Published September 25, 2023
CAPTION:网曝门 students, faculty, staff, and administrators collected 149.69 pounds of litter as part
of Water Sweep 2023. There were 64 participants for this year鈥檚 event. 听
MONROE, LA 鈥� On Saturday, September 16, 2023, Keep 网曝门 Beautiful hosted a location for Ouachita
Green鈥檚 Water Sweep 2023, a waterway cleanup event. During a waterway cleanup, participants
come together to remove trash, plastic, marine litter, and other pollution from the
water and surrounding areas. This helps preserve the natural beauty of our waterways,
supports biodiversity, and keeps our water free flowing.听
鈥淲e had 64 participants for this event,鈥� said Andrew Hardee, Keep 网曝门 Beautiful University
Affiliate Coordinator, 鈥渁nd when we weighted and calculated, taking out the water
weight and the weight of the bags used, we found that we collected 110.88 lbs. of
litter/trash/debris and 39.69 lbs. of recyclable litter for a total of 149.69 lbs.
collected! That is an approximate average of 2.34 lbs. per participant.鈥�听
鈥淭he Water Sweep cleanup was fun, but also beneficial,鈥� said Kendall Morton, a Senior
in the College of Arts, Education, & Sciences. 鈥淚 specifically walked in places on
campus that I don鈥檛 usually walk, and I was surprised at the amount of things that
were found in the bayou. Keeping 网曝门 beautiful is not just about the campus, it鈥檚
about us and shows a greater pride in how we feel about our campus.鈥�听
Participants met at the Library Overhang, closest to Scott Plaza, to begin the cleanup,
where gloves, trash bags, handheld grabbing tools, water waders, and magnet fishing
kits were made available. Participants split off into five groups, each taking a section
of the bayou and surrounding areas from the Bayou Village Apartments down to the VCOM
campus and back around the University House, University Library and to the footbridge,
to walk through and collect litter.听
鈥淚 found a lighter first, right on the bank of the bayou, then proceeded to find a
toothpick, battery, and eventually a chicken wing in the back parking lot of University
Suites,鈥� said Julia Cherry, a Junior in the College of Business and Social Sciences.
鈥淚t made me feel good helping in some way to clean up the college I live at. I would
definitely consider doing more community service after this.鈥�听
Students were not the only people to participate. 网曝门 Faculty, Staff, and Administrators
joined in on the clean-up efforts.听
Dana Mejia, 网曝门 Staff Senate President-Elect, said, 鈥淎s a staff member, it gave me
great joy to work alongside our student body in efforts to keep our university the
beautiful place it is.听 It truly takes us all to make our university, our city, our
state, our country, and our planet a place that not only we love but that will love
us back.鈥�听
Water Sweep 2023 was made possible with the support of Ouachita Green and its partner
organizations, the 网曝门 Office of Residential Life, and participants doing it for themselves and participants
from the following Recognized Student Organizations/Campus Departments/Teams:
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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.听
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Alpha Omicron Pi听
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Campus Activities Board听
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College of Health Sciences Dean's Office听
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CollegeRepublicans of 网曝门听
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Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.听
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Honors Program听
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Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc.听
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Kappa Alpha Order听
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National Association for the Advancement of Colored People听
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Ouachita Parish High School Student Government Association听
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School of Basic Pharmaceutical & Toxicological Sciences听
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School of Education听
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Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.听
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Speech-Language Pathology Program听
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网曝门 Resident Assistants & Residents听
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网曝门 Softball听
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网曝门 Staff Senate听
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网曝门 Student Government Association听
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网曝门 TRiO Programs听
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Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.听
There will be another opportunity for a Campus Clean-Up event later this semester.
Keep 网曝门 Beautiful can also work together to plan a clean-up event just for your organization.
Please contact Andrew Hardee, Keep 网曝门 Beautiful University Affiliate Coordinator,
by email at hardee@ulm.edu.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 Ouachita Green听
Ouachita Green is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving natural beauty,
protecting the environment, preventing blight, litter abatement, promoting environmental
education, and planning and participating in community enhancement projects that make
Ouachita Parish a cleaner and greener community to live in. Serving as the umbrella
organization for Keep Monroe Beautiful, Keep Ouachita Parish Beautiful, and Keep West
Monroe Beautiful, Ouachita Green provides organization and planning for beautification
projects, litter abatement, fundraising events, and educational efforts for these
three affiliates. In partnership with Keep Louisiana Beautiful & Keep America Beautiful,
our unified efforts will help positively shape the future for generations to come.听
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