MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES 3rd ANNUAL PHILLY SPRING CLEAN UP AT KICKOFF EVENT IN FISHTOWN

City of Philadelphia kicks off One Month Countdown to Philly Spring Cleanup and encourages residents to “Keep Up the Sweep Up”rnrnWHO: Mayor Michael A. NutterrnStreets Department Commissioner, Clarena I.W. TolsonrnDirector of Sustainability, Katherine Gajewskirn2500 East Gordon Street Block Captain, Kathy BerryrnrnWHAT: Today, City of Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Philadelphia Streets Department will announce the One Month Countdown to the Philly Spring Cleanup. A kickoff celebration will take place in Fishtown at 1 p.m. The third annual Philly Spring Cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 10, 2010. The theme of this year’s cleanup is “Keep Up the Sweep Up,” encouraging residents and organizations to sustain the effort toward a cleaner and brighter Philadelphia. Philly Spring Cleanup is a part of the national Great American Cleanup. Target is the lead corporate supporter for the third annual Philly Spring Cleanup.rnrn“It is that time of year again, the City of Philadelphia is gearing up for the third annual Philly Spring Cleanup,” says Mayor Nutter. “I ask neighborhoods, residents and organizations to unite on April 10 to ‘Keep Up the Sweep Up’ and Keep Philly clean!”rnrnThe outdoor, kickoff celebration will take place on the 2500 block of East Gordon Street in Fishtown. The 2500 block of East Gordon Street was the winner of the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee’s (PMBC) 2009 Clean Block Award. Led by Block Captain Kathy Berry, these residents have worked tirelessly to transform this once desolate block into one of the best streets in Philadelphia.rnrn“Target is proud to sponsor the Philly Spring Clean Up day as part of our commitment to ensuring the environmental well being of the communities in which our guests and team members live and work,” says Target Spokesperson Sarah Boehle.rnrnMayor Nutter will be joined by the Department of Streets Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson, Director of Sustainability Katherine Gajewski, Block Captain for 2500 East Gordon Street Kathy Berry, dozens of community groups, Fishtown residents and Philly Spring Cleanup partner organizations.rnrn“’Keep Up the Sweep Up’ is an important theme as it speaks to sustainability, quality of life and civic pride,” says Department of Streets Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson. “It’s about our residents taking ownership of their neighborhoods and maintaining a beautifying environment not just for one day but every day of the year.”rnrnAdditional corporate partners include RecycleBank, A Waste Management Service, Republic Services, Blue Mountain, Covanta, Big Belly and Clean Venture. City partners include PMBC, Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, Fairmount Park, Greater Philadelphia Cares, Global Citizen, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, City Year and the City of Philadelphia Department of Recreation.rnrnPMBC and U.S. Census representatives will be on hand to distribute information and cleanup supplies to all Fishtown residents that come out for the event. Representatives of the Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program will also conduct program signups with event attendees.rnrnThe momentum gained from this year’s Philly Spring Cleanup will be directed to engage citizens in an ongoing effort to eliminate and prevent litter and motivate the public to take ownership of their neighborhoods to create a cleaner, safer Philadelphia.rnrnCity residents and organizations can become involved in the 2010 Philly Spring Cleanup by registering as a project site or volunteer. City residents and organizations who wish to participate should visit www.PhillySpringCleanup.com. The deadline for registering for projects is Friday, March 12, 2010.rnrnFor more information on the 2010 Philly Spring Cleanup, please visit www.PhillySpringCleanup.com. Residents may also call the Streets Department’s Customer Affairs Unit at 215-686-5560, or call 3-1-1.rnrnPhilly Spring Cleanup 2008 & 2009 Resultsrnrn2008 Philly Spring Cleanup was recognized by Keep America Beautiful as the largest single day, citywide Cleanup on record in the United StatesrnOver 21,000 volunteers participated over the past two yearsrnVolunteers have collected over 3.25 million pounds of trashrnOver 275 project sitesrnOver 100 beautification projectsrnGenerated 48,010 pounds of recyclingrn4,807 recycling bins distributedrn2300 tires removedrn184 automobiles removedrnOver 4,100 blocks cleanedrn40 recreation centers cleanedrn42 park sites cleanedrn71 commercial corridors cleanedrnrnWHERE: 2500 East Gordon StreetrnrnWHEN: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 1:00 pm