Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty this week received Keep America Beautiful’s Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson Award, the highest award given to women volunteers.

This national achievement award is presented annually to an outstanding woman for exceptional leadership in litter prevention and beautification activities.

The local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful is Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

“I am thrilled and honored to accept this award,” Secretary McGinty said at the awards ceremony during KAB’s 53rd Annual National Conference in Orlando. “Lady Bird Johnson’s contribution to preserving America’s environment, beautifying national parks and inner cities, and involving all levels of society and business in those efforts are a model for our programs to make Pennsylvania a more beautiful place to live, work and play.”

“Whether our Lady Bird Johnson award recipient is speaking to an international wind power conference in Germany, testifying to the U.S. Congress about the need to better protect children from mercury pollution or finalizing details of Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay protection programs, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty keeps one guiding principle before her: Environmental protection can drive economic development,” KAB President Ray Empson said in presenting the award.

“Receiving this award has given me an opportunity to learn more about Mrs. Johnson’s historic work to preserve our nation’s legacy of natural beauty and has renewed my commitment to make the 2007 Great Pennsylvania Cleanup an even larger success,” McGinty said.

NewsClip: DEP Secretary Receives National Award for Litter Prevention

12/8/2006