Environmentally-Focused Non-Profit Invites Gwinnett County Citizens, Businesses, Organizations, Schools and Civic Groups to Take the Pledge before Taking Part in the Challenge Now through May 31, 2014
Duluth, GA – March 4 – Launched by Keep America Beautiful in 1999, the Great American Cleanup™ represents the nation’s largest annual community improvement program. Designed to enlist the involvement of volunteers from all walks of life, everyone from youth groups and high school green teams to local business, church, homeowner and civic organizations can join together to clean-up, fix-up, paint-up, and green-up in a combined effort to keep their community beautiful. Throughout the course of the three-month event, Keep America Beautiful mobilizes more than 4 million volunteers and concerned citizens in communities all across the nation in a combined effort to beautify neighborhoods, reduce waste, initiate recycling programs, plant trees and gardens, and so much more. On the local level, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful is proud to partner with Keep America Beautiful as it hosts the 15th Great American Cleanup – Gwinnett Challenge, which runs now through May 31, 2014 from Snellville in the south to Buford in the north and every place in between.
“We really want 2014 to be our best year ever for this event,” insists Connie Wiggins, Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “Together, we can bring about lasting change in an effort to make Gwinnett the best place to live, work, and play. This year, we are tying in a very special promotion that we hope to carry out throughout the remainder of 2014 – the I Pledge Campaign. Individuals, businesses and organizations are encouraged to partner with Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful by taking the Pledge to become environmental stewards who endeavor to ‘live green’ every day by changing their habits and practices at home, school, work and play. Not just during the course of the Challenge, but all year long, year-after-year. Think in terms of it this way – the Great American Challenge serves as a wonderful 5K, but the Pledge represents the marathon. In return, some of our partners may receive a banner to hang up at their school or place of business, and everyone who takes the Pledge will receive a social badge to display with pride on their social media pages – letting their fans know that they ‘took the pledge’ and hopefully encouraging them to do the same.”
To become involved in the Great American Cleanup – Gwinnett Challenge, interested parties are encouraged to visit the Great American Challenge page on the Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful website (www.gwinnettcb.org/great-american-cleanup/). The page offers visitors the opportunity to take the Pledge, choose from a list of activities or design a Great American Cleanup activity of their own imagining, review rules and guidelines for participation, and register their project idea online. Projects must be completed by May 31, 2014, and teams are encouraged to take and submit photos of their project. Once they have submitted their post-project results form, participants may be considered for special recognition and cash prizes. To begin by first taking the Pledge, prospective environmental stewards are invited to visit the Pledge to Keep Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful page at www.gwinnettcb.org.
Great American Cleanup activities can include anything from:
- adopting a road
- picking up litter and illegal signs
- renovating school and community playgrounds
- beautifying roadways
- collecting and donating gently used clothing and shoes
- reducing, reusing, recycling
- cleaning up rivers, lakes , and streams
- painting out graffiti vandalism
- collecting electronics and cell phones for recycling
- planting trees
- becoming a Green and Healthy School
- and so much more
Once the Great American Challenge has come to a close, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful will organize additional beautification projects, recycling events, and environmental education opportunities throughout the year. Citizens who wish to take part are encouraged to check the event calendar regularly for upcoming dates. For those companies and individuals who wish to show their support for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, but are unable to give the gift of their time – financial contributions and corporate sponsorships are always gratefully welcome and can be made securely online at www.gwinnettcb.org.
About Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful: Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GCB) is an award-winning 501(c)3 charitable organization that boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a 55-member Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to help prevent litter and graffiti, recycle and reduce waste, and increase environmental awareness. To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and its programs, aspiring environmental stewards are invited to visit www.GwinnettCB.org.
