Local Schools Participate in Nationwide School Recycling Contest

(Dalton, GA, February 18, 2015) –  Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, has announced the winners of “Recycle-Bowl”, the first comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students.  Recycle-Bowl was conducted during the four weeks leading up to America Recycles Day on November 15, 2014. America Recycles Day celebrates the benefits of recycling and provides an educational platform that motivates people to take action to recycle more and recycle smarter, influencing recycling behaviors at work, at home and on the go. 

Public and private schools in Whitfield County currently participate in Target Recycling at School, a free recycling collection service offered by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. With the assistance of the DWSWA’s recycling center, 36 local schools were registered for the 4th annual nationwide competition. The national competition took place concurrently with the local recycling contest.  At the end of the competition period the weights of the recyclables collected at each school were reported to Recycle-Bowl. 

Seventy-six schools in Georgia participated at the state level recycling as much as possible during the weeks of October 15 to November 15, 2014.  At the state level, three local schools placed in the Top 5 in Georgia taking second, third, and fourth place.  A full list of statewide winners can be found at www.Recycle-Bowl.org. The national winner was Magnet Traditional School in Phoenix, Arizona. Below are the top five schools in the state of Georgia for Recycle-Bowl 2014:

Georgia’s Top 5 Recycle-Bowl Competitors:

1. Cumming Elementary, Cumming, GA

2. Learning Tree School, Dalton, GA

3. New Hope Middle School, Dalton, GA

4. Pleasant Grove Elementary, Dalton, GA

5. White Sulphur Elementary, Gainesville GA

Nation-wide nearly 900,000 students and teachers competed in Recycle-Bowl, striving to recycle as much as possible. Recyclables recovered during the 2014 competition totaled 4.4 million pounds, which prevented the release of 7,187 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E). In real-world terms, this reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 1,409 passenger cars.

“Through a fun and friendly competition, Recycle-Bowl shines a spotlight on school recycling and instills environmental values in our younger generations,” said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “It’s inspiring to see students across the country becoming so enthusiastic about recycling and conserving our planet’s natural resources. Congratulations to Magnet Traditional School and all of our national and statewide winners.”

18th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up

Be a part of the tradition on Saturday, October 27 when you join other volunteers in cleaning up the Conasauga Watershed. Registration opens at 9:00 am at each of the six clean up sites located in Whitfield County and Murray County. Choose a site and enjoy some muddy merriment as you help care for our area’s beautiful streams and river!

This year’s clean-up will take place at six locations:

• 1. Conasauga River at Carlton Petty Road bridge
• 2. Conasauga River at Highway 2 bridge
• 3. Conasauga River at Lower King’s Bridge/Norton Bridge
• 4. Holly Creek, Murray County, on the Chattahoochee National Forest
• 5. Mill Creek tributary in the City of Dalton
• 6. Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill

The 18th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up is held in conjunction with Northwest Georgia United Way’s Make A Difference Day and Georgia’s Annual Waterway Clean-Up, Rivers Alive. The first 250 volunteers will receive a free shirt and a hat or reuseable water bottle.

Sturdy shoes or boots, gloves, long pants, and long sleeved shirts are recommended. Hip or chest waders are useful, but are not required. Trash bags and other supplies will be provided.

One of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States, the Conasauga River supports 24 endangered species and a dozen other imperiled species, including the Southern Pigtoe mussel and the Conasauga log perch, a fish found nowhere else in the world.

SPONSORS: Shaw Industries, J&J Industries, Dalton Utilities, Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority (DWRSWMA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Conasauga River Alliance (CRA)

COORDINATORS: Carpet & Rug Institute, CRA, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities, DWRSWMA, Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Limestone Valley RC & D, TNC, and Murray County Extension

For additional information, please contact John Lugthart at jlugthart@daltonstate.edu, or 706-272-2485.  Click here to download the event flier.

Eek-o-Friendly Costume Swap featuring the Green Halloween Gazebo

(Dalton, GA, September 15, 2012) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful invites you to swap your clean, gently-used Halloween costume for one that's new to you at their newest community event, the Eek-o-Friendly Costume Swap featuring the Green Halloween® Gazebo. It will take place on Saturday, October 6 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Gaston Community Center in Dalton. Stop by to "recycle" your costume, and learn new ways to make your Halloween more eco-friendly.

The event area in the gym will be divided into two sections:

• Eek-o-Friendly Costume Swap:
Recycle your clean, gently used Halloween costume from last year and swap it for one that's "new" to you in the spirit of National Costume Swap Day™. Costumes should be in good condition without tears or stains. Accepting family friendly costumes for babies, children, adults, and pets! (A costume to swap is required for admission to this area.)

• Green Halloween Gazebo:
Visit the booths to green your Halloween. Zap energy vampires, choose better treats and treasures, make decor from your recycling bin, dare to adopt a black cat (or dog), and get tips to be more "eek-o-friendly" this fall.

Costume Donations to help stock up the costume swap event are being accepted at Toys In The Attic in Downtown Dalton until Friday, October 5. Drop off full costumes, and miss-matched accessories in the Eek-o-Friendly Costume Swap Donation Box. Please note that this location is for donations only; no swaps will be made at the store. If you take your costumes to Toys In The Attic they will be counted as donations and will NOT qualify you for a swap during the event.

Thank you to the following organization for participating in this new event: - Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Georgia Power, Toys In The Attic, Bradley Wellness Center, Northwest Georgia Humane Society, Dalton State College, and the Dalton Fire Department.

For more event information visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org,www.facebook.com/keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful, or call 706-278-5001.

Photo: Recycle your costume at the Eek-o-Friendly Costume Swap featuring the Green Halloween® Gazebo on Saturday, October 6 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Gaston Community Center. Costumes for children, adults, and pets are accepted.