COLUMBUS, OH -- Governor Bob Taft has declared April "Take Pride, Ohio!" month, urging people and communities across the state to clean up their towns and neighborhoods as part of a statewide, comprehensive litter prevention awareness campaign.
In dozens of counties, towns and villages, citizens will pick up roadside trash, spruce up park, school and church grounds, recycle appliances, "sweep" stream banks of debris and perform other clean-up activities that will improve the quality of their communities and their lives.
"Take Pride, Ohio!" aims to bring about revitalization by raising the level of community pride and establishing sustainable litter prevention programs across the state.
"Litter diminishes a community's sense of self respect," said ODNR Director Sam Speck. "A cleaner community increases civic pride and is a healthier, safer place to live, work and play."
Some scheduled events celebrating "Take Pride, Ohio!" month include:
Will's Creek Clean Up in Coshocton County. Residents will pick up litter along the waterway from 9 a.m. to noon on April 7.
Also on April 7, workers are urged to walk or canoe the East Fork of the Little Miami River in Clermont County and pick up trash along the way during the annual East Fork River Sweep. Citizens in Lakewood will Plant Pride & Pick Up Litter during the community's annual clean up day on April 7. Trash bags and yard waste bags will be provided.
Delaware County residents can drop off old, unusable appliances free of charge at Worley Recycling Center during the Ohio Appliance Recycling Roundup on April 7. A similar event is scheduled for Newark on the same day.
Other scheduled events are located at the end of this release.
Plant Pride Not Litter - Take Pride, Ohio! is a new, statewide marketing campaign developed by ODNR to raise the level of awareness about the need to not litter and increase the pride factor felt by all Ohioans about their home communities.
"This is by far one of the best litter prevention campaigns ODNR has ever created," said Mike Canfield, chief of ODNR's Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention. "It will work. It gets the message across in a very positive way."
ODNR urges litter prevention and recycling programs across the state to incorporate the Plant Pride Not Litter - Take Pride, Ohio! slogan in outreach and education efforts during the month of April in hopes of rallying volunteers for community, neighborhood and waterway litter sweeps.
ODNR developed the "Plant Pride, Not Litter" multi-media campaign in house. A full-color poster, a 30-second radio commercial, print advertising slicks, and a selection of graphics distributed on a CD-rom were distributed to local litter prevention program managers across the state.
Here's a list of other events scheduled around the state to celebrate "Take Pride, Ohio!" month: