NEW ORLEANS (press release) – On April 20, the Friends of Bayou St. John hosted the “Where the Bayou Meets the Greenway: Mega-litter Cleanup!” across the Lafitte Greenway and Bayou St. John as part of Love the Boot Week, Louisiana’s largest litter cleanup and beautification effort organized by Keep Louisiana Beautiful April 20 – 28. With the support of 59 volunteers, 76 bags of litter were picked up in four hours.
This event, done in partnership with Waterway Eco Team (WET) and the Friends of Lafitte Greenway, was a rousing success. Volunteers of all ages helped to pick up litter, recycling, and large waste objects from one end of the Bayou to the other and multiple locations across the Lafitte Greenway.
Friends of Bayou St. John, the local nonprofit organization promoting a clean and healthy Bayou St. John, is the producer of the annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo music festival. This year’s Boogaloo will take place from Friday, May 17 – Sunday, May 19. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.thebayouboogaloo.com. All funds raised from the festival go directly towards the improvement, preservation and protection of Bayou St. John.
“We are proud of how much we were able to accomplish with our volunteers and partners at the Friends of Lafitte Greenway and Waterway Eco Team, to keep Bayou St. John and the Greenway beautiful, and look forward to continuing to make a difference in our community,” said Zoe Sullivan, director of Development for the Friends of Bayou St. John.
“We are thankful to the Louisiana businesses, governments, schools, families, and individuals who participated in Love the Boot Week,” said Susan Russell, executive director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful.
“This event not only helps to improve communities, but it also brings awareness to our state’s litter problem. Only when we work together and change our behaviors will Louisiana see a reduction in litter,” said Russell.
In late May, Keep Louisiana Beautiful will release an outcomes report summarizing the collective impact of the registered cleanup and beautification events. The report will be available at www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org.
For more information about Love the Boot Week, visit www.lovetheboot.org or contact info@keeplouisianabeautiful.org.
