The Scenic City hasn’t always been this beautiful — Chattanooga was named the worst city in the nation for air pollution in 1969 by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Since then, the city has made major steps in becoming cleaner, greener, and healthier for upcoming generations — and we want to keep it that way, but that requires a helping hand from the community.

Here are four organizations that you can actively participate with that are dedicated to keeping Chattanooga and the surrounding areas beautiful.

🌎 Green Steps | Mission is to eradicate litter + reduce waste with education, cleanups, and green infrastructure.

Green Steps hosts monthly community cleanups where locals can pick up litter around trails, parks, open spaces, and neighborhoods. Make sure to keep up with the organization on Facebook for upcoming cleanup opportunities.

Not able to attend a cleanup? Green Steps has 50+ litter stations around Chattanooga that provide you with the materials needed to pick up and throw away litter.

🌎 Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful | A 501(c)3 nonprofit — and the first Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the nation to focus solely on a river — with a mission to educate + inspire people to take action to make the Tennessee River clean for generations to come.

The nonprofit hosts many cleanup events spanning throughout the Tennessee River watershed, so you can register to participate in a cleanup opportunity close to home or in the surrounding areas.

If you notice cigarette butts — the most littered item in the world — lining the streets of downtown, the organization (in partnership with the Tennessee Aquarium) installed several cigarette butt recycling receptacles for the public to utilize.

🌎 Wanderlinger Brewing Co. | A local brewery dedicated to sustainability (and Chattanooga’s only fully compostable brewery), Wanderlinger offers Pick-up for a Pint, which is as simple as it sounds — show up, pick up litter, and earn a beer on them.

🌎 Scenic Cities Beautiful Commission | A cleanup resource for individuals, organizations, business, anyone looking to make a visible positive difference in our community.

Provides inspiration, coordination, garbage bags, gloves and make arrangements for the pickup of gathered litter — whatever you may need for cleanup efforts, Scenic Cities Beautiful is there to help.

Know of some other organizations that offer cleanup opportunities? Send them our way so we can add to the list on our website.