The Great American Cleanup, held annually March 1 through the end of May, mobilizes millions of volunteers to clean, beautify and improve their local communities.
For three consecutive years, President Bush served as Honorary Chair of the Great American Cleanup. This year, Mrs. Laura Bush joined him as an Honorary Chair.
More than 2.2 million people will be volunteering 7.5 million hours to improve more than 15,000 communities during 30,000 events. Volunteers can either take part in local activities Get involved in the Great American Cleanup or "do their own thing". For more detailed information on the 2007 Great American Cleanup, visit www.kab.org.
During the 2007 program, 2.2 million volunteers collected 228 million pounds of litter and debris; planted 5 million flowers and bulbs; cleaned 6,100 miles of rivers, lakes and shorelines; and collected 2.5 million tires for recycling. In fact, one tire can attract thousands of mosquitoes and increase the threat of West Nile Virus. Collecting and removing tires reduces this threat.
"Living in a clean community can indeed contribute to an increased sense of safety," said Dr. George Kelling, co-author of the book, Broken Windows. "Now more than ever, people need to find ways to decrease anxiety and increase their feeling of safety and security. Building a sense of community by taking care of our local surroundings can inspire a greater sense of security, health, safety and comfort."
Support for clean communities continues to grow, as many companies are sponsoring volunteers' efforts for this year's program. The 2007 Great American Cleanup National Sponsors: American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Cingular Wireless, Firestone Complete Auto Care and TiresPlus, GLAD ForceFlex Trash Bags from The Glad Products Company, Sparkle Paper Towels from Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Pepsi-Cola Company, The Scotts Company, Troy-Bilt, Waste Management, Inc. and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; Educational Partner: Rubber Manufacturers Association; Times Square Outdoor Media Sponsors: ClearChannel Spectacolor, Instinet, MTV, NBC Astrovision by Panasonic, Reuters, The NASDAQ Stock Market, Times Square Studios, Toys"R"Us, Viacom and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.
