KAB Announces Results of the 2007 Great American Cleanup
Stamford, Conn.—After tabulating data from over 30,000 local events held in 17,000 communities and in all 50 states, Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™ Managing Director Gail Cunningham today announced the cumulative effects of 2.8 million volunteers and attendees who logged over 7.7 million hours to improve their local community environments.
Clean-up efforts resulted in 200 million pounds of litter and debris removed from America’s landscape, including 3,500 illegal dump sites and over 10,000 abandoned vehicles. Great American Cleanup (GAC) events improved over 178,000 miles of roadway (more than seven times around the world), 121,000 acres of parks and public lands, 7,000 miles of rivers, lakes and shorelines, and 3,900 miles of hiking, biking and nature trails equal to a winding trail stretching from Key West, Fla. to Seattle.
Recycling results were equally impressive, with participants reclaiming 70.6 million plastic (PET) bottles, 2.2 million tires, 22.4 million pounds of aluminum and steel, 592,000 pounds of wireless phones and related equipment, 115,000 batteries, 23 million pounds of newsprint, 4.5 million pounds of clothing and 5.3 million pounds of electronics waste.
Beautification efforts during the GAC returned both environmental and “quality-of-life” benefits to participating communities, with more than 4.6 million trees, flowers and bulbs planted. More than 2,400 buildings were spruced up with paint and renovations, and over 11,000 graffiti sites were abated.
Other highlights included:
- 6,500 educational workshops held, attracting 458,000 attendees;
- 2,100 acres of wetlands cleaned and improved;
- 3,300 playgrounds and community recreation areas constructed or restored;
- Over $145 million in labor donated by volunteers, significantly lowering the financial and organizational burden of waste removal on local and state governments; and
- Restoration of West Side Park in Gulfport, Miss., a 10-plus acre community amenity destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
For the fifth consecutive year, President George W. Bush served as Honorary Chair of the Great American Cleanup, with Mrs. Laura Bush joining him as Honorary Chair for the third consecutive year.
More results, including detailed information about sponsor programs and contributions, can be found online at the KAB website.
