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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
11.15.2004 ET
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Firestone Tire & Service Centers Band Together with 2.3 Million Volunteers to Collect Record-Breaking Number of Scrap Tires
Nationwide Effort To Clean, Beautify and Improve Communities Is Part of
Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup(tm)
(CSRwire) STAMFORD, ConnCT. (November 12, 2004) - There are visible
improvements in our country's streets, highways, playgrounds, forests and
waterways, thanks to 2.3 million volunteers and Firestone Tire & Service
Centers who took part in Keep America Beautiful's Great American
Cleanup™ 2004.
In what is the nation's largest annual community improvement effort,
Great American Cleanup™ volunteers working with Firestone's
company-owned stores removed a record-breaking 1.2 million scrap tires
from vacant lots, parks and roadsides - helping to create cleaner, safer
and more beautiful community environments across the nation.
"We made a commitment at the beginning of this year's Great American
Cleanup campaign to help reach the 1 million tire mark, and the program
success has certainly exceeded our expectations," said Larry Magee, CEO
and president of BFS Retail & Commercial Operations, LLC (BFRC), which
owns and operates Firestone Tire & Service Centers. "Our teammates deserve
to be commended for their volunteerism and dedication to community
improvement."
This is the third consecutive year that Firestone Tire & Service Centers
and the Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund have partnered with Keep America
Beautiful as a national sponsor of the beautification and community
cleanup program. Last year's tire collection yielded approximately
918,000 tires collected for recycling; this year's 1,220,000 tires
collected represents nearly a 33 percent increase.
"Not only did the men and women of Firestone's company-owned stores help
collect a record number of stray tires, they also improved quality of life
in our communities," said G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America
Beautiful. "Stray tires are an eyesore and they can be a breeding ground
for mosquitoes, as well as potential fire and water pollution hazards. The
collection and recycling effort of Firestone Tire & Service Centers was a
tremendous community service and a wonderful example of Keep America
Beautiful's mission in action."
The Great American Cleanup™ is the nation's largest annual
community improvement program. Each spring, volunteers rally together from
coast to coast to improve the quality of life in their communities,
creating healthier, cleaner and safer environments across the nation. This
year, more than 2.3 million volunteers worked for more than 7 million hours
cleaning, beautifying and improving 15,000 communities during 30,000
Great American Cleanup™ events. Examples included:
Sweeping statewide and big city programs: Notably,
beautification and responsible solid waste practices were promoted in
Kentucky, where the "Commonwealth Cleanup Program" collected hundreds of
thousands of tires from along Kentucky river banks, highways and
communities. Additionally, massive volunteer efforts were mobilized in
Cincinnati and Milwaukee, where thousands more tires were collected.
Restoration of waterways and natural habitats: In other
communities, including Rhode Island's Blackstone River Valley, teammates
of Firestone Tire & Service Centers worked with community groups and the
State's Department of Tourism to remove more than 3,000 tires from the
Blackstone River, helping to restore the river and clean the adjacent
marshlands. Firestone's efforts are all part of helping residents maintain
the river to be able to swim and fish in it.
Community Beautification efforts: From Lincoln, Nebraska, to
Santa Fe, New Mexico, local Keep America Beautiful affiliates helped
organize efforts that resulted in thousands more tires collected, as well
as cleaner and more beautiful public spaces, highways and water
sources.
Litter hot spots identified: Smaller communities, like
Dorchester County, South Carolina, and Wilson, North Carolina, tackled
litter hot spots along highways and waterways through their scrap tire
collection efforts.
According to a majority of community leaders who organized and reported on
the 2004 Great American Cleanup™ events, volunteers feel
communities are safer as a result of activities like the Great American
Cleanup. Safety increases in clean communities on several levels,
according to the community leaders, in many ways, including:
People involved in the Great American Cleanup™ experience an
increased sense of unity in the neighborhoods, and feel more at ease;
Communities are "healthier" because cleanups help eliminate illegal
dumpsites, reducing the risk of mosquitoes, rodents and the threat of West
Nile disease;
Children can play more safely in parks and recreation areas where
dangerous objects and trash have been removed; and
Water cleanups help remove health hazards from drinking water.
This year's Great American Cleanup™ results for cleaner, safer
and more beautiful communities also include:
Collecting 150 million pounds of litter and debris;
Planting 5 million flowers and bulbs; and
Cleaning 6,500 miles of rivers, lakes and shorelines.
"Keep America Beautiful has been the nation's leading community
improvement and beautification organization for a half century and we are
proud to be a part of this effort," said John Sheerin, retail
environmental manager, BFRC.
About Firestone Tire & Service Centers
Firestone Tire & Service Centers are owned and operated by BFS Retail &
Commercial Operations, LLC (BFRC). BFRC operates the largest number of
company-owned automotive retail generalist stores in the world.
MasterCare® technicians perform part repairs and replacements, routine
scheduled maintenance services, and a variety of diagnostic services
covering major systems within a vehicle. To learn more about driving tips
and maintenance or Firestone Tire & Service Center locations,visit visit www.MasterCareUSA.com.
About Keep America Beautiful
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™ is one of its many
programs that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer
participation. To learn more Keep America Beautiful and its Great
American Cleanup™, visit www.kab.org.
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