KIKeep It Real Beautiful
UnclaimedIs this your nonprofit? Claim it, edit it, and get free access to our grant matches, donor leads, and fundraising tools.
About Keep It Real Beautiful
In Real County, Keep It Real Beautiful gives neighbors practical ways to care for the places they share. Volunteers clean Highway 83, Highway 55, the Frio River, and the Nueces River, while recycling drop-offs and local education help prevent litter. The organization also protects dark skies through lighting guidance and recognition for businesses that reduce glare and sky glow.
Keep It Real Beautiful treats the night sky as part of the landscape worth protecting. Alongside recycling and cleanup work, it helps landowners, businesses, residents, and visitors understand dark skies, and evaluates businesses for Night Sky Friendly recognition. Its work stays rooted in Real County, the Frio and Nueces Canyons, and nearby highways and rivers.
Programs
The concrete work this nonprofit runs. Each program may later become a fundable project.
Dark Skies Preservation and Astrotourism Promotion
Provides education, guidance, and programming for landowners, businesses, residents, and visitors about the benefits of dark skies for wildlife, humans, and astrotourism.
Night Sky Friendly Business Recognition
Evaluates outdoor lighting and recognizes businesses and organizations that use responsible lighting designed to reduce sky glow and glare.
Recycling Collection
Collects cardboard, aluminum cans, and plastics through recycling trailers and drop-off locations serving the Frio and Nueces Canyons.
Highway Cleanup
Sponsors cleanup events four times a year along Highway 83 in Leakey and Highway 55 in Camp Wood.
River Cleanup and Litter Prevention
Distributes biodegradable yellow mesh bags for litter collection along the Frio and Nueces Rivers and organizes river cleanup activities.
Beautification and Conservation Projects
Supports volunteer-led projects focused on beautification, river protection, conservation, and environmental education in Real County.
Earth Day Activities
Participates in Earth Day activities and distributes information about recycling.
About this work
Mission
Keep Real County beautiful day and night through recycling, trash cleanups along highways and rivers, and preservation of the night sky through education about limiting the effects of artificial light on dark skies.
Who they serve
Residents, landowners, businesses, visitors, tourists, river users, and organizations in Real County and the Frio and Nueces Canyons.
Their impact
- Highway 83 and Highway 55 cleanup volunteer participation ranged from 32 volunteers in one quarter to 6 in another.
- Biodegradable yellow mesh river cleanup bags are delivered to more than 20 businesses and camps along the Nueces and Frio Rivers.
How your donation helps
- Recycling trailers, recycling stations, and collection of cardboard, aluminum cans, and plastics.
- Highway and river cleanup supplies, including biodegradable yellow mesh bags.
- Dark sky education, programming, and business lighting evaluations.
- Beautification, river protection, conservation, and environmental education projects.
In their words
Keeping Real County Beautiful, Day and Night!
Ways to help
Concrete needs and volunteer roles Keep It Real Beautiful has shared.
Current needs
- Additional recycling volunteers to enable expanded collection hours.
- Businesses and camps willing to host yellow river cleanup bags and a can.
- Dumpster locations for river users to place filled litter bags.
- Business sponsors for upcoming highway cleanup events.
Volunteer opportunities
- Collect trash during quarterly cleanups along Highway 83 and Highway 55.
- Participate in Frio River and Nueces River trash cleanups.
- Help with the recycling program by assisting at recycling locations and with collection activities.
- Host yellow river cleanup bags and a can at a business or camp.
- Support Earth Day activities and recycling education.
Recognition & press
Partners & funders
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this nonprofit and how its work happens.
How can a business qualify as a Night Sky Friendly Business?
A business or organization can request an outdoor lighting evaluation. Qualifying lights are shielded and aimed downward, stay within the property boundary, do not extend above the horizontal plane, and limit glare. Amber or warm-white light is preferred, with a color temperature of 3000 Kelvin or less described as ideal.
Where can residents recycle materials in Real County?
The Camp Wood Real County Recycling Center is off Highway 337 behind the Sheriff's station. The Frio Canyon Recycling location is on Main Street, east of the Leakey Library, on city property.
How can someone get yellow river cleanup bags?
Yellow biodegradable mesh bags are available through participating businesses and camps along the Nueces and Frio Rivers. Keep It Real Beautiful is also seeking more businesses and camps willing to host bag stations.
What materials does the recycling program collect?
The program collects cardboard, aluminum cans, and plastics. Remove plastic bottle caps, and make sure cardboard is collapsed and dry.
Similar nonprofits
Other recycling nonprofits in TX.