RESOLUTION NO. RS2013-668

A resolution recognizing Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup and designating March, April and May 2013 as “Great American Cleanup Months” in Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.

WHEREAS, Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program, takes place annually in the spring, from March 1 through May 31, it is estimated that more than three million volunteers of all ages will be taking on the nationwide challenge to "pick up, spruce up, and paint up" during the Annual Great American Cleanup; and

WHEREAS, the Metro Beautification and Environment Commission, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate, will assist volunteers in communities throughout the area of the Metropolitan Government as they join together to help cleanup unsightly litter and debris as the 29th Annual Great American Cleanup gets underway in Nashville and Davidson County during the months of March, April and May 2013; and

WHEREAS, the Tennessee Department of Transportation in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful, Incorporated has adopted the slogan “Tennessee’s Had Enough” and Metro Beautification and Environment Commission has adopted the slogan “Cleaning Is Everybody’s Business – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to raise the awareness of the public’s civic responsibility to show love for their community by help keeping it clean; and

WHEREAS, Keep America Beautiful is a non-profit organization whose network of local, statewide and international affiliate programs educate individuals about litter prevention and beautification and ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and properly manage waste materials; and

WHEREAS, under the organization and leadership of the Metro Beautification and Environment Commission, local activities this spring will include roadside cleanups, illegal dumpsite removals, recycling events, waterway cleanups, graffiti abatement, illegal sign removal, park cleanup, tree and flower beautification, consumer clean-up education in schools and at community meetings and removing litter and winter debris from neighborhoods, parks, playgrounds, schools and other public lands; and

WHEREAS, volunteers know they really make a visible difference in Nashville and in their communities, as evidenced by the 4,103 volunteers who put in 15,509 volunteer hours, participating in 150 events and collecting 369,731 pounds of roadside trash and debris during the three months of the 2012 Great American Cleanup, and it gives a new sense of hometown pride and accomplishment, setting an example that can help change attitudes about littering and even prevent litter in the first place; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council recognize the efforts of the Metropolitan Beautification and Environment Commission and Keep America Beautiful by designating the months of March, April and May 2013 as "Great American Cleanup Months" within the area of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY.

Section 1. That the Metropolitan County Council hereby goes on record as recognizing Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup and designating March, April and May 2013 as “Great American Cleanup Months” in Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.

Section 2. The Metropolitan Council Office is directed to prepare a copy of this Resolution to Beautification and Environment Commissioner Barbara Mathieson, Chair, on behalf of all the Beautification and Environment Commissioners and Veronica Frazier, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Beautification and Environment Commission division of Metropolitan Public Works.

Section 3. That this Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Jason Potts, Karen Johnson

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Referred to:	Public Works Committee
Introduced:	April 16, 2013
Adopted:	April 16, 2013
Approved:	April 17, 2013
By: