Green Works Orlando Green Updates

April 2009

April 10

St. Johns River Celebration Cleanup a Success

On Saturday, March 21, 273 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and collected litter and debris from the shorelines of Lake Underhill, La Costa Wetlands and Lake G at the St. Johns River Celebration Cleanup. The volunteers collected more than 4,500 pounds of litter and debris and removed tires, shopping carts, chairs, concrete and a guardrail along nearly three miles of shoreline in just two hours. Cleanups provide an excellent reminder that the City of Orlando is linked to the St. Johns River and, ultimately, the ocean by overland and groundwater drainage.

Sponsored by Keep Orlando Beautiful and the City of Orlando Stormwater Division, this event is part of the Great American Cleanup and is one of many volunteer efforts to clean and protect the environment. Special thanks to Eco-Action for their canoe cleanup support and the many students and scouts who used the event to satisfy community service and badge requirements.

The next cleanup event of this scale will be the Florida Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 19, 2009. The St. Johns Cleanup next year is tentatively scheduled for March 20, 2010. For more information, contact Jody Goostree at Jody.Goostree@cityoforlando.net.

April 3

Earth Hour

City Hall During Earth Hour 2009On Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m., the City of Orlando and numerous local businesses participated in Earth Hour 2009. This global effort raised awareness about climate change and encouraged working together to create a positive impact on the environment.

For the event, City Hall turned off all non-essential lights for one hour on Saturday evening.

To see more photos from Earth Hour 2009 and information on how you can make a difference, visit Green Works Orlando at cityoforlando.net/greenworks.