 More than 12,000 volunteers helped their communities compete in the month-long “Roadside PRIDE” campaign to clean up litter across southern and eastern Kentucky, according to U.S. Representative Hal Rogers (KY-05).
“One of the easiest ways to improve the appearance of our region is to make sure that our roads and highways are free of litter and debris,” said Rogers. “The Roadside PRIDE program allows our communities to team up for some friendly competition and an opportunity to do something about highway trash. This past October, 12,275 volunteers participated in the month-long cleanup campaign. In total, 38,990 bags of trash were removed from our roadsides, along with 2,151 old tires and 1,130 junk appliances.” Rogers added, “By working together we are making progress in our region-wide cleanup efforts. I want to encourage everyone to build on this momentum and help keep our roads clean in 2006.”
Rogers spoke Jan. 30 at the Roadside PRIDE Awards ceremony at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset. Trophies were presented to communities that won the friendly Roadside PRIDE competition, which was held in October 2005. Counties and cities earned points for the number of volunteers who participated; the number of road miles cleaned; and the amount of trash collected. Counties and cities competed in population-based classes, with Class 1 being for the smallest populations.
The counties that won 1st Place trophies were: Owsley (Class 1), Adair (Class 2), Johnson (Class 3) and Laurel (Class 4). The counties that earned 2nd Place awards were: Wolfe (Class 1), Morgan (Class 2), Perry (Class 3) and Pulaski (Class 4).
Among cities, the 1st Place winners were: Livingston (Class 1), Loyall (Class 2), Mt. Vernon (Class 3) and Pikeville (Class 4). The 2nd Place trophies went to the cities of Salt Lick (Class 1), Lynch (Class 2), Cumberland (Class 3) and London (Class 4).
To view photos of the award winners accepting trophies, click here.
The Roadside PRIDE competition was sponsored by the nonprofit Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Inc., which spearheads an environmental cleanup and education campaign in southern and eastern Kentucky. PRIDE provided cleanup supplies to participants and reimbursed local governments for their trash disposal expenses.
“Roadside PRIDE grew by 10,000 volunteers this year, so people seem to enjoy the competition,” said Richard Thomas, PRIDE executive director. “Really, it’s a win-win situation. Communities have fun ‘talking trash,’ a few of them take home trophies, and we all benefit from cleaner roadsides.”
The Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA), a nonprofit organization promoting tourism in the region, sponsored cash awards for the county and city that cleaned the most miles within one of the region’s three National Scenic Byways. Pike County earned the $1,000 award by cleaning 42 miles along U.S. 23, which is the Country Music Highway. The City of London received $1,000 for cleaning 28 miles along U.S. 25, which is part of the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway.
The PRIDE initiative promotes Personal Responsibility In a Desirable Environment in 38 counties in southern and eastern Kentucky. Rogers and the late James Bickford, former Secretary of the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, started PRIDE in 1997 to provide government resources to local citizens as they work to clean up the region’s environment. PRIDE is funded by grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. |
