Easy Ways to Clean, Beautify Your Local Community
(NewsUSA) - Volunteers from across America are rallying together for a cleaner, greener tomorrow - right in their own communities.
From litter removal and recycling to graffiti abatement and beautification of parks and playgrounds, millions of Americans will create cleaner, safer, more beautiful communities during Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest community improvement program.
This year's Great American Cleanup is expected to involve nearly 2.5 million people, volunteering more than 8 million hours in support of 30,000 events in all 50 states. President George W. Bush serves as honorary chair of the event for the fifth consecutive year in 2007. Mrs. Laura Bush joins him as honorary chair for the third consecutive year.
In 2006, Great American Cleanup volunteers collected 228 million pounds of litter, planted more than 5 million flowers and trees and cleaned over 3,900 miles of nature trails. What can you do in 2007?
Keep America Beautiful offers these simple tips for protecting the environment and our communities:
- Always be prepared. Keep a litter bag in your car to dispose of litter. Try to pick up a piece of litter every day.
- Make a green scene. Planting grass, trees and flowers in public areas can reduce crime, increase property values and inspire community pride.
- Encourage adopt-a-spots. Ask local businesses to adopt a public space and maintain it regularly to benefit your local economy.
- Recycle at home and at work. Recycling conserves energy, protects natural resources, saves landfill space and creates jobs.
- Encourage youth volunteerism and eco-awareness. Get involved with local schools to promote recycling drives and clean-up projects.
Support for clean communities continues to grow, as many companies sponsor volunteers' efforts. The 2007 Great American Cleanup national sponsors are: American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Firestone Complete Auto Care and TiresPlus, GLAD ForceFlex Trash Bags from The Glad Products Company, Pepsi-Cola Company, Sam's Club, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Sparkle Paper Towels from Georgia-Pacific, Sprint Foundation, Troy-Bilt, Waste Management, Inc., and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; Educational Partners: Rubber Manufacturers Association and The Wireless Alliance
For more information about helping your community or participating in the Great American Cleanup, visit www.kab.org.
Local Keep America beautiful agencies are available across the Tampa Bay area. They allow volunteers to adopt a road, adopt a shore and do many other things to keep Tampa Bay looking beautiful. Visiting these sites can provide more detailed information about the projects that they have set up across this area to provide for a cleaner America, a cleaner Florida, and a cleaner Tampa Bay.
