Newnan has its very own Lady Bird Johnson in Page Beckwith. She’s not a presidential first lady, but some recognize her as the environmental conscience of the city.

In the 1960s, Johnson, as first lady, brought national awareness to Keep America Beautiful’s anti-littering campaign – long before “going green” was a thing.

Fast-forward a few decades to find Beckwith, executive director of Keep Newnan Beautiful (KNB), taking up the mantle locally.

Carbon footprints, recycling, proper waste disposal and the like can be confusing, and well-intentioned wannabe recyclers often don’t know the right way to handle their trash.

Enter Beckwith and KNB. Their mission is to educate, motivate and empower Newnan residents to take greater responsibility for improving the local environment through beautification, litter prevention and waste reduction.

Affiliated with both Keep Georgia Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful, KNB reaches the next generation of recyclers through greenspace projects like the Outdoor Classroom and Pollinator Garden, a multisensory children’s playground that features natural and recycled materials.

Under Beckwith’s tutelage, Keep Newnan Beautiful offers guidance on proper disposal of hazardous household items like batteries and lightbulbs. Year-round, KNB hosts solution-oriented events such as Electronics Recycling Day, paint recycling events and a day to clean up local streams.

The campaign to end litter includes the Adopt-a-Street initiative where private companies or churches volunteer to help keep clean their adopted section of roadway.

A former educator, Beckwith’s favorite KNB service is environmental education. Her team speaks to elementary students and adults alike on all topics environmental and ways to keep the community tidy.

“Trash is not very glorious,” says Beckwith. But the fruits of trash-related labors she says, “are a litter-free community, healthier environment for people and wildlife, and clean, lovely surroundings – all points of pride for Newnan residents.”

Beckwith, a married mom of three, is passionate about her purpose. She’s maestro to the KNB orchestra, which includes a cadre of volunteers, partnerships with private companies, cooperation with the City’s Public Works Department, and many more moving parts.

The once part-time role bloomed into a full-time position five years ago. Beckwith finds service to the people of Newnan highly rewarding. After the March 26 tornado, she says she was compelled by a “deep desire” to do something.

“I knew I couldn’t build a house or replace a roof,” she says. Instead, she did what came naturally: deployed Keep Newnan Beautiful knowledge and resources to help. She and her team posted flyers in the hardest hit areas, from Chalk Level to Hollis Heights, and went door to door to help inform city residents about ways KNB could assist.

The magnitude of post-tornado debris was staggering, but Beckwith’s focus was targeted. Helping residents safely dispose of household hazardous chemicals, from bug spray to gasoline, KNB safely disposed of more than 2,000 pounds of hazardous waste, including that of a 91-year-old resident for whom KNB got rid of old kerosene cans and antique candy jars containing gasoline. The family, grateful for the ability to keep potentially hazardous waste from reaching the landfill, gave Beckwith a thank you card she keeps on
her desk.

“It was a group effort,” Beckwith recalls. “Between Public Works, word of mouth and the flyers, we were able to reach people who needed that kind of help.”

Being environmentally conscious is all in a day’s work for Beckwith, but in the aftermath of the devastating EF-4, the job was new. With no template to follow, the intrepid Beckwith says she “just kinda made it up” when it came to how to serve those affected by the storm. She says she knew KNB had three things needed to pull off the assist: knowledge, transportation and funding.

Working with the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) in Atlanta, Beckwith knew they could receive and recycle what Newnan-Coweta couldn’t. Using Public Works transport and paying for it out of KNB’s budget, Beckwith got the job done.

Assistant City Manager Hasco Craver is
a fan.

“Page has done a marvelous job of engaging the community,” Craver says. “Citizens of all ages have grown to enjoy Keep Newnan Beautiful because of Page’s commitment to
its mission.”

Nominated for One to Watch in 2021 by avid recycler Misha Benson of The Newnan Times-Herald, Beckwith is humbled by the attention. She admits being more comfortable talking about KNB than herself, but that doesn’t stop others from singing her praises.

“Just look at some of KNB’s accomplishments,” says Benson. “Through recycling and other efforts, Page is ensuring all of us have a better environment.”

For Beckwith, Keep Newnan Beautiful is more than the name of a city program and more than a job. It’s her mission. NCM