UPDATE as of Nov 9, 2022 at 10:15 AM:  Email info@keepknoxvillebeautiful.org if you would like to attend.  We have a few spaces left.  Thank you!

The KKB 4th Annual Summit: Urban Reconnection to Nature will showcase sustainable developments in three cities: Greenville, SC, Birmingham, AL, and Baltimore, MD. We will hear firsthand from experts in the field about equitable and sustainable parks, tree equity, urban canopy, and the renewal of communities. A local panel will bring these topics home to our city and region.

• Doors open at 10:30 am and presentations begin at 11:00am.
• Attendees are required to pre-register to attend.  To register, click on the green "REGISTER" button on the top right hand side of this page. 
• Lunch from the Tomato Head is OPTIONAL and may be preordered when registering.  

Thank you to our event sponsors: Waste Management, US Bank, McCarty Holsaple McCarty, First Neighborhoods Realty, Fox & Fogarty, East Tennessee Community Design Center, and KBrew.

Event Timeline:

11:00 AM- Welcome, Mayor Indya Kincannon

11:20 AM- Mayor Knox White, Mayor of Greenville, South Carolina

12:15 PM- Lunch and Keep Knoxville Beautiful Slideshow and announcements

1:00 PM- Cathy Sloss Jones, Chair of the Urban Land Institute, Alabama Chapter, Birmingham, Alabama

2:00 PM- Ryan Alston, Communications and Outreach Manager for the Baltimore Tree Trust

3:00 PM-4:00 PM - Local Panel: Ben Bentley (CEO of KCDC), Carol Evans (Executive Director of Legacy Parks), Kasey Krouse (Urban Forester of the City of Knoxville)

5:30 PM - Green Drinks: Join us at Pour Taproom at 207 W. Jackson Avenue.  Kevin Murphy and Sandra Korbelik from the Knox Community Planning Alliance (KCPA), will be speaking about Advance Knox,  Knox County's project to update the general land use plan and create its first comprehensive transportation plan.   Doors open at 5, and the speaker will begin at 5:30 PM.

OPTIONAL Lunch: The Tomato Head will be catering this event. Select your main option and preorder under "TICKETS,"  The cost of lunch is $13.   

Main Options:

1. Chicken Pesto Sandwich on Whole Wheat with chips
2. Tomato Head sandwich, no pesto, no sprouts with blue corn chips
3. Vegan Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread (Vegan)
4. Chicken Pesto Sandwich on Gluten Free Bread with blue corn chips (GF)

Parking:  The State Street garage, located at 500 State Street, is the closest option to the East Tennessee Historical Society. It charges by the hour up with a maximum of $7 for the day. Vehicles exiting after 6 PM will not be charged. 

Donate to Keep Knoxville Beautiful at the top of this event page! The Summit is a FREE event. KKB is always grateful for generous donations from our community.  

For our visiting guests: check out this link from Visit Knoxville, which includes a digital guide, a Knoxville savings pass, a downtown map, and more.

Featured Speakers: 

Mayor Knox White has served as Mayor of Greenville, South Carolina since December 1995. As Mayor he has the goal of making the City of Greenville, South Carolina “the most beautiful, livable, and welcoming city in America. His tenure as mayor has been defined by neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and transformational projects for downtown. Over the past two decades, Greenville has earned national acclaim for its livability and has become an award-winning destination.  In 2018, Mayor White was profiled in Time Magazine as one of “31 People Who Are Changing the South.” Key strategic projects implemented during his terms include removal of a four-lane highway bridge allowing for the subsequent creation of the iconic Falls Park, recruitment of new retail to downtown, Fluor Field - a downtown minor league baseball stadium, initiation of the Swamp Rabbit Trail - a bike and walking trail system throughout the city, development along the downtown Reedy River riverfront, and public art initiatives along Main Street. The City of Greenville has also invested in its neighborhood initiatives that include traffic calming, the creation of neighborhood associations, investment in neighborhood parks and commercial corridors, as well as the creation of an Affordable Housing Fund. The latest project is Unity Park where a partially abandoned and once segregated part of the city has been transformed into a beautiful 60-acre park to be enjoyed by all. Adjacent to the park will be 9 acres of workforce and affordable housing which will be one of the largest footprints of affordable housing in the city of Greenville.

Cathy Sloss Jones is the President and CEO of Sloss Jones Real Estate Company, a multidisciplinary firm in Birmingham, Alabama. Her focus is on urban redevelopment/revitalization and the renewal of the community by renovating historic buildings, constructing new buildings that honor their surroundings and by providing planning services throughout the region. Significant projects include Pepper Place, a designated entertainment district, and Park Place, Birmingham’s first HOPE VI neighborhood. A recognized civic leader, Jones serves on many boards and chairs the Alabama Chapter of the Urban Land Institute. As a Loeb Fellow, she honed her expertise in sound design principles and green building, studying innovative models for mixed income/mixed-use healthy communities. She has received numerous awards including, Birmingham Businesswoman of the Year. In 2017 she was named to the Alabama Academy of Honor, Alabama’s highest award. In 2022 she became a Momentum – Woman of Impact Honoree and gained accolades for her leadership and achievement in the lighting of Sloss Furnaces – Flip the Switch.  

Ryan Alston is the Communications and Outreach Manager for the Baltimore Tree Trust. She helps to drive engagement both online and within Baltimore City communities and works to promote the Tree Trust mission and outreach initiatives. Ryan works closely with neighborhood stakeholders, elected officials, and city residents to cultivate strong partnerships ahead of tree planting operations and ensure positive co-benefits during and after planting takes place. A creative thinker with a passion for graphic design and marketing, Ryan is the voice behind the Tree Trust brand helping to spread awareness across the city for a healthy urban forest.