On April 22, from 9:00- 11:30 am, The Washington Parish Tourism will host “Keep Louisiana’s Toe of the Boot Polished” as part of Love the Boot Week, Louisiana’s 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.
The Washington Parish Tourism Commission will be sponsoring a cleanup morning across our great parish. Civic groups, school groups, and volunteers are asked to spend a couple of hours cleaning the parish on Saturday morning, April 22,2023. Groups can stop by the Washington Parish Tourism Visitor Information Center at 1950 Washington Street, Franklinton on April 22, 2023 to gather supplies. Trash bags, gloves, and t-shirts will be available on a first come basis. Water will be available as well. Trash collected may be disposed at the following location: The Town of Franklinton Parking Lot across from Café Bouche on Main Street.
The Washington Parish Tourism Commission sees the value in fighting Louisiana’s litter problem. We look forward to this cleanup event to engage our citizens and improve the quality of life we experience in our community.
Litter is not a new problem for Louisiana’s 64 parishes. For decades, litter has become increasingly detrimental to our communities, leading to a multitude of repercussions such as:
- Blight on natural areas, cities, towns, roadways, and waterways
- Death of wildlife due to polluted habitats
- Decline in quality of life in neighborhoods
- A negative impact on economic development, infrastructure, and tourism
- Flooding caused by storm drains clogged with litter and debris
Despite spending over $40 million in litter abatement each year, Louisiana is still experiencing shocking levels of litter statewide.
“Sportsman’s Paradise won’t 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,” says Susan Russell, Executive Director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful.
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.
Volunteers can take part in “ Keep Louisiana’s Toe of Adventures Polished” cleanup event by contacting the Tourism office, wptour@bellsouth.net, . Questions about this specific event should be directed to the event organizer, Patty Alford , Tourism Director at 985-839-5228.
Love the Boot Week is made possible by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Coca-Cola, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
For more information about Love the Boot Week, visit www.lovetheboot.org. or contact info@keeplouisianabeautiful.org.
