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Children embrace 'green' status
Keep Liberty Beautiful
0417 Litter 2
Discarded candy bar wrappers often end up in places they shouldnt be, such as stuck under tree grates. - photo by Photo by Hollie Moore Barnidge

Keep Liberty Beautiful upcoming events

Earth Day celebration
• 3:30-7 p.m. April 22
• Liberty County
   Performing Arts Center
   in Flemington

Hinesville cleanup day
• 8:45 a.m. April 23
• Meet at Bradwell Park

Midway cleanup day
• 8:45 a.m. April 30
• Meet at city hall

Gum Branch cleanup day
• 8:45 a.m. April 30
• Meet at city hall

So much litter, so little time. Litter is challenging. There is plenty to clean up. Liberty County is a large county, stretching about 40 miles in length and covering more than 519 square miles.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of litter in many areas across those 519 square miles. Thankfully, our cities and many of our businesses, churches and youth and civic groups are stepping up to take care of that problem. This year, Keep Liberty Beautiful is partnering with the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce and our local municipalities, businesses and community groups to fight the litter problem here and have some fun, too.
The spring Great American Cleanup events give local residents a chance to show the region what they are made of. Here’s the challenge: Who can bring out the most volunteers to get the litter out of our neighborhoods, business districts, cities and county? There is plenty to do and we need you and your group or business to join us. Please call 880-4888 or email klcb@coastalnow.net for more information.
Litter is a pesky little problem that really gets under my skin. It is honestly just a stupid thing for local residents and businesses to have to tolerate.
A small percentage of people actually commit this crime, but the rest of us have to live with it in our business areas and in our neighborhoods. It does not seem right that a few people who don’t understand how to use garbage cans should get away with making a mess in our community.
 Litter is ugly and it is bad for our waterways and the creatures that live in them. Litter hurts businesses and limits economic growth — translation: fewer good jobs in our community. Litter costs taxpayers money that really could be used much more effectively on other services. I am not talking chicken feed here. Just in our county, we are talking about wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So please consider registering for one of the upcoming cleanup days that are part of the spring Great American Cleanup series. We already have completed numerous cleanups in several cities and unincorporated areas of the county.
On April 23, the city of Hinesville will host its annual city cleanup beginning at 8:45 a.m. All registered volunteers will receive Great American Cleanup T-shirts, a picnic lunch provided by the city of Hinesville and the satisfaction of knowing they are making a difference in their communities.
On April 30, the cities of Midway and Gum Branch will host cleanups starting at 8:45 a.m. Once again, all registered volunteers will receive T-shirts and a picnic lunch after the cleanup.
The city of Midway takes care of lunch for their volunteers, and Canoochee EMC provides lunch for the Gum Branch cleanup. Keep Liberty Beautiful provides the cleanup supplies and bottled water for all volunteers.
Please register ahead of time so we can have plenty of supplies and plenty of food for everyone.
On April 22, we will host out fifth annual Earth Day celebration from 3:30-7 p.m. at the Liberty County Performing Arts Center in Flemington. This fun and eco-friendly day is made possible each year through the support of the cities of Hinesville, Flemington, Allenhurst and Walthourville, as well as Liberty and Long counties. We also could not do this without the generous support of our sponsors: the Liberty County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Georgia Power Company and Woodmen of the World. The funds we received this year through the Lowe’s Charitable Giving Campaign also were a big help.
Earth Day is one of our main ways to create awareness about litter and its affect on our green spaces and local waterways.
During the celebration, we’ll also highlight the importance of conserving crucial resources, like water.
We are all about being “green” on Earth Day and we want everyone in Liberty County to see how easy it is to “go green” with just a little knowledge.
I figured out a long time ago that if you make things fun, people of all ages will respond.
At our free Earth Day event, we’ll have nearly 80 educational games, crafts and booths cleverly disguised as fun! Join us on Earth Day and the learning experience will sneak right up on you.
There will be plenty of parking and you also can catch an energy-efficient ride to and from the celebration on transit system buses 1A and 1B.
As part of the festivities, Goodwill Industries will have a mini Recycle It! Fair. Bring electronics, gently used household goods, batteries, fluorescent bulbs for recycling or reuse and receive a free gift!
Immediately after Earth Day, there will be a free family movie night featuring the funny but eco-minded film, “Furry Vengeance.”
The movie night is sponsored by the Hinesville Area Arts Council, Target Distribution Center, Georgia Theatre Company and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia.
We actually can make a difference here in Liberty County when it comes to litter and conservation issues, but it won’t be an instant win.
We are working now on growing a generation of youngsters who will not litter and who will expect to recycle and conserve water and all resources.
I believe this generation has the potential to be a generation that refuses to waste resources that should be precious to us. I believe they will choose to live in harmony with the Earth instead of taking it for all it is worth.
As they participate in Earth Day fun, community cleanups and recycling events, our children will influence their less-enlightened parents and other adults who aren’t as “green.”
This generation coming up will embrace their personal roles in taking care of their world. Happy Earth Day!
For information, call Keep Liberty Beautiful at 880-4888 or email klcb@coastalnow.net.

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