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Monday, October 12, 2009

Green Living / Green Community

Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful receives $10,000 grant award as part of nationwide competition to “think green”

Posted by Katie Machol on Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 1:58 PM

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The non-profit organization Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful has been recognized for their green efforts by the national nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful, Inc. as part of a nationwide effort sponsored by Waste Management that encourages local solutions to improving community environments.

KHCB received a $10,000 cash grant for being one of 15 winners nationwide (out of 575 entries from other KAB affiliates) in a competition to present proposals for ambitious projects representing a wide array of stewardship, community outreach and educational projects.

“In an effort to heighten waste stream and recycling awareness as well as provide a unique and interesting outlet to improve recycling education opportunities to residents of Hillsborough County, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful’s Recycle Regatta will be a competition between local high school groups,” said Daisy Packer, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful Program Coordinator. “The concept is simple, build a watercraft from at least 70 percent recycled material and paddle it over a 25-yard course on the Tampa Bay. Although the challenge sounds easy enough, constructing a vessel made from a minimum of 70 percent material removed from the waste stream that will both stay afloat and travel at a fast pace to win is definitely a challenge.”

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“Keep Hillsborough County 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 beautification. 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.

Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful Inc. is a non-profit organization that was established in 1992 by a group of concerned residents who saw that litter was becoming a problem in their community through lack of community pride, limited knowledge of disposal options and urban growth. The organization, previously known as Keep Hillsborough County Clean, originated with the Thonotosassa Pilot Program, which dates back to August of 1990.

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