Read more about local beautification efforts in the June/July 2025 feature story.
It appears Keep Evansville Beautiful found the right person to continue its passion for tree conservation when it named Nick Iaccarino its new executive director in February. “I’m a tree hugger at heart,” he says.
Although picking up litter remains a large part of KEB’s mission, planting new trees and caring for existing ones is an important focus of the nonprofit. “Litter abatement is at the core of what we do,” Iaccarino says, but “being able to add to the tree canopy, from a health standpoint and optically, to be able to create more green space, would be wonderful. I love this community, and this community has so much opportunity at its fingertips.”
Each Arbor Day, KEB and the city’s department of urban forestry give away shade tree saplings at Wesselman Park, a free way for residents to invest in the community’s future. “We really want to increase urban reforestation efforts,” Iaccarino says.
Part of that lies in educational efforts: KEB wants to locate properties where trees can be planted, such as outside single-family residences and apartment complexes, and teach residents how to maintain them by watering and trimming them properly. “We want (residents) to understand it’s worth the investment,” Iaccarino says. “I want to increase vibrancy where it doesn’t exist. When I see a cold, gray, concrete wall, I think, what can we do to liven it up?”
Iaccarino realizes the importance of added greenery to a community. It is something that companies looking to move to a city notice and consider. “We are an economic driver,” he says. “That is a role I take very seriously.”
A longstanding KEB initiative is Litter-Free Evansville, an organized cleanup event that encourages residents and employees in a selected neighborhood to gather for trash pickup in a set period of time — usually a Saturday morning. Bags, gloves, grabbing sticks, and vests are provided by KEB. Iaccarino says since he has taken charge of KEB, interest in Litter-Free days has grown. “My hope is that by doing these, we can inspire residents and property owners in those and other areas to adopt these initiatives on their own,” Iaccarino says. “There are a lot of areas that need love.”
