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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
11.06.2007 - 09:10am ET
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Keep America Beautiful, Inc. Announces Results of 2007 Great American Cleanup
Nationwide Grassroots Community Improvement Event Protects the Environment and Boosts Local Recycling Efforts
(CSRwire) STAMFORD, CT - November 6, 2007 - After tabulating data from over 30,000
local events held in 17,000 communities and in all 50 states, Great
American Cleanup(TM) Managing Director Gail Cunningham today announced the
cumulative effects of 2.8 million volunteers and attendees who logged over
7.7 million hours to improve their local community environments.
Clean-up efforts resulted in 200 million pounds of litter and debris
removed from America's landscape, including 3,500 illegal dump sites and
over 10,000 abandoned vehicles. Great American Cleanup (GAC) events
improved over 178,000 miles of roadway (more than seven times around the
world), 121,000 acres of parks and public lands, 7,000 miles of rivers,
lakes and shorelines, and 3,900 miles of hiking, biking and nature trails
- equal to a winding trail stretching from Key West, Fla. to Seattle.
Recycling results were equally impressive, with participants reclaiming
70.6 million plastic (PET) bottles, 2.2 million tires, 22.4 million pounds
of aluminum and steel, 592,000 pounds of wireless phones and related
equipment, 115,000 batteries, 23 million pounds of newsprint, 4.5 million
pounds of clothing and 5.3 million pounds of electronics waste.
Beautification efforts during the GAC returned both environmental and
"quality-of-life" benefits to participating communities, with more than
4.6 million trees, flowers and bulbs planted. More than 2,400 buildings
were spruced up with paint and renovations, and over 11,000 graffiti sites
were abated.
Other highlights included:
6,500 educational workshops held, attracting 458,000 attendees;
2,100 acres of wetlands cleaned and improved;
3,300 playgrounds and community recreation areas constructed or
restored;
Over $145 million in labor donated by volunteers, significantly
lowering the financial and organizational burden of waste removal on local
and state governments; and
Restoration of West Side Park in Gulfport, Miss., a 10-plus acre
community amenity destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Keep America Beautiful (KAB) thanks its national sponsors for their
generosity and hard work in making the Great American Cleanup possible.
Notable contributions included:
In its third year as national sponsor, American Honda Motor Company's
"Road to a Cleaner America" promotion created the opportunity for Honda
dealerships to support KAB affiliates across the country and rewarded top
performing affiliates for their clean-up efforts;
For the sixth consecutive year, Firestone Complete Auto Care(TM) and
Tires Plus(TM) employee volunteers contributed thousands of employee
man-hours and led the nationwide scrap tire and automotive battery
recycling effort. Firestone Complete Auto Care(TM) and Tires Plus(TM) also
facilitated drop-off collection of scrap tires, do-it-yourselfer motor oil
and batteries at store locations. Additionally, in Gulfport's West Side
Park, the companies donated and installed more than 2,000 square feet of
walkway made from Firestone Flexi-Pave, a recycled tire product;
The Glad Products Company, a national sponsor since 1985, donated an
estimated 4 million GLAD ForceFlex(R) Trash Bags, the "Official Trash Bag"
of the Great American Cleanup;
Pepsi-Cola Company and its local bottlers and representatives
participated for the ninth consecutive year, providing financial support,
on-site refreshments at events, and grassroots outreach tools including
local event posters;
Sam's Club(R) and Aquafina, which partnered for a second consecutive
year with KAB on the "Students for Recycling" program, collecting 70.6
million plastic (PET) bottles and returning 25,000 student backpacks made
of recycled PET. Additionally, Sam's Club(R) contributed $50,000 by
rewarding the 50 top-performing schools with $1,000 Sam’s Club(R) gift
cards;
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company's third year support program included
truckload donations of growing media to West Side Park and West Elementary
School Katrina Restoration Projects in Gulfport, Miss., and also the "30
Days of Green" educational campaign, in partnership with Scholastic and
the National Gardening Association, created outdoor learning and activity
calendars that were distributed to 81,000 4th-6th grade classrooms across
the U.S.;
Sparkle(R) Paper Towels from Georgia-Pacific provided financial
support in its eighth year as a national sponsor, along with donations of
consumer products and building materials to KAB's Katrina Restoration
Project in Gulfport, Miss., and breakfast and lunch for the volunteers;
The Sprint Foundation celebrated its first year as a national sponsor
of the Great American Cleanup. In addition, Sprint and ReCellular partnered
with Keep America Beautiful to launch the "Wipe Out Wireless Waste"
campaign to collect and recycle wireless phones (www.kab.org/phonerecycling);
Troy-Bilt(R), in its ninth year as national sponsor, provided
financial support and donated yard machinery to participating
organizations nationwide;
Waste Management, Inc., in its fifth year of participation, provided
grant funding for local activities, in-school education programs, and
supplied manpower and waste collection infrastructure from 144 local
offices; and
For the ninth consecutive year, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company provided
financial support, distributed gum to volunteers for chewing enjoyment
while boosting alertness and concentration, and provided a multimedia
display on its Jumbotron board during the Great American Cleanup Times
Square Kickoff and Keep New York City Beautiful launch celebration.
Educational Partners were Rubber Manufacturers Association and ReCellular,
Inc.
For the fifth consecutive year, President George W. Bush served as
Honorary Chair of the Great American Cleanup, with Mrs. Laura Bush joining
him as Honorary Chair for the third consecutive year.
More results, including detailed information about sponsor programs and
contributions, can be found online at www.kab.org/GAC2007.
About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest
volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national
nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage
individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community
environments. The Great American Cleanup(TM) is the organization's
signature program that mobilizes millions of volunteers to improve their
communities through hands-on participation. For more information, visit www.kab.org.
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