Published May 5, 2023
CAPTION: 37 students, faculty, and staff from 网曝门 and VCOM gathered for a campus cleanup day
on Earth Day, April 22, 2023. The group collected over 30 pounds of litter from the
campus grounds.听
MONROE, LA 鈥� On Saturday, April 22, 2023, Keep 网曝门 Beautiful hosted Love the 网曝门 Campus Cleanup
as part of Love the Boot Week, Louisiana鈥檚 largest litter cleanup effort held in conjunction
with Earth Week, April 17-23, 2023. Love the Boot Week is organized by Keep Louisiana
Beautiful and supported by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.听
鈥淲e had 37 participants, including VCOM and 网曝门 students and 网曝门 faculty and staff,鈥�
said Joel Sinclair, Campus Activities Board Advisor. 鈥淚t is exciting to see that they
want to fight Louisiana鈥檚 litter problem and take care of 网曝门. And today is Earth
Day, what better way is there to celebrate!鈥� added Sinclair. 听
Participants met at Scott Plaza to begin the cleanup, where gloves, trash bags and
handheld grabbing tools were made available. Participants were allowed to select an area on the campus to
walk through and collect litter.听
"In today's cleanup, I was able to participate in a minor but effective beautification
to campus. I collected trash along Stubbs Hall, Brown Gym, and the corresponding parking
lots. The types of trash I noted were cigarette butts, weed eater strings, and candy
wrappers,鈥� said Estrella Hernandez, a Junior, College of Health Sciences student.
鈥淚 encourage all who visit and work on campus to remember to clean up after themselves,
use the trash cans located outside each building and to always keep Louisiana beautiful.鈥�听
Litter is not a new problem for Louisiana鈥檚 64 parishes. For decades, litter has become
increasingly detrimental to our communities, leading to a multitude of repercussions
such as: 听
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Blight on natural areas, cities, towns, roadways, and waterways听
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Death of wildlife due to polluted habitats听
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Decline in quality of life in neighborhoods听
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A negative impact on economic development, infrastructure, and tourism听
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Flooding caused by storm drains clogged with litter and debris听
Despite spending over $40 million on litter abatement each year, Louisiana is still
experiencing shocking levels of litter statewide.听
鈥淪portsman鈥檚 Paradise won鈥檛 be litter-free overnight, but by coming together during
Love the Boot Week, we can bring awareness to the issue and take steps toward achieving
a more beautiful Louisiana,鈥� says Susan Russell, Executive Director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful. 听
Following the conclusion of Love the Boot Week, Keep Louisiana Beautiful will release
an outcomes report summarizing the collective impact of the registered cleanup and
beautification events. This report will include the total number of events, volunteers,
bags of trash collected, pounds of trash collected, and other relevant statistics.听
鈥淭oday, after we calculated and subtracted the weight of the trash bags used, we collected
approximately 30 pounds of litter and debris from the 网曝门 campus. That鈥檚 a lot and
I know there more out there,鈥� said Andrew Hardee, Student Government Association Advisor.
鈥淲e look forward to organizing more cleanup events to engage our students, faculty,
staff, and community partners to maintain and improve the experience of our beautiful
campus here on the bayou.鈥�听
Love the Boot Week is made possible by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Coca-Cola,
and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. Love the 网曝门 Campus Cleanup was made
possible with the support of VCOM LA Internal Medicine Club and the 网曝门 Office of Residential Life.听
For more information about Love the Boot Week, visit www.lovetheboot.org.听听
About Keep 网曝门 Beautiful听
Keep 网曝门 Beautiful, formed in October 2022, is a Keep Louisiana Beautiful University
Affiliate, which is a special mark of distinction and represents a commitment by the
university to continual improvement in sustainability and environmental issues, promoting
student environmental stewardship and engagement, and rigorous outcome measurement.
Keep 网曝门 Beautiful will pursue opportunities to improve the campus to meet the needs
of the changing living and educational environment of students, faculty, and staff
by encouraging litter abatement, recycling, and sustainability practices.听
About Keep Louisiana Beautiful听
Keep Louisiana Beautiful is an anti鈥恖itter and community improvement non-profit organization
focused on achieving a clean and beautiful Louisiana through education, enforcement,
public awareness, and community engagement. Keep Louisiana Beautiful is affiliated
with Keep America Beautiful and is comprised of a statewide network of 40 Community
Affiliates and seven University Affiliates. Learn more at www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org.听
