G r eat A m er ica n Cle a nu p // 201 2 Re p ort
National Kickoff Event
Applauding a Greener NYC Keep New York City Beautiful Coalition Celebrates Earth Day in Times Square Keep America Beautiful celebrated New York City’s sustainability efforts with a rally in Times Square during the 2012 Great American Cleanup. The annual event, which celebrates National Volunteer Week and Earth Day, also saw New York City and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg receiving the first-ever “Green City Award” from Keep America Beautiful. The kickoff also served as the fifth anniversary of Mayor Bloomberg’s plaNYC and the ninth year Times Square celebration of the Keep New York City Beautiful coalition (KNYCB). The event provided a platform for KNYCB— an organization of city agencies and nonprofits—to launch its participation in KAB’s GAC. The event featured performances by Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler, cast members of Broadway’s MAMMA MIA! and STOMP!, as well as the pop group Mustard Seed Magic, who all entertained the crowd, while speakers touted the city’s sustainability efforts, cleanliness and volunteer spirit. New York resident Brenda Duchene was honored with a President’s Volunteer Service Award, recognizing her long history of volunteerism, most notably her intergenerational efforts to improve the Powell Street Community Garden through a grant from Change By Us.
Students from NYC’s High School for Environmental Studies.
“Volunteering is simply a gift… a gift of your time,” said Duchene in accepting the award. “Even a half-hour can make a huge difference in someone’s life or in your community.” Among the local dignitaries participating in the Keep NYC Beautiful coalition Times Square rally were Commissioner Carter Strickland, NYC Department of Environmental Protection; David Bragdon, City of NY Executive Director of Long Term Planning & Sustainability; Olivia Ferriter, Acting Director, Office of Youth, Partnerships and Service, U.S. Department of Interior; Peter Kostmayer, President, Citizens Committee for New York City; Adrian Benepe, former Commissioner, NYC Parks & Recreation; Jennifer Brown, NYC BIDs Association Co-Chair; John Taylor, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc.; and STOMP! cast member Jason Mills. “Today, New York City is the cleanest it’s been in over 35 years,” said NYC Department of Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty. “We owe that to our residents, our city agencies, our business improvement districts, and nonprofit organizations. We owe it to the people that are out getting the job done, day in and day out.”
(From left) Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler and PVSA winner Brenda Duchene with Olivia Ferriter, Acting Director, Office of Youth, Partnerships & Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
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John Taylor, Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, LG Electronics USA, presents donation to Keep NYC Beautiful chairman and NYC Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty.
Mayor Bloomberg, in a written proclamation, noted, “This year marks the fifth anniversary of PlaNYC, initiatives designed to address the environmental challenges facing our City. With the help of the New York City Department of Sanitation, we’ve been able to make terrific progress towards meeting our goals, and we’re glad that Keep America Beautiful has partnered with us as we work to create a greener, greater New York.”