Q&A with Page Beckwith, Executive Director of Keep Newnan Beautiful
Have you ever experienced the magic of an “aha” moment? Join us for a conversation about pollinators, community green spaces, and how learning about sustainability initiatives can inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.
You’re going on your eighth year leading Keep Newnan Beautiful. What brought you to the organization, and what’s compelled you to stay?
This position was originally part-time, which was perfect for a mom with young kids. I liked the fact that it offered me a way to use my education degree with a job outside of a regular classroom. I love helping people of all ages learn new things and solve problems, whether it’s creating a lesson about water runoff or assisting residents who don’t know what to do with the pile of electronics they found in their elderly parent’s basement. The job activities are different most days, which keeps it fresh, and the environmental aspect has become one of the larger reasons why I’ve stayed.
That’s wonderful! Can you tell us more about some of those teaching moments? Why are they important to you?
As an educator, that’s what I love to do. I love to learn new things myself too—in this job, I’m either gaining knowledge from others in the community or hoping I’m teaching somebody else something. Finding ways to encourage residents to choose the best way to solve their problems while being environmentally responsible can be a challenge. It’s so much easier to throw things in the trash or use chemicals on your plants or lawn. I’m always looking for ways to encourage people to do better for future generations. My favorite is explaining why you shouldn’t dump your paint, grease, or medicine in the sewer system. So often, people don’t think about what happens after those items go down the drain, but once you take the time to teach them, they change their activity. They bring me their batteries or pay for their paint to be recycled, or use organic processes in their yards. In particular, we’ve gained traction with our drug takeback days. We collected over 130 pounds of unused medication during our most recent event. I take that as a big win.
What have been some of your other favorite projects or events over the years? I know Newnan has a lot of wonderful green spaces.
Building our outdoor classroom, which includes a pollinator garden, has been one of my favorite projects to date. We did it in partnership with Niagara Cares, and watching its popularity grow has been so fun and rewarding. Recently, I was picking up my kids from summer camp and started talking to another mom about pollinators, and she said, “Hey, have you been to that butterfly park behind the West Georgia campus?” I had to chuckle and then told her, “Yes ma’am, I helped install it.” I love how giving people places to play and interact with the environment enables them to appreciate nature. The classroom has everything from an upcycled water bottle playhouse to chalkboards to a sensory path where kids can take their shoes off and interact with different textures that promote coordination, spatial awareness, and neural connections in the brain.
I also love our school gardens, and just last year, we added the community garden I mentioned earlier next to our local food bank. They’d been trying to figure out how to use the space and not have to mow all the time, and they had garden beds that some Boy Scouts had installed years ago. It never took off back then because of Covid, but we were able to start it up again as a project for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We also have orchards, which are a hit. Getting people outside and involved with nature is a really important way for them to connect.
Volunteers working in Keep Newnan Beautiful’s outdoor classroom
What else does your affiliate look forward to in the future? What further impact do you hope to see?
I would love to gain more traction with litter prevention. We’re fortunate to have a truck that goes out and picks it up every day, and of course we have residents involved in cleanups, but I’ve always wanted to host public forums. I’d like to have some candid conversations, and again, bring in that education component—we don’t want plastic bags floating around town because they’re unsightly, but also because they’ll land in our creeks, harm fish and turtles, and contaminate the water. Discussing topics like that can be so productive.
I also want to encourage people to install more native plants to welcome more pollinators into our community. They’re easy to grow, you hardly ever have to water them, and they sequester carbon. It’s a great way to reduce your footprint, and a beautiful thing to see. I live on a farm where we have a lot of mountain mint, and my son and I recently sat and watched all these bees and fiery skipper moths hovering all over it. I’ve never seen so many in one place before, and it was such a fun experience. They could care less that we were there; we were living in their world.
Any advice for people looking to make their communities cleaner, greener, or more beautiful?
It’s not an easy job, but it’s incredibly worth it, and you can start with small steps. Just picking up litter on your own street can make a huge difference—you’re keeping it out of the streams, away from animals, and making your environment beautiful. I’d also recommend finding “your team”. There are always going to be people that enjoy and appreciate the same things you do, and you can leverage that to move forward with your project or idea, whether that’s litter prevention, better recycling opportunities, or more plants for pollinators. When you hit a wall, or need somebody to be your cheerleader, they’ll be there for you. You’ll also encourage others to do the same. When people see you out there improving the environment, they’ll ask how they can get involved. Little steps can definitely lead to big wins.