WASHINGTON, DC, March 31, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams today joined federal environmental officials and local and national conservation organizations for a kick-off event launching Capital River Relief's 2005 "Team Up to Clean Up" project.
During the event, held alongside the Potomac River at Hains Point, Mayor Williams noted: "I am extremely pleased to help launch Capital River Relief 2005, an effort that has had a tremendous impact on the local environment. I took part in last year's cleanup and commend all the project's participants, sponsors and volunteers for their dedication to preserving the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers."
Capital River Relief reunites a large coalition of national and local environmental groups, businesses, community organizations and volunteers who removed over 50 tons of trash from the D.C.-area rivers last April. In 2004, the project's land- and boat-based cleanups resulted in a 150-foot barge piled high with trash.
Capital River Relief 2005 will run through Earth Day, April 22, and is anchored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation's April 2 Potomac River Watershed Cleanup and the Anacostia Watershed Society's April 16 Earth Day Cleanup and Celebration. Capital River Relief adds the capabilities of Living Lands & Waters, a national river cleanup group, to the region's traditional spring cleanup efforts.
"The success of Capital River Relief 2004 was tremendous, but due to the dense population of the DC region and the environmental factors which affect the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, much of that trash has again accumulated in these rivers," said Chad Pregracke, president and founder of Living Lands & Waters. "Thanks to the commitment of the coalition partners and our founding sponsor Koch Industries, we will once again work to restore the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers to their natural beauty."
Mayor Williams and Pregracke were joined in kicking off Capital River Relief by Don Murphy, Deputy Director of the National Park Service; John Paul Woodley, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; Ed Pinero, White House Office of the Federal Environmental Executive; Ben Grumbles, Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Mary Beth Jarvis, Koch Industries, Inc.; Doug Siglin, Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Tracy Bowen, The Alice Ferguson Foundation; and Robert Boone, The Anacostia Watershed Society.
"We've helped lead this project with two goals in mind: removing trash from the rivers here and raising awareness about the importance of cleaning and restoring rivers nationwide," said Jarvis. "The strong commitment of local conservation groups and the groundswell of volunteer support shows how powerful this entrepreneurial conservation model can be, and we're glad for the chance to help make a difference."
Capital River Relief will host thirteen days of volunteer cleanups through Earth Day, April 22. More than 800 volunteers from businesses, government agencies, White House staff, Congressional Staff, EPA, National Geographic and other local organizations will assist the Capital River Relief cleanup efforts.
Coalition Members
Living Lands & Waters, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alice Ferguson Foundation, Anacostia Watershed Society, Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Anacostia River Initiative, Earth Conservation Corps and Potomac Conservancy.
Sponsors
Koch Industries, Inc., Pepco, Whole Foods, Mimi's American Bistro, Ritz Camera, Hunton & Williams LLP, Sempra Energy, National Geographic and Rosenthal Automotive.
Capital River Relief 2005 (www.CapitalRiverRelief.org) will sponsor 13 days of cleanups of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers: March 31, April 1, 2 (with the Alice Ferguson Foundation), 5 (with Pepco & Whole Foods), 6 (with the Washington Capitals organization), 7, 9, 10, 11 (Congressional Staff Day), 13, 14 (White House Staff Day and National Geographic), 16 (with the Anacostia Watershed Society) and 19. Cleanups will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation (www.fergusonfoundation.org) was established in 1954 to provide experiences that encourage connections between people, the natural environment, farming and the cultural heritage of the Potomac River Watershed, which lead to personal environmental responsibility.
The Anacostia Watershed Society (www.anacostiaws.org) is a non-profit environmental organization working to protect and restore the Anacostia River and its watershed. AWS seeks to fulfill its mandate of a swimmable and fishable river through its programs of education, action and advocacy.
Living Lands & Waters (www.livinglandsandwaters.org), established by Chad Pregracke in 1998, is headquartered in East Moline, Illinois. Living Lands & Waters programs include Community Cleanups, Big River Educational Workshops, Riverbottom Forest Restoration and Adopt-a-Mississippi Mile.
Koch Industries Inc. (www.kochind.com) owns a diverse group of companies, including Koch Membrane Systems (www.kochmembrane.com), with more than 30,000 employees engaged in trading, investment and operations worldwide. Koch Industries and its companies are involved in petroleum, resins and fibers, chemicals, natural gas liquids, chemical technology products, asphalt, minerals, fertilizers, ranching, pipelines, and securities and finance.
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