Keeping Long Island Beautiful - Uniting Effort to Clean, Restore, and Steward Our Island

Long Island's municipalities, nonprofit organizations, community groups, businesses, and volunteers are all making meaningful contributions to keeping our communities clean and beautiful. Imagine what we could accomplish by working together.

Join Save The Great South Bay for an interactive panel discussion and community conversation designed to bring together municipal leaders, public works departments, parks and recreation staff, environmental nonprofits, civic associations, businesses, and volunteer groups to share ideas, discuss common challenges, and identify opportunities for collaboration.

Designed to encourage conversation, this forum will feature a moderated panel discussion, followed by an open dialogue focused on strengthening partnerships, sharing successful initiatives, coordinating volunteer efforts, and exploring ways to amplify the impact of cleanup, beautification, and environmental stewardship efforts across Long Island.

Whether you represent a municipality, nonprofit, civic association, environmental organization, business, or volunteer group, you'll leave with new ideas, valuable connections, and opportunities to work together toward a cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful Long Island.

Event Details

Date: Friday, July 24, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: The View, Oakdale, NY

Featured Panelists

David Wheeler – President & CEO, Keep America Beautiful
James Bertsch – Co-Chair Creek Defender Program, Save the Great South Bay
Cynthia Siebold – Founder, The Balloon Mission
Rich Groh – Chief Environmental Analyst, Town of Babylon
Theresa Block - Moderator, Sonas Integrative Strategies

Who Should Attend?

Municipal leaders and elected officials
Public Works, Parks & Recreation, and Sustainability Departments
Environmental and watershed organizations
Civic and neighborhood associations
Beautification committees
Volunteer and service organizations
Corporate community relations and sustainability teams
Schools and environmental educators
Community leaders committed to environmental stewardship

Come ready to participate.

This is more than a panel discussion—it's an opportunity to build relationships, share resources, and unite Long Island's cleanup and beautification efforts for greater collective impact.

About the Speaker Series

The Save The Great South Bay Speaker Series brings together thought leaders, environmental experts, elected officials, businesses, and community organizations to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Long Island's environment and quality of life. Through education, dialogue, and collaboration, the series seeks to inspire meaningful action and community engagement.

We hope you'll join us for this important conversation about keeping Long Island beautiful for generations to come.

Speaker Series: Keeping Long Island Beautiful

Uniting Effort to Clean, Restore, and Steward Our Island