Q&A with Julie Murphree, Executive Director of Keep Thomas County Beautiful
Have you found yourself creating new partnerships and projects during the pandemic? We spoke with Julie about virtual landfill tours, litter cleanup kits available for checkout at the local library, and the importance of community collaboration.
You first joined Keep Thomas County Beautiful (KTCB) in 2017. What inspired you to become involved with our network?
A friend of mine was on the board of KTCB, and I actually joined the board of directors in 2016. After my first six months on the board, the former executive director left. I was initially part of the committee looking for a new director, but at the same time, I felt like a door had opened, and I wanted to take advantage of it. I somehow wound up in the corporate marketing world for 15 years, but I always wanted to work for a nonprofit, and have always been an advocate and maven for everything that KAB and all its affiliates stand for. Prior to joining the board, I was just never part of an organized cause.
Tell us about some of your favorite projects, or moments, over the years.
I love the hands-on aspect of this job, especially when it comes to youth programs. One of my favorite projects, and one I’m proudest of, is a landfill tour video that we recently did. We received a grant last year that provided the funding for an educational field trip; however, due to COVID-19, we had to adjust. We decided to create the video instead, and I think it’s going to have a big impact.
We’re planning to launch it to all our city and county schools in mid-January along with a viewing guide written by a local educator. It will be a lesson plan bundle that teachers can easily implement in their classrooms. The city of Thomasville has really embraced this project as well—they’ll air the video on our local cable network service and other applications.
Students touring the local landfill (photo taken before the pandemic)
Your library litter pickup kits became quite a hit during the pandemic. Will you share a little more about them? Why do you think it's so important to be innovative during times like these?
We provide everything needed for individuals in our community to do DIY-style cleanups at their favorite outdoor spots. We have kits at the library that include bags, gloves, safety vests, and patrons at the library can check them out along with their books. During the pandemic, it’s the perfect way to volunteer but remain socially distanced.
For us, it was a necessity to remain relevant. I’d seen a similar idea online and realized it would be the perfect scenario for Thomasville. We’re a small nonprofit with one part-time person on staff, and working with the library provides an outlet for people to pick up the kits when its convenient to them. The fact that the kits get checked out with library cards also increases the odds that our materials get returned. This has been an invaluable partnership, and we’ve built a new and lasting relationship with the library because of it. We plan to continue doing this even after the pandemic.
What further impact do you hope to have in Thomas County? What does an ideal environment look like to you?
I’d like for us, and I’m slowly seeing it happen, to be a recognized, knowledgeable go-to source for local conservation information. We just finished a cigarette litter prevention video, and I’m getting ready to release that. I’m also adapting our signature school environmental program. Last year, we had 100% participation from all our schools, and students met in club-like environment. Now, we’re moving toward more of an online platform, which was always on my wish list anyway, but of course that’s being driven faster by COVID-19. We focus a lot on litter prevention, but we also try to promote recycling right, and reducing waste in the first place since our community doesn’t have a curbside program. I’d also like to increase the number of plantings and beautification events we do.
Any advice for people looking to make their communities cleaner, greener, or more beautiful?
My advice would be to look for opportunities to collaborate. I am a regular at Thomasville and Thomas County public works and solid waste meetings, and I also attend quite a few parks and rec meetings. I’m a big advocate for working together instead of separately—why duplicate your efforts—and think it’s really important to seek out opportunities with like-minded local organizations as well.