Media Release                                            

Keep Houston Beautiful Targets Second Ward
for Great American Cleanup Project

Mayor Bill White and Council Member Adrian Garcia rally
volunteers to keep the “great” in Houston’s great outdoors

[Houston , TX] [April 10, 2007 ] It’s time to clean-up, green-up, and fix-up Houston’s Second Ward! Mayor Bill White will be joined by Council Member Adrian Garica, the Mayor’s Citizen’s Assistance Office, the Houston Police Department’s Neighborhood Protection Division, New Faith Church Girls Rite of Passage, and neighborhood volunteers this weekend to improve the quality of life in the Second Ward by cleaning litter from streets and vacant lots and beautifying public spaces. The Second Ward event will serve as the kickoff for Keep Houston Beautiful Day, held in association with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest annual community improvement program. The event will be held at 9:00 am on Saturday, April 14^th at the Flores Branch Library, located at 110 N. Milby.

Keep Houston Beautiful day is the largest annual one-day neighborhood cleanup in Houston, with 22 city-wide cleanup locations. More than 600 volunteers will plant trees, pick up trash, paint over graffiti and perform other cleanup activities to improve the appearance of Houston neighborhoods. Additional events will take place throughout April and May, and registered participants receive materials and resources to help make the cleanup efforts a success. Recycling is an integral part of the program, and Keep Houston Beautiful has partnered with Firestone Tire and Service Centers, a repeat sponsor of the event, to provide recycling for used engine oil, automotive batteries and scrap tires at no charge. To volunteer for one of Saturday’s 22 cleanup sites, call 713-839-8855 or visit www.houstonbeautiful.org.

The nationwide cleanup effort is expected to involve close to 2.5 million people volunteering more than 8 million hours to clean, beautify and improve 15,000 communities during 30,000 events held March 1 to May 31 in all 50 states. For the fifth consecutive year, President George W. Bush will be serving as Honorary Chair of the Great American Cleanup, with First Lady Laura Bush joining him for the third consecutive year as Honorary Co-Chair.

“We've made it a priority to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and I can't think of a better way to do it than in partnership with the people who live and take pride in those neighborhoods," said Mayor White. "Houston is a great city of opportunity and this is a great opportunity to make it even more beautiful."

“Americans have always taken pride in the beauty of their communities and country, and Keep America Beautiful has been proudly leading the charge to take care of tomorrow today,” said G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful. “In its 22^nd year, The Great American Cleanup continues to make a lasting impact by creating a cleaner, safer, and more beautiful environment. Through litter and waste removal, recycling drives, beautification efforts and educational outreach, our volunteers are keeping America beautiful.”

The 2006 Great American Cleanup produced phenomenal results with over 228 million pounds of litter and debris collected; more than 2.5 million scrap tires and 37 million plastic (PET) bottles removed from the waste stream; 10,000 illegal dump sites cleaned; 38.5 million pounds of aluminum and steel recycled; more than 5.5 million trees, flowers and bulbs planted and more than 6,000 miles of rivers, lakes and shorelines cleaned by the strength of over 2 million volunteers.

“Anyone who takes the time to participate in Keep Houston Beautiful Day is an everyday hero in my book,” said Robin Blut, executive director of Keep Houston Beautiful. “Our goal is to promote a sense of civic pride that doesn’t stop after a one day event, but lasts throughout the year. Keeping our city free of blight is a full time endeavor, and we’re here every day working to accomplish the task.” Blut added that Keep Houston Beautiful performs hundreds of clean ups every year involving thousands of volunteers.

Many of America’s leading companies are dedicated to supporting and sponsoring the efforts for the 2007 Great American Cleanup. National Sponsors are: American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Firestone Complete Auto Care™ and TiresPlus™, GLAD® ForceFlex® Trash Bags, Pepsi-Cola Company, Sam’s Club®, 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 are Rubber Manufacturers Association and The Wireless Alliance.  The Texas Department of Transportation supports events across Texas.

Republic Waste Services is the lead corporate sponsor for Keep Houston Beautiful Day. The event is also supported locally by Moody-Rambin Interests, Halliburton, Houston Parks & Recreation Department, Marathon Oil Company, Sprint Waste Services, Toshiba International Corporation, Janice Gabriel and Houston Pepsi Cola. Other local supporters include Allied Waste Industries, Mayor’s Citizen’s Assistance Office, City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department, Neighborhood Protection Corps, Houston Independent School District and Waste Management.

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’s environment. The Great American Cleanup™ 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.

About Keep America Beautiful

As a national award-winning Keep America Beautiful affiliate, Keep Houston Beautiful has worked with all segments of the community for more than 30 years to educate and empower individuals to take greater responsibility for beautifying and enhancing Houston’s environment. Each year’s successes have created a cleaner and healthier city for all Houstonians.  For more information, visit www.houstonbeautiful.org.

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