Keep Indianapolis Beautiful gives back to both the environment and Indianapolis

communities
By Tatiana Montavon
The downpour of rain and inch-deep puddles covering the streets of the Bates-Hendricks
neighborhood did not stop the roughly 40 volunteers from showing up. At 9a.m. on Saturday,
October 26, a crowd of volunteers huddled on Lincoln Street dressed in layers and rain ponchos,
ready to plant nearly 200 trees.
After a demonstration on how to properly plant the trees, the volunteers dispersed, working their
way down the streets of the community. Joining them, guiding them, and supervising them was
the employees of the organization Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB).
This wasn’t the organization’s first tree planting volunteer project. In fact, this is something
they’ve been running for several decades. It’s how the current Director of Volunteers Abby
Dennis fell in love with the organization.
Ten years ago, her neighborhood received free trees. “I was super curious why someone would
be giving us so many nice, big trees for our street, and I volunteered that day and found out more
about the program, volunteered with KIB in other ways after that,” Dennis said. “And then a job
opened up, I applied for it, and thankfully got the position. That was about seven years ago.”
Dennis isn’t the only one in this group of people who found themselves coming back year after
year to volunteer with KIB. Bernie Denning started volunteering with KIB ten years ago. Since
then, he’s volunteered at least every other weekend, having developed a real passion for the
cause. “There’s not enough trees in the city yet. I mean, it’s the cheapest way to prevent CO2
from being out there,” said Denning.
First-time volunteer Hailea Royce admits that the rain made it less enjoyable but recommends it
“if you do have a passion for the environment and you want to give back.”
KIB plants trees every year in the months of March, April, October and November, planting
multiple sites every weekend. Dennis says it equates to roughly 3,400 trees every year. KIB
maintains them for three years after planting by watering, pruning, mulching and staking them.
The process to bring this tree planting project to your neighborhood is a long one. According to
KIB’s website, applications for 2021 tree plantings have to be submitted by Friday, June 19,
2020, including a list of addresses where trees will be planted. The organization will know by
early September if they can fulfill the tree planting request. KIB handles most of the technical
issues—permits and marking of underground utilities, deliveries of trees and mulch, training,
among other details. They aim to plant the trees in the public right-of-way, instead of in people’s
yards. While they handle all the technical details, they ask you to spread the word and to get the
neighborhood involved. The whole process takes around a year before the trees are brought to
your neighborhood, ready to be planted.
KIB encourages the planting and growth of more trees in neighborhoods for a lot of reasons. “A
lot to help with the environment, also to reduce storm water runoff—we have a combined-sewer
overflow system in Indianapolis,” said Dennis. “The trees also help clean air and help with
general health with breathing, it reduces noise pollution, as well as creating gathering spaces and
community ties to the care of the trees.”
However, tree planting is not for everyone, and KIB understands that. There are other ways to
help give back to both the environment and the communities here in Indianapolis and Marion
County.
Most often, Dennis said, “we have neighborhood clean-ups—there are about 300 a year, and
they’re led by neighborhood leaders who get a city dumpster, trash bags and gloves delivered to
a location of their choosing.”
KIB also runs greenspace and school projects, where “applicants and teams redesign an
underutilized space in the community,” said Dennis. “It has positive impacts for the environment
with use of native plants and trees, gathering spaces, and things like that.”
For over 40 years, KIB has been organized events and projects to bring the community together
to build what they consider to be their version of a greener, beautiful city. Their next project?
On November 2, tree planting in three sites—Brag, Whittier Place and Station Street.