Location of Service: Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful – 2329 Duncan Rd., Knoxville, TN 37919
About Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful:
Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful® is a 501c3 nonprofit and is the 1st Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the nation to focus solely on a river. Its mission is to rally communities along the Tennessee River and its tributaries to preserve, improve, and protect the river for generations to come. As of December 3, 2025, over 5,293 volunteers have helped the organization to remove 1,017,672 lbs. of trash along the 652-mile Tennessee River and its tributaries that reach into seven states.
Going beyond the crucial river cleanups, the organization manages conservation programs such as Adopt a River Mile and a freshwater mussel conservation program and has a network of partners helping to manage various forms of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful infrastructure that either prevents or mitigates litter presence in our waterways. The Tennessee River watershed reaches into the seven states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, is the most biodiverse river system in North America, and generates an annual $12 billion just in the recreation alone.
Position Summary:
The AmeriCorps member will be working with programs and projects managed by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. The member will be working with the Executive Director of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful as well as other members of the staff. Some duties include, but are not limited to:
- Coordination of recycling as much recyclable materials from our cleanups as feasible without disrupting our workflow or costing us too much
- Managing our tire trailer recycling effort
- Planning and implementing our dock styrofoam recycling program (major undertaking but a big opportunity
- Lining up dumpster donations for cleanups
- Assisting with river cleanups in the area
- Must be willing to step up with other duties as needs arise in the nonprofit
The member(s) in this position will have the opportunity to gain the following skills/credentials:
- Project Development
- Community Outreach
- Video Editing
- Recycling/Solid Waste Logistics
- Data Collection
- Grant Reporting
- Education and Awareness Campaigns
Site Preferences/Qualifications:
- College degree
- Driver’s license
- Computer skills
- Ability to work in weather extremes
- Ability to lift items 50 lbs.
- Ability to walk on varying terrains
- Attention to detail
- Strong sense of responsibility
- Positive attitude
- Strong sense of team extremely important
- Willingness to learn
- Must adhere to no tobacco/vaping policy
Equal Opportunity Statement: AmeriCorps prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment based on the protected categories of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, generic information, military service, or reprisal.