University City and Lea School Students Take A Stand Against Trash
News Release
UNIVERSITY CITY AND LEA SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKE A STAND AGAINST TRASH
Contact: Allison Kelsey
Marketing Director, University City District
(day) 215 243 0555 x232; (eve) 215 668 8798
For Immediate Release
Philadelphia, PA (5 April 2002) – Last Wednesday, April 4th, University City District teamed up with 5th and 6th grade students from Lea Elementary School to announce a new Anti-Litter Coalition and multi-year campaign against litter. Last year, the UCD picked up over 1 million pounds of litter from University City sidewalks.
UCD executive director Eric Goldstein unveiled Litter Co., the Coalition’s name and logo while behind him, a city sanitation truck dumped a day’s worth of litter collected from University City sidewalks. Litter Co. stands for "Litter Co-alition," an alliance of community leaders, residents, elected officials, kids, parents, students, employees, and neighborhood associations who have signed the pledge to educate, advocate, and practice keeping University City litter-free.
The students kicked off the campaign by signing a giant banner pledging to "Kick Litter In the Can." Sixth grader Jernetta Cabell spoke about how kids and adults can stem the tide of trash in University City neighborhoods.
Residents, 3rd District Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, Streets Commissioner William Johnson, and Mural Arts Program Director Jane Golden along with community attendees also signed pledge banner in support of the Coalition’s anti-litter initiative.
The UCD and Anti-Litter Coalition plan a number of events, ads, and educational projects for the campaign. The first event will be a Clean Up Day on April 20th. (See information below.)
Join the Anti-Litter Coalition
Sat. 4/20: Organize your neighbors, co-workers, friends in a cleanup for Earth Day.
In University City: The University City District will provide free trash bags, work gloves, extra help with big items, refreshments, and roving neck/back massages! Volunteer yourself or organize your block, and register your project by April 15th at 215 243 0555, by email at litterco@ucityphila.org, mail in the form in this week’s Review, or online at UCityphila.org. If you have a project idea but need extra hands, we’ll help you get volunteers.
Projects can be scheduled anytime between 9 am and 5 pm – we’ve leaving it up to groups to tell us when would be the best time for them. The UCD will organize projects for unaffiliated individuals such as painting over graffiti, picking up trash in vacant lots and along commercial streets, and the like. Rain date: April 21st.
Release Date: Friday, April 5th 2002
