You're Invited! Join KOB affiliates and ODOT for the 2008 State Roadway Cleanup
 

The Ohio Department of Transportation and Keep Ohio Beautiful invite you to participate in the second annual State Roadway Cleanup. This initiative is part of the Great American Cleanup of Ohio.

The 2008 kick off event is being held at the Erie Street Market in Toledo on Saturday, March 29th. Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful, Keep Perrysburg Beautiful, and ODOT District Two are the hosts for the kick off event. Sue Smith, National Director of Education for Keep America Beautiful, will be the Master of Ceremonies and several local dignitaries will also be speaking to volunteers. The event will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. and a short presentation at 9:00 a.m. Then volunteers will fan out to clean up entrance/exit ramps in the area. All are invited to join us in Toledo!

If you are unable to make it to Toledo there are plenty of activities taking place throughout the state. KOB affiliates and ODOT will be coordinating cleanup events on Friday, March 28th and Saturday, March 29th. Local KOB affiliates are recruiting volunteers to clean up litter along state routes in their communities. ODOT is asking that all Adopt-a- Highway groups volunteer by cleaning up their "adopted" spots on March 28-29th. This is your opportunity to make a positive change in the state of Ohio!

Please join hundreds of volunteers around the Buckeye State as we remove litter along our roadways. For more information on how to get involved, contact your local KOB affiliate or ODOT office.

 Ohio Department of Natural Resources Awards Grants
 

Individual towns, counties, solid waste management districts and soil and water conservation districts across Ohio will benefit this spring from $115,885 in Litter Clean-up Grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The grants, which range from $200 to $2,500, are aimed at encouraging community participation in April's Keep Ohio Beautiful Month activities.

"Conservation in Ohio will take a giant leap forward when we all recognize the extent to which we are connected to each other," said ODNR Director Sean D. Logan. "The lasting value of this clean-up program will be its role as a catalyst to local action, local connections, and a local commitment to conservation and a sustainable society."

The ODNR Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention received 52 applications for funding this year and all were approved. 18 Keep Ohio Beautiful received litter grants for cleanup activities. According to grant guidelines, applicants agreed to incorporate the Keep Ohio Beautiful Month slogan into their community awareness and promotional activities.

In addition, all local clean-up efforts must involve the work of volunteers and must take place during April and May. Applicants' financial needs were taken into consideration. Funding for the grant program comes from tipping fees generated from Construction & Demolition Debris landfills.

 Keep Akron Beautiful launches Operation Coverload
 

During the month of March, Keep Akron Beautiful has partnered with District 4 of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the State Highway Patrol and the Akron Police Department-Traffic Division for the second annual Operation Coverload. The purpose is to educate the traveling public about their responsibility in preventing litter by covering their loads, and keeping trash inside their car until they can dispose of it properly. On Friday, March 28th, they will be enforcing this law by pulling offenders off of Akron's expressways and issuing summons. They want to heighten awareness that flying debris is not only unlawful but very dangerous to other motorists sharing the highways, not to mention the cost of cleanups devoted to correcting this relentless problem.

Beginning in March 2008, as part of Operation Coverload, Akron citizens can call 311 from a land line or 330-375-2311 from their cell to report these illegal actions to the Akron Police Department. They will need to report the license number, description of the vehicle, driver and illegal activity, as well as the location and time of the incident. There are city and state statutes that prohibit LITTER from being thrown, dropped, discarded or deposited from a motor vehicle. People hauling more than ten scrap tires must be registered to assure proper tire recycling and disposal, thus preventing illegal dumping.

For more information on secured load laws in Ohio, please review the Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4513.31.

 Youngstown Litter Control & Recycling Gives Awards
 


















Youngstown Litter Control & Recycling held their Excellence in Recycling Awards Luncheon on February 22nd. These awards honored businesses within the City of Youngstown who recycled prior to and during the 2007 year.

The honorees received a Certificate of Excellence and Appreciation for their dedication to recycling from The Mahoning County Green Team and Youngstown Litter Control & Recycling. Mary Gresh from the Green Team made beautiful awards for the honorees.

Jay Williams, Mayor of the City of Youngstown, Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti, Fourth Ward Councilwoman Carol Rimedio- Righetti, and Sean T. McKinney, Building and Grounds Commissioner spoke at the event. They expressed their appreciation to businesses and individuals who faithfully recycle and continue to make "Youngstown Clean and Green."

Father Noga from St. Patrick's Church gave the event a blessing filled with praise for the city and spoke on the importance of "going green". Jim Petuch, Director of the Mahoning County Green Team presented Linda DeJoe and Jenna Nameth with Recycling Excellence Awards for the City of Youngstown's Litter Control and Recycling.

 Sponsor Spotlight!
 American Electric Power of Ohio

American Electric Power of Ohio has been a KOB supporter for the past three years.

AEP Ohio serves nearly 1.5 million customers in Ohio and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. In Ohio, they provide power to more than 920 communities located in 61 of the state's 88 counties. In West Virginia, AEP serves Ohio and Marshall counties, providing service to approximately 41,000 customers.

AEP Ohio is headquartered in Gahanna, with regulatory and external affairs offices in downtown Columbus. A subsidiary of American Electric Power and the largest of its regional utility divisions, AEP Ohio is comprised of Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company and Wheeling Power.

AEP Ohio is focused on providing reliable, affordable energy to their customers in a safe, effective manner. They also are committed to environmental protection and improvement consistent with providing electricity at a competitive price. "At AEP Ohio, we are pro-active in our efforts to protect people and the environment," said Joe Hamrock, president and chief operating officer. "We are committed to social responsibility and sustainability by supporting continual improvement of environmental performance and pollution prevention."

AEP Ohio believes strongly in the merits of fuel diversity in generating electricity, and their generating fleet reflects that belief. Today, coal-fired plants account for 74 percent of AEP's generating capacity, while natural gas represents 15 percent and nuclear 8 percent. The remaining 3 percent comes from wind, hydro, pumped storage and other sources.

 Did You Know?
 

·  KOB affiliates organized 4,126 cleanup events with 66,848 volunteers throughout Ohio during the 2006- 2007 program year.

·  1,217 sites were beautified with flowers, bulbs, and shrubs during planting events coordinated by KOB affiliates during the 2006-2007 program year. 10,237 new trees were also planted in Ohio.

·  67,063 students and youth were reached by affiliates conducting in-classroom presentations and youth group presentations on litter prevention and recycling.

·  765,512 adults were reached by 645 community outreach presentations given by KOB affiliates.

·  During the 2007 Great American Cleanup (March - May) KOB affiliates collected 616,887 illegally dumped tires for proper disposal.

·  During the 2007 Great American Cleanup (March - May) Ohio affiliates collected 450,199.5 lbs. of electronics for recycling.

·  Over 3,600,000 lbs. of litter was collected by Ohio volunteers during the 2007 Great American Cleanup.