PA Environment Digest

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Earth Day Kicks Off With Great American Cleanup Of PA Events All Around Pennsylvania

To kickoff Earth Day celebrations across the state, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Transportation, Keep Chester Beautiful, Covanta, local officials and residents came together at Sun Village Park in the City of Chester, Delaware County, for a Great American Cleanup of PA beautification event on April 20.

Local volunteers engaged in a litter pick up, mural and bench paintings, flower planting and mulching.

This event is a continuation of an ongoing park revitalization led by community cleanup organizer, Bonnita Taylor, from Bonnie’s Community Development Corporation. As part of the celebration, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful presented the group with a $1,000 grant to continue the park’s transformation.

“We are honored to play a role in Sun Village Park’s renaissance and to participate in this Earth Day kickoff event with our sponsors, DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell and PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “It is inspiring to see the dedication and commitment of individuals, groups and entire communities all across the state making great strides in revitalizing our common areas. Thank you!”

With sunny skies and pleasant temperatures, volunteers were out in full-force across the state this past weekend in honor of Earth Day. Some noteworthy Great American Cleanup of PA events include:

-- Allegheny County: Nearly 90 local residents turned out to participate in a community-wide cleanup that included the James Sharp Landing in Allegheny County. The Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization, Sharpsburg Environmental Advisory Council, Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, Girl Scouts of PA, the Wounded Warrior Project and Sharpsburg Councilors Matthew Brudnok, Brittany Reno, and Jonathan Jaso were among those who helped pick up over 120 bags of litter, various scrap metal and three tires from areas throughout the community.

-- Northumberland County: Shamokin Area High School student, Rosalind Kane, organized a community cleanup of multiple sections of Shamokin City and Coal Township in Northumberland County. Turning out for the event were students from the University of Pittsburgh, Shamokin National Honor Society, Cub Scout Pack 2354, Boy Scout Troop 254, St. Johns United Church of Christ, Shamokin head coach and former NY Giants fullback, Henry Hynoski, Mayor John Brown and Councilman Dan McGaw. The City of Shamokin disposed of the 175 bags of trash that was collected. Local authorities and firefighters assured the safety of volunteers. This is Rosalind’s seventh community-wide cleanup. Her first was held on Labor Day 2012.

-- Tioga County: Keith Ruhl, Solid Waste Specialist from the Northcentral Regional Office of the Department of Environmental Protection and several local government agencies and businesses teamed up for a community cleanup in Deerfield Township, Tioga County. Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority supplied the containers and disposal for the 6,340 pounds of trash that was collected. 277 tires were also collected.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful coordinates the Great American Cleanup of PA, which runs through May 31, with support from the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Waste Industries Association and other supporters.

Sign up now for the 2018 Great American Cleanup of PA and set up your own cleanup and beautification event from March 1 to May 31.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.

NewsClips:

Pennsylvania Cleanup Events Touch Urban, Rural Areas

Phoenixville Uses Student Art To Fight Littering, Protect Waterways

Ligonier Twp To Accept Appliances, Tires Saturday

Volunteers Hit Streets, Parks In Wilkes-Barre For Great American Cleanup

Groups Combine To Cleanup Exeter For Earth Day

Volunteers Mark Earth Day By Cleaning Harrison Hills Park

Cleanup Of Ice Jam Debris Underway At River Common Fishing Pier In Wilkes-Barre

Op-Ed: Litterers Bug All Of Us