BATON ROUGE – On Friday, March 18, 2016, hundreds of community, business and political leaders will stand in unity for a cleaner and greener Louisiana by participating in Leaders Against Litter. As Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s (KLB) signature event, Leaders Against Litter is designed to educate, cultivate and actively engage leaders throughout the state to support a litter-free Louisiana.
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser leads the way by personally inviting more than 2,000 local elected officials, stakeholders, and community leaders to volunteer for a morning litter cleanup in 26 communities. Local leaders will pick up trash before pledging their support to Keep Louisiana Beautiful and its network of 39 affiliates.
Following the morning’s events throughout the state, a press conference will be held at 2:00 p.m. in Baton Rouge on the steps of the State Capitol. Secretaries from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Department of Transportation and Development along with Volunteer Louisiana, Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser will stand in unity for a litter-free Louisiana.
“It is critical for our leaders to understand the direct and indirect cost that litter has on Louisiana and this event helps to communicate those points,” explains Susan Russell, KLB Executive Director. “The support of our leadership body is very important but there is only so much they can do. Permanent solutions will only come when each and every Louisiana citizen takes personal responsibility for their actions. After all, if we don’t throw it down, we don’t have to pick it up.”
The day will end with leaders calling community volunteers to join the effort by participating in the Great American Cleanup season running from March to May. During this time, KLB affiliates will conduct over 30 cleanup and beautification projects. Approximately 2,000 volunteers will pick up over 1,500 bags of litter from roadways, waterways, parks and green spaces; beautify public areas with fresh paint and graffiti removal; weed and mulch gardens; and collect recyclables and hazardous waste resulting in more beautiful local communities.
Participating parishes and cities include: Abbeville, Assumption, Baton Rouge, Bossier, Covington, De Ridder, East Feliciana, Eunice, Greater Lake Charles, Hammond, Jefferson, Lacombe, Lafayette, Mandeville, Monroe, Morehouse, Natchitoches, New Orleans, Ouachita, Shreveport, Slidell, St. James, St. John, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Union, West Baton Rouge and West Monroe.
Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Inc. is the state’s anti-litter and community improvement organization focused on education, enforcement, awareness and cleanups. Affiliated with Keep America Beautiful, Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s mission is to promote personal, corporate and community responsibility for a clean and beautiful Louisiana.
