Keep Oklahoma Beautiful in Partnership with Devon Energy Saves Oklahoma $5,157,922
Oklahoma City, OK (PRWEB) September 23, 2014 -- Between March 1 and May 31, more than 26,000 Oklahoma volunteers came together to clean, paint, plant and fix up their communities during the 2014 Great American Cleanup™ in Oklahoma. The Great American Cleanup™(GAC) is the nation’s largest annual community improvement program by Keep America Beautiful, sponsored statewide by Devon Energy and coordinated in Oklahoma by Keep Oklahoma Beautiful (KOB).
This year, KOB is pleased to report that volunteers removed more than three million pounds of litter and debris from 300 Oklahoma communities, 3,525 acres of parks and public lands and 1,051 miles of roads and highways. In addition to collecting litter, many groups hosted events focused on recycling and environmental education. These groups collected 245,547 pounds of electronics, 10,109 tires and 10,619 lbs. of aluminum and steel, among other types of recyclables.
Pretty places stay pretty clean. Removing litter is only part of the process to create beautiful places for families to live and play. Participating groups in the Great American Cleanup™ in Oklahoma planted 128 trees, 4,567 flowers, restored and painted 32 buildings and removed 36 graffiti sites - all in an effort to create a more beautiful and economically viable places to live and work.
“At Devon, we are committed to operating in an environmentally responsible way and seek opportunities to enhance the places where we live and work,” said Wendi Schuur, Devon’s Community Relations director. “We are delighted to have played a part in this statewide clean-up initiative and are pleased that so many communities contributed to this meaningful campaign.”
For the fourth consecutive year, KOB has reached 100% county participation in the GAC. Groups who registered to participate in this annual event were eligible to receive free trash bags from the Glad, gloves and vests from Warren CAT and other products made available by national and local sponsors.
Of the nearly 200 registered groups in Oklahoma, 23 will recieve a $200 Start Up grant or $300 Growth grant from KOB - funded by OGE Energy Corp. TROY-BILT®, a national sponsor of the GAC also donated various pieces of lawn equipment to Keep Oklahoma Beautiful for use during the GAC in Oklahoma for the third year.
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is a statewide nonprofit organization with a mission to empower Oklahoma citizens to preserve and enhance the state's natural beauty and ensure a healthy, sustainable environment.
Devon (NYSE: DVN), based in Oklahoma City, is a leading independent oil and gas producer and is included in the S&P 500 index. The company is committed to supporting communities where it operates by investing in youth and education, the arts, civic initiatives, the environment and emergency response agencies. Devon is the only independent oil and gas producer included in the Civic 50 list, which recognizes America’s most community-minded companies. For additional information, visit http://www.devonenergy.com.
Megan Moran, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, +1 (405) 286-9141, [email protected]
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