New anti-littering campaign promotes shared responsibility, city pride

Keep Cincinnati Beautiful’s “Don’t Trash The ‘Nati” campaign from the '90s is back, but this time it’s personal.
 
Instead of the phrase “The 'Nati,” it’s rebranded as “My 'Nati” so individuals will be more inclined to take collective action and ownership of their communities.
 
“If people took pride in their neighborhood and wouldn’t trash it or litter, it would result in less crime, higher property values—just an overall better quality of life,” says Brooke Lehenbauer, public awareness and volunteer coordinator for Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.
 
According to Lehenbauer, people sometimes justify littering—whether intentional or not—by saying it provides a job to those who clean the streets, but in actuality, that time spent comes from tax dollars and only takes away from time that could be spent doing more beneficial things.
 
“That’s time they’re away from filling potholes, cutting grass,” Lehenbauer says.
 
Campaign designs relay the message by showing what individuals should trash—things like coffee cups and banana peels—next to Cincinnati staples that shouldn’t be trashed at all.
 
“It has iconic Cincinnati landmarks like Union Terminal, 20th Century Theater, the Reds’ stadium—that kind of thing—so the idea is that we want people to recognize that the city is ours to enjoy,” Lehenbauer says. “Keeping it clean has to be a shared responsibility between all of us.” 

Do Good:

•    Check out Keep Cincinnati Beautiful's upcoming events and opportunities to get involved.

•    Take photos of your favorite Cincinnati spots, and use the hashtag #MyNati to connect with others through social media.

•    Suppor the campaign by donating.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a project manager for Charitable Words. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.