/ KEEPORLANDOBEAUTIFUL KEEP ORLANDO BEAUTIFUL ANNUAL REPORT

Transcription

1 / KEEPORLANDOBEAUTIFUL KEEP ORLANDO BEAUTIFUL 2014 ANNUAL REPORT

2 OUR MISSION The mission of Keep Orlando Beautiful is to engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environment through litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling and beautification efforts. Founded in 1987, Keep Orlando Beautiful, Inc. (KOB) is a nonprofit organization and certified affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. (KAB). The program is administered by the Streets and Stormwater Division of the Public Works Department of the City of Orlando. KOB offers a variety of much-needed community improvement services that no other nonprofit or government agency in Orlando provides. Through our programs, we help create a healthier, safer, more livable and sustainable community environment by teaching individual responsibility and engaging volunteers to help keep Orlando The City Beautiful. The reporting period for this review coincides with KAB s fiscal year, July 1, 2013 to June 30, Through collective hands-on action, we teach our volunteers about good environmental citizenship and empower them with the knowledge and opportunity to make a difference in improving the quality of life and the beauty and sustainability of our community. As one of nearly 600 certified affiliates of KAB, the nation s largest community improvement organization, we follow their guiding principles of individual responsibility, education, volunteerism and partnerships (government, business, civic). We help provide sustainable solutions to improve the physical and visual aspects of our community and provide the necessary tools so that individuals can have a direct influence, through their own actions, in the focus areas of litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling and beautification.

3 Message from Mayor Buddy Dyer The City of Orlando s goal is to become one of the most sustainable cities in America. As a City, we are greening our fleet, waste, buildings and food resources. We are also working hard to increase our tree canopy, beautify our parks and keep our streets clean and lakes clear. But we can t do it alone. Thousands of resident and business volunteers take great pride in the welfare of our city and contribute countless hours to keeping our lakes, parks and streets clean. The City Beautiful is not only our City s motto; it s our operating philosophy. We know that a protected environment is a key component of our outstanding quality of life and we re working hard every day to continue to make Orlando the best places to live, work and raise a family. This report highlights the work of the Keep Orlando Beautiful program and salutes all of the volunteers who contribute to its success. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Buddy Dyer, Mayor Volunteers, donations and in-kind donations saved the City over $130,000 in labor and supplies! City Council District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray District 2 Commissioner Tony Ortiz District 3 Commissioner Robert F. Stuart District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan District 5 Commissioner Regina I. Hill District 6 Commissioner Samuel B. Ings *Total Volunteer Hours X $21.25 (national average for volunteer time) + Total Donated and In-Kind Donations

4 According to results of the Keep America Beautiful Litter Index, Keep Orlando Beautiful, the City of Orlando, and its citizens are successful in litter prevention and reduction throughout the city. Keep Orlando Beautiful staff, board members, and City Commissioners along with their aides participated in assessing litter. Those evaluating the litter were first trained on how to score the district sub-areas. They were then driven through their districts. Overall, Orlando was rated a 1.32 on a scale from 1-4 (range: 1=extremely clean to 4= extremely littered). Last year the overall rating was at In addition to litter, graffiti was also evaluated during the index. Graffiti is rated on the same scale as litter, 1-4 (see above). Overall, Orlando was rated a 1.15 this year and 1.16 last year. KEEP ORLANDO BEAUTIFUL, INC. CONDUCTED THE LITTER AND GRAFFITI INDEX DURING THE SUMMER OF HERE ARE THE RATINGS BY DISTRICT: LITTER INDEX GRAFFITI INDEX District District District District District District The litter and graffiti index is a program designed to evaluate amounts of litter and graffiti throughout Keep America Beautiful affiliate cities. When administered correctly, the system can accurately identify problem areas or provide affiliates with useful data for future projects. Keep Orlando Beautiful administers the City s Graffiti Program and Adopt a Street program, as well as organize several volunteer cleanup efforts. The index will help identify and prioritize problem areas. LITTER & GRAFFITI INDEX

5 Thank you to: The North Face Store #69, Millenia Blvd Downtown Credo, Parramore Ave CLEANUPS Thanks to the overwhelming support of dedicated volunteers within the Orlando community, Keep Orlando Beautiful had another very successful year for litter and debris removal. Volunteers stepped up and came out this year to help keep our lakes and streets clean, beautify public spaces and recycle. On October 4, Keep Orlando Beautiful coordinated its 13th annual Florida Coastal Cleanup. The Florida Coastal Cleanup is part of The Ocean Conservancy s International Coastal Cleanup, the largest beach and waterway cleanup program with data collection in the world. Many lakes within Orlando are part of a drainage system that consists of canals, streams and rivers that eventually drain into the Florida Bay or Atlantic Ocean. Keeping our streets and inland waterways litter-free, helps keep our oceans litter-free. This year the cleanup happened at Lake Fran. In addition to park, neighborhood, street and lake cleanups, Keep Orlando Beautiful also coordinates the Adopt a Street program. Individuals, groups, or families may adopt a street within the City of Orlando. They are obligated to cleanup along their adopted street at least six times a year, monthly or as needed. In return, they are listed on our website and promoted at local events. KOB, along with the City of Orlando s Streets and Stormwater Division, coordinated several lake cleanups throughout the year. On March 15, The City Beautiful Waterway Cleanup (formerly referred to as the St. John s River Celebration Cleanup) was held at LaCosta Urban Wetlands. 98 volunteers removed 2,000 pounds of litter and debris. Orlando Florida 98 volunteers removed 1,700 pounds of litter and debris in just two hours. Filipino Student Association, Narcoossee Road Amcor Rigid Plastics, E. Tradeport Road City Beverages, W. Tradeport Road David Vacha, Rosemont Neighborhood Rollins Master of Planning in Civil Urbanism, Corrine Drive City Beautiful Church and Clear Lake Neighborhood, Orange Center Blvd Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, WD Judge Road Southeastern Container, Inc, Shader Road and surrounding streets Charles Rapier, LYNX stop at Kirkman and Raleigh Street Carver Shores Neighborhood, LYNX stops along Raleigh Street Universal Zulu Nation O.Z.O.N.E. Chapter, Stonewall Jackson Street Roland A. Baker Jr. Lodge #2, Bruton Blvd

6 TRASH TRends An evening of recycled fashion SPECIAL THANKS TO IT WAS TIME TO START A NEW FUNDRAISER and the KOB board agreed on a recycled fashion show. Special thank you to board member Clary Powell for the suggestion. Clary brought her experience and knowledge to our team and the results were amazing. Not only was the goal to raise funds and have a fun, innovative event, but to also present sustainable ideas in the local art and fashion world, bring together those with a green focus and a sense of fashion and design. KOB put out a Call for Artists and received over forty applications. Twenty four were selected to send their look down the runway. Designers were from local theme parks, universities and trade schools as well as those in the community interested in art, design and creating something unique. A venue was selected and partnerships among local businesses were formed. Through the hard work of KOB board members, partners, volunteers and sponsors, the idea of Trash 2 Trends became a reality and a huge success its first year. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Top Design; Meylin Rojas and model Inge Uys, Avant Garde; Joanally Gonzalez and model Michelle Matrale, Most Wearable; Diana Hernandez and model Araceli Hernandez, Audience Choice; Marie Stevens and model Vanessa McNeely Doug Ba aser was the perfect host. Thank you judges: Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Flora Maria Garcia and Carry O Neall. Tim with Special Event Services Board members and volunteers Top Sponsor

7 GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP Great American Cleanup Results for Keep Orlando Beautiful 678 volunteers 2,368 volunteer hours 13,940 pounds of litter, debris and bulky waste collected Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest community improvement program, takes place annually from March 1 through May 31. Nearly 4 million volunteers working on behalf of thousands of local organizations, put in 5.7 million volunteer hours making their communities cleaner, greener and safer. Activities included beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, handling recycling collections, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers and conducting educational programs and litter-free events. During this period, Earth Day is also celebrated with a hands on event with KOB s top partner, Green Up Orlando.

8 SCHOOL PRESENTATIONS PUBLIC EDUCATION Orange County Public Schools kicked off their Green School Recognition Program during the school year. The goal of this program is to recognize Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) who encourage cultures of sustainability within their school communities. Keep Orlando Beautiful offers free in class presentations to elementary, middle and high schools that focus on litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling and volunteerism. KOB s presentations are part of the OCPS s program to bring education to the schools. KOB also participates as a judge and future mentor for schools looking to participate in this rewarding program. KOB is invited to several events throughout the year to present to both children and adults on keeping our City beautiful and being environmentally responsible. Some of the events KOB was honored to be part of this year included the Mayor s Neighborhood Summit, Orlando Wetlands Festival and America Recycles Day. KOB is also available to discuss and present information to any civic clubs or neighborhood associations or homeowner associations.

9 PUBLIC SPACE RECYCLING Keep Orlando Beautiful along with GreenWorks Orlando worked together to place six recycling bins at Lake Eola Park and six recycling bins around the Amway Center. These two locations have housed the bins for over a year now and have proven to be used regularly and frequently. The bins selected have a clear feature that allows the public to see inside the bin and then clear bags are used to make what is inside even more visible. The clear feature has proven to be much more successful. People can see for sure that what is inside is recyclables and it exposes those who decide to toss in something that should not be there. The bins offer a clear view of recycling and patrol themselves by being visible of its contents. KOB also implemented six recycling bins at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. Recycling at the park instantly proved to be successful with the clear feature and the How To Recycle Properly signs on each side. Six more bins will be added to the park in RECYCLING BINS 6TO BE ADDED IN 2015

10 During the summer of 2014 Bud Light teamed up with Keep America Beautiful to refresh communities. Keep America Beautiful and Bud Light encouraged communities across the country to do some good while having fun by engaging more than 50 community-refreshment projects coast to coast. With the help of Bud Light, Keep America Beautiful brought people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. DO GOOD HAVE FUN On Friday, August 1, 2014, 86 volunteers turned up for the event at Park of the Americas to plant 43 large trees around the pond. The concept behind this event is after a day s work, go out into the community and give back by volunteering, then celebrate what was accomplished and have some fun. Bud Light awarded Keep Orlando Beautiful with a $5,000 grant to spend on materials and supplies for a project. KOB then selected a project by teaming up with the City s Parks, Families and Recreation Department and in particular, Green Up Orlando. Park of the Americas was being built at this time and the trees were placed around the future walking trail to provide shade for guests. The trees consisted of Cypress and Maple. For about two hours, volunteers planted the large trees and then spread 150 bales of pine straw. After this task was complete, everyone celebrated and had some fun! Special thank you to Bud Light, Keep America Beautiful and City Beverages.

11 THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! A special thank you to Martha Hoppes who dedicated almost 40 volunteer hours a week to Keep Orlando Beautiful and the City of Orlando tons 13.5 tons 7.1 tons litter and debris picked up mixed recyclables collected electronic waste collected Trees planted 505 7,784 court-ordered community service hours 2014 Stats sites beautified The reporting period for Keep America Beautiful is July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014 volunteer hours Advisory Board Mayor Buddy Dyer Honorary Chairman Tiffany Lee Chairman Janice Rahill Vice Chairman Lisa McElwee Secretary/Treasurer James Crim Susan Harris Rick Howard Jim Hunt Clary Powell Erin Homs Ben Hoyer Scottie Campbell Lisa Henry Cindy Gosiewski Sheryl Dirienzo Claire Ruben Josh Lazar Theresa Payne Lazar Staff Jody Buyas, Keep Orlando Beautiful Coordinator James Crim, Assistant Keep Orlando Beautiful Coordinator Keep Orlando Beautiful, Inc S. Woods Ave. Orlando, FL cityoforlando.net/kob