THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601120174
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
It's time to think about spring cleaning.
Even though winter is hardly over, the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council is planning already to clean up Chesapeake's waterways and highways this spring.
The call is out for volunteers.
``We're trying to attract volunteers early so we can get a handle on how many people will participate in the cleanup,'' said Gail McClure Bradshaw of the Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Department's Special Programs Office, which oversees the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council and other related environmental activities. ``These are important campaigns, and we're hoping to get as many volunteers as we did last year.''
The council is again sponsoring the annual Glad-Bag-A-Thon during April and the 1996 Clean the Bay Day, to be held in June.
According to Bradshaw, the Glad-Bag-A-Thon is the biggest cleanup campaign of the year.
Taking place from April 1 to May 4, the cleanup event is now recruiting individual and group volunteers to help clean up the city's highways, byways and vacant lots.
Bradshaw said past efforts have seen the participation of thousands of Chesapeake volunteers, including Boy and Girl Scouts, civic leagues, civic and community help organizations, clubs, churches, schools, military groups, businesses and ``many others interested in the beauty of the city,'' Bradshaw said.
A total of 2,581 people participated in last year's Glad-Bag-A-Thon, Bradshaw said. The volunteers collected 41,546 pounds of debris.
The Glad Wrap and Bag company will supply trash bags for the cleanup. A limited number of hats also will be given out to those who register early.
The registration deadline if March 30.
Bradshaw said the next major cleanup in the city will occur June 8, from 9 a.m. until noon, when volunteers help clean Chesapeake's waterways.
Registration deadline is June 1.
``The short-term goal is to clean Chesapeake,'' Bradshaw said. ``The long-term goal is to influence attitudes about litter prevention.''
The cleanup campaigns are being sponsored by the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council; Glad Wrap and Bags; Keep America Beautiful, Inc.; and Clean the Bay Day, Inc. MEMO: To volunteer for either campaign or both or for more information,
contact the Special Programs Office at 547-6411.
by CNB