love them as well.
Any advice for people looking to make their communities cleaner, greener, or more beautiful?
The most important thing that I’ve practiced in my own life is to start small. Don’t try to conquer a mountain, but when you use an aluminum can, or order from Amazon (we all do it), create a recycling system at home and have bins for everything. These types of changes really do lead to big impacts. If you begin something at home, your kids will see what you’re doing and want to get involved. If you’re a teacher, you can do the same thing in your classroom, or you can even make a difference in your office. Just take small steps, whether it’s with recycling or something like picking up trash when you’re out on our trail systems or sidewalks. If one person does something positive, it becomes a ripple effect. People will see what you’re doing, and they’ll want to know more about it and make changes themselves.