Mission & History

Tucson Clean & Beautiful 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.

Organization History and Accomplishments

  • Adopt-a-Park & Public Areas litter cleanup and prevention program, 1984: 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, 1986: First Recycling Directory for Tucson metro area. 1988: founded first ongoing Telephone Directory program (now available curbside, year-round); early-mid 1990s: 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, 1987: 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, 1989: 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 (El Paseo de los Arboles, “Pathway of the Trees”), 1996: 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, 1998-2002: Conferences and expos on urban heat island, cool & permeable pavement, solar energy, landscape, stormwater runoff, air quality
  • YARDS, 2010: 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.