Keep Orlando Beautiful announces that it has received a $10,000 cash grant from national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, Inc. as part of a nationwide effort sponsored by Waste Management that encourages local solutions to improving community environments.
In the competition, more than 575 local affiliates of Keep America Beautiful were challenged to present proposals for ambitious projects representing a wide array of stewardship, community outreach and educational projects. Keep Orlando Beautiful is one of 15 winners nationwide.
“Keep Orlando Beautiful’s mission includes education of children and adults of the importance of recycling, said Jody Goostree, Program Coordinator. “Orlando residents have expressed frustration at their inability to recycle at public parks and venues, such as events and festivals that generate large volumes of recyclable materials. In an effort to make recycling more available, Keep Orlando Beautiful will start an event recycling program titled, Recycle Orlando. The Think Green grant will fund the purchase a recycling kit including a trailer, recycling bins, carts and supplies for use at local events.”
“Keep Orlando Beautiful should be proud, as our national organization is proud, for their initiative in developing this winning proposal,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Matthew M. McKenna. “Their work at the grassroots level exemplifies the mission of our national organization by engaging individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. We look forward to seeing this project come to fruition through the generosity of Waste Management’s grant.”
“The Think Green grants provide us with a great avenue to demonstrate how Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful think green every day,” said Barry Caldwell, senior vice president of public affairs and communications and chairman of the KAB board. “After all, supporting communities – making them cleaner safer and helping improve their quality of life – is what our company – and KAB – is all about. Each of the affiliates has a project that will make its community cleaner and more beautiful.”
The wide ranges of winning programs are creative and reflect the diverse interests and needs of the communities involved. These programs encourage recycling and reuse, provide hands-on environmental education, convey the importance of stewardship to the public through a variety of means such as public service announcements, videos and booklets, and enhance neighborhoods through community beautifications. Support of these initiatives marks Waste Management’s continuing commitment to local community quality of life and to also building awareness about sustainable resources for effective management of waste.
Waste Management also partners with KAB on different programs, which include additional community beautification grants (target/showcase) and as a National Sponsor for Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™, the nation’s largest community improvement program.
