In 2026—two years from now—the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday, making it the perfect time to show America some love by sprucing up neighborhoods across the country. Since 1953, the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful has been inspiring and working alongside people nationwide to beautify their communities.

Keep America Beautiful is inviting everyone to join the Greatest American Cleanup. In addition to calling upon individuals, families, clubs, and community groups, Keep America Beautiful is rallying 25,000 local governments and leaders across the country to commit to a declaration of independence from litter, calling on everyone to plant trees, clean up litter, and improve recycling practices. Importantly, this effort transcends party lines, bringing people together in a time of political divisiveness to pursue a common goal.

We invited Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, to introduce the Greatest American Cleanup and share how the organization will inspire people to contribute to a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful country.

Listen for insights on:

• How you can get involved in the Greatest American Cleanup
• Maintaining relevance and impact as a nonprofit for 70+ years
• Positioning and leading an organization that transcends partisan divides

Resources + Links:

• Jennifer Lawson’s LinkedIn
• The Greatest American Cleanup
• MLK Community Improvement
• Keep America Beautiful’s Do Beautiful Things Podcast

• (00:00 ) - Welcome to Purpose 360


• (00:13 ) - Keep America Beautiful


• (03:15 ) - Jenny Lawson’s Back Story


• (04:55 ) - KAB’s Purpose and Legacy


• (05:56 ) - Misperceptions


• (07:46 ) - Vision


• (08:47 ) - Being Purple


• (10:20 ) - Getting Outside


• (11:49 ) - America’s 250th Birthday Plans


• (14:35 ) - Companies Involved


• (16:17 ) - MLK Corridors


• (18:02 ) - Overall Drivers


• (20:27 ) - Keeping It Relevant Over Time


• (24:24 ) - Looking Forward


• (25:22 ) - Action Steps


• (27:20 ) - AI and Purpose


• (27:59 ) - Last Thoughts


• (28:31 ) - Wrap Up