Citizens From Alabama to Mississippi Attend Take Pride Statewide Conference in Birmingham

August 19, 2008

The first Take Pride Statewide Conference focusing on litter prevention was last week at Samford University in Birmingham. The event was sponsored by Auntie Litter, Inc. with many partners including the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Jackie Ramsey, Joann Wissinger and Bridgett Helms from the Jefferson County Extension office assisted with the overall planning, registration and educational exhibits. Several other state and county Extension personnel also participated in the two-day event.

The conference kicked off a three-year litter prevention initiative by the Take Pride Statewide campaign. The litter prevention campaign has been endorsed by Governor Bob Riley. More than 170 attendees representing 76 cities renewed their interest in learning how to keep their cities clean and beautiful.

Participants included representatives from beautification boards, educators, government officials, environmental organizations, business and industry representatives, association and civic leaders, and concerned individuals. Experts shared strategies, such as determining sources of funding, reducing waste in the workplace and recruiting and retaining volunteers.

Some of the funds for the conference were provided by an Educational Challenge grant through the local Cawaco Council of the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils. Jackie Ramsey, Jefferson County Extension coordinator, worked with Pat Mitchell to get the funding.

"The Take Pride Statewide Conference has been an excellent use of Extension funds through Cawaco to provide educational resources for litter prevention programs throughout Alabama," Ramsey said.

Posted by dreynold on August 19, 2008 01:19 PM
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