About

Our Mission

The purpose of Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Inc., a non-profit organization, is to preserve and improve our environment, conserve natural resources, and enhance the quality of life in the City of Tucson and eastern Pima County. These goals will be achieved through initiating educational and participatory programs implemented with broad-citizen, multi-culture support.

Since its inception, Tucson Clean & Beautiful volunteers have contributed over 300,000 service hours at parks, washes, streets, paths/trails, and other public sites! This amazing impact includes over 20,000 service hours – valued at over $400,000 – given just in the past year!

Our History

The Adopt-a-Park & Public Areas program was the very first ongoing Tucson Clean & Beautiful effort, and serves as our foundation in continuing to work with community volunteer groups to improve our environment and quality of life. The first Adopt-a-Park project was held at “A” Mountain (Sentinel Peak) on July 26, 1984 when a coalition of city and county government leaders, the business community, and volunteers from many community organizations joined forces. Recycling & Waste Reduction, and Urban Forestry efforts were added over the years, and more recently the organization has become involved in efforts to mitigate buffelgrass & invasives as part of overall public land stewardship goals.

1984

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1998-2002

2010

Adopt-a-Park & Public Areas litter cleanup and prevention program

Currently over 300 continually adopted sites and additional one-time projects at parks, streets, washes and other public areas with over 20,000 volunteer hours (over $400,000 value) each year – 300,000+ cumulative volunteer hours.

Recycling and Waste Reduction

First Recycling Directory for Tucson metro area, first ongoing Telephone Directory program, Outreach Recycling monthly collection sites (now part of Neighborhood Recycling Center network); E Pluribus Recycles! Play reaching 5,000 elementary school students yearly; Recycling Information Line answering several thousand calls and emails each year; Recycling Directory with over 1,000 recycling options and other environmental resources in over 50 categories informing tens of thousands of area residents annually; periodic Electronics Recycling Outreach days ; RUMBA Recycled Art contest and display showing talent of up to 100 student and professional artists each year; over 6,000 out-of-service trash barrels donated from Tucson to border communities in Mexico; and many other creative community creative partnerships.

Children’s Memorial Park

Neighborhood park destroyed by 1983 flood; collaboratively rebuilt and enhanced to include many more trees, river walk, ramadas, field and ballcourt, in addition to sanctuary with granite memorial walls inscribed with names of children who passed away (over 1,700 children’s names currently recorded); recently renovated playground equipment with grant to TCB; a second Children’s Memorial Garden at Michael Perry Park, SE of Pantano Parkway and Golf Links Rd. opened in 2012.

Trees For Tucson

Low-cost shade tree planting for homes; street tree planting for neighborhoods; trees available for community sites including schoolyards, nonprofit organization sites and other public space restoration when planted by volunteers; educational presentations and tours. Over 160,000 trees planted to date, growing to an estimated 1,400 acres of new tree canopy. Program benefit estimates for the life of the program include 150 million kWh/over $16 million in energy savings, $43 million aesthetic improvement, over 7 billion gallons of stormwater interception, over 200 million lbs. CO2 reduction. TEP sponsorship began in 1993 and continued until 2016. Trico sponsorship began 2012.

Commemorative Tree Parks

Santa Cruz River – habitat restoration after flood barriers built; trees purchased by public to be planted in honor of friends and loved ones. A new Commemorative Tree park opened in 2012 on the Pantano Wash, from Kenyon Dr. to Golf Links Rd. with 300 trees already planted and 270 still available for dedication.

Hot Topics/Cool Solutions

Conferences and expos on urban heat island, cool & permeable pavement, solar energy, landscape, stormwater runoff, air quality

YARDS

Youth Landscape Maintenance Training program, developed as an alternative to traditional juvenile probation court-ordered community service and restitution to provide youth with job and life skills to become more employable and reduce recidivism in Juvenile or Adult court settings. More than 100 program graduates to date.

Program Staff

Feel Like Helping Out?

Our Sponsors

If you would like to explore opportunities to invest in a cleaner and more beautiful Tucson, please contact us at [email protected] for sponsorship details.

Thank you to all of our businesses and personal membership supporters, program collaborators, NPO’s, the thousands of volunteers who generously donate their time to help fulfill the Tucson Clean & Beautiful mission every day.

board of directors, 2023-2024

Executive Committee:

President: Richard Wiedhopf

Vice President: Melissa Brown-Dominguez

Secretary: Beth Gorman

Treasurer: Joseph Maher

Members at Large: Meredith Lipscomb, Renee Darling

Board Members:

Derek Koller

David Marhefka

Michael Peel

Nicole Sweeney