Clean City Month kicks off Friday

Monday, April 16, 2012
Mayor Sue Murray and the City of Greencastle gives official endorsement to the Greencastle Civic League's Clean City Month efforts recently by proclaiming May 2012 as Clean City Month in Greencastle. Civic League and other community organization representatives present for the signing include (from left) Civic League President Cara Setchell, Jen Pipkin, Taylor Cantini, Eric Wolfe, Mayor Murray, Clean City Month Chairman Amy Doan, Emily Knuth, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tammy Amor and Tanis Monday.

A 30-day effort focusing on keeping Greencastle clean will officially begin on Friday.

The Greencastle Civic League and its partners recently announced Clean City Month 2012. The series of events, which run from April 20 through May 19, is a community-wide effort aimed to clean up the city of Greencastle.

The Civic League has broadened the scope of the previously weeklong event to last an entire month.

"In order to make a true impact, we felt compelled to expand our clean city initiatives to a month," said Amy Doan, who is chairing the Clean City Month program. "We are thrilled with the number of organizations who have partnered with us to help clean up our community."

Clean City Month will kick off with a community pitch-in from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, April 20. All members of the Greencastle community are invited to this celebration that will take place at Shelter No. 2 at Robe-Ann Park. Guests are invited to bring a side dish to share and their own picnic-ware.

Clean City Month will continue with multiple organizations joining together in a series of clean-up projects.

Efforts will include weeding, painting and mulching at the Forest Hill Cemetery; conducting two clean-up efforts of the Greencastle square; picking up trash on Veterans Highway; cleaning up downtown parking lots; weeding, mulching and planting flowers at the Greencastle Police Department, City Hall, Ridpath Elementary School and Big Walnut Sports Park; planting trees at Big Walnut Sports Park; and completing numerous repair projects at Robe-Ann Park.

Clean City Month will conclude with the traditional signature event, Putnam County Tox-Away Day, on May 19 from 8 a.m.--1 p.m. at the Putnam County Fairgrounds.

Leading up to Clean City Month, the DePauw Environmental Club will host a number of Earth Week events on the campus of DePauw University that are free and open to the public.

The club will host the debate "What's So Great About Local Food?" on this evening at 5 p.m. in room 103 of the Richard E. Peeler Art Center. On Tuesday, April 17 at 4 p.m. in the Roy O. West Library, a panel of DePauw University professors will read and discuss nature texts related to the Earth Week theme, "Food and Water."

More Earth Week events can be found at www.depauw.edu.

Organizations participating in this year's effort are the Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce and various local businesses; DePauw student groups including fraternities, sororities, Civic Fellows and the DePauw Environmental Club; Ivy Tech Community College; Greencastle Community Schools; the Greencastle Police Department; Putnam County Youth Soccer Association; Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Anyone wanting to volunteer or with other questions should contact Doan at amydoan@gmail.com or Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tammy Amor at 653-4517.

A detailed schedule of events can be found at www.greencastlecivicleague.org.

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