Press ReleaseÂ
A Beautiful Community Begins with Me!
Just over a year ago when Take Pride in Pensacola was started by the LeaP class of 2006 our community was in terrible shape. Hurricanes Ivan and Denise left Pensacola with broken buildings, damaged signs, and missing roofs. We were afraid that the hurricanes had not only damaged our properties, it had damaged our pride in ourselves. Take Pride in Pensacola began as an awareness campaign. Before we can begin economic development, we need a clean city. Before we can talk about promoting tourism, we need a clean city.
Take Pride in Pensacola 2006 focused a laser light of attention on the condition of our area. And because of that many of the offending structures have been removed, rebuilt, and replaced. Take Pride worked and now we are going one step further.
Take Pride in Pensacola, under the auspices of Clean & Green, is sponsoring a litter clean-up and beautification rally at Plaza De Luna on the Palafox Pier on March 31st from 9:00 AM till noon.
Litter matters. In one study litter decreases property values by as much as 17% . When tourists are asked to rank qualities of a destination ‘cleanliness’ is rated in the top five. And repeated studies have concluded that crime follows litter. It may seem to the offender that litter is ‘no big deal’ but the real impact is sizable.
We want you to get involved. Here’s how:
Bring your group to our rally, March 31st at Plaza De Luna between 9:00 AM and noon. Round up as many people as you can. Bring gloves and comfortable shoes. Clean & Green will supply trash bags. After a bit of a pep rally we will divide up the downtown area and pick up litter.
Are you a part of a larger group, say Kiwanis or the Boy Scouts? If you are, we encourage you to get a team together for this event. Make it a competition to see who can get the most people to attend.
If you own a business get your employees involved. Field a team of four or five or forty or fifty if necessary. Pick up litter on your own street or come join us for the community-wide rally.
What if you don’t want to come downtown? Clean where you are! Get your neighborhood involved. Ask area businesses for help. Create your own Take Pride event right on your street. Get your local school involved. Make it an event with posters and local rallies. If you need help organizing call Clean & Green at 438-1178. We can also pick up the trash bags when you are done.
If everyone gets involved we can make Take Pride in Pensacola into a fun-filled and community-driven clean up. The attention this event generates will help everyone to understand that litter matters and we all benefit from living in a community we are proud of.
For further information, contact Daniel Pennington at dpennington@wear.sbgnet.com or (850) 723-9147.