Written by Maleah Holder
“All aboard!” Benny Braden, founder and former president of Responsible Stewardship tied his trash bags and tossed them on his jon boat as his volunteers shuffled back through the woods. The shoreline of Watts Bar Lake, previously covered in loose trash, old tires, and tangled fishing line, was near spotless after Braden and his team took on the challenge of collecting the debris.
Responsible Stewardship is a non-profit organization that works with a volunteer base to remove trash from outdoor recreation spaces such as Watts Bar Lake to keep the space clean and family-friendly. Braden started his organization in August of 2022 working to clean up illegal dump sites and move them to landfills while recycling what he can.
“That is something we are striving for in the next couple years to…recycle everything. We typically like to do zero added waste cleanups which means we use the barley bags and reusable gloves,” says Braden.
In just over a year of action, volunteers turned into ambassadors leading their own teams all over the country collecting trash and weighing it to report back to Braden. Recently, a new ambassador in Taiwan took it upon herself to collect trash overseas after being inspired by his work in the U.S. and has so far collected over 1,000 pounds by herself.
To keep track of all of the waste collected in these recreation sites reported to him, he asks that his ambassadors present him with a final weight of their haul that he adds on to his total weight in pounds on the website. Many of Braden’s outings and his ambassadors report collecting over 2,000 pounds in a matter of a couple hours.
“We are just over a year old and so far we have removed over 170,000 pounds altogether, this year and last year,” Braden commented.
Benny Braden admits he could never have completed such a hefty task alone, however. He regularly partners with local colleges such as Bryan College based out of Dayton, Georgia that contribute a large number of volunteers that have a similar love for outdoor recreation. He also partners with other local businesses and organizations such as Outshine Adventures founded by Sunshine Loveless and Naked River, a brewery in Chattanooga, Tennessee that donated empty bags of grain that are biodegradable and contribute to his goal of zero added waste.
Braden welcomes volunteers of all ages and hometowns, as long as they are willing to give up their time on the weekend, something he appreciates as a precious commodity. Any donations of equipment or funds from individuals or businesses are also appreciated by Braden and his board members that organize the cleanups.
He has recently stepped down from his presidency of Responsible Stewardship, but remains active as a volunteer and board member. Through his organization Braden has developed an even stronger love and respect for his community and the outdoors, and hopes that he has instilled the same in his volunteers. He now finds comfort knowing that he has done his part in taking care of something that has helped him in so many ways.
Meet the Storyteller
Maleah Holder is a senior communication major with an anthropology minor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Holder has experience as a section editor of Rising Rock and is proficient in writing, editing, and social media management. She frequently works with nature conservation organizations to support and spread awareness of responsible eco-tourism and promotes such things in her work as a writer. As such she intends to go into outdoor journalism after completion of her degree. If you would like to support conservation efforts with Maleah Holder, contact her at maleahholder@gmail.com.