Posted on Apr 12, 2023 | News,Press Releases
The Coca-Cola Company Sponsors Love the Boot Week, a Statewide Litter Cleanup
BATON ROUGE, La. – Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is pleased to announce The Coca-Cola Company’s sponsorship of Love the Boot Week 2023, an annual statewide litter cleanup and beautification event happening April 17-23. With The Coca-Cola Company’s $15,000 sponsorship, KLB will:
- Implement Love the Boot Week closed-loop recycling with Osprey Initiative.
- Host a status update meeting on April 17 for the Task Force on Statewide Litter Abatement and Beautification to be attended by Governor John Bel Edwards and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. At this meeting, the results of the 2023 Louisiana Litter Study will be revealed.
- Provide clean up supplies to Love the Boot Week participants.
“At Coca-Cola, sustainability is embedded into our business, and we know each of us plays a key role in being sustainability change agents in our communities. That’s why we are excited to support Love the Boot Week this year and implement a recycling-friendly element for the first time ever with the help of our partner Osprey Initiative,” says Scott Ryan, GM of Franchise Operations for The Coca-Cola Company. “Our collaboration with organizations like Osprey Initiative and Keep Louisiana Beautiful are of critical importance to achieving a World Without Waste.”
On April 17, the Task Force on Statewide Litter Abatement and Beautification will reconvene for the first time since May 2022. With Governor John Bel Edwards, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, and other state leaders in attendance, the results of the 2023 Louisiana Litter Study will be revealed. The last litter study in Louisiana was performed in 2009, and at that time, the cost of litter abatement was estimated to be $40 million per year. During this meeting, The Coca-Cola Company will share more about its latest sustainability investments in Louisiana.
With support from The Coca-Cola Company, a Love the Boot Week recycling effort is being introduced at selected events for the first time in the event’s history. Osprey Initiative will work with groups to collect and recycle beverage bottles and cans ensuring they are repurposed into new beverage packaging. Data on this effort will be made available to the public in KLB’s Love the Boot Week impact report.
In addition to supporting the Task Force status update meeting and recycling initiative, The Coca-Cola Company’s sponsorship allows KLB to provide clean up supplies to groups participating in Love the Boot Week.
“It takes all sectors, including businesses, working together to tackle the huge litter problem in Louisiana,” says Susan Russell, KLB Executive Director. “We are grateful for The Coca-Cola Company’s participation in Love the Boot Week and look forward to growing our impact this year with their support.”
In 2022, Love the Boot Week engaged 8,476 volunteers in removing 293 tons of litter from Louisiana at 280 registered events. To date, more than 450 Love the Boot Week events have been registered for 2023.
Everyone in every parish is invited to register a cleanup or beautification event and/or sign-up to volunteer for Love the Boot Week at www.lovetheboot.org.
Media Contact
Melissa Kenyon
marketing@keeplouisianabeautiful.org
678-346-5252
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About the Task Force on Statewide Litter Abatement and Beautification
In January 2022, Governor John Bel Edwards created by executive order the Task Force on Statewide Litter Abatement and Beautification, administered by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office and Keep Louisiana Beautiful. The group of 26 Task Force members—representatives from various state and local government agencies, businesses, non-profits, private groups, and communities—dedicated over 400 hours to developing eight recommendations for tackling litter in Louisiana:
- Establish Fundamentals to Sustain Litter Prevention and Beautification Efforts
- Raise Public Awareness
- Build Knowledge through Training and Education
- Advance Youth Education to Create a Culture of Cleanliness
- Strengthen Litter and Illegal Dumping Enforcement Efforts
- Improve Waste Disposal Practices and Recycling Opportunities
- Expand Litter Prevention and Removal Initiatives
- Support Beautification and Community Appearance Enhancement
Along with these recommendations, 47 key priorities were proposed and adopted, one of which is to conduct a comprehensive litter study to measure quantitative and qualitative data such as litter locations, quantities, and sources; public perceptions and attitudes; and the present costs associated with litter abatement. Click here to view the Task Force report online.
About Keep Louisiana Beautiful
Keep Louisiana Beautiful is an anti‐litter and community improvement non-profit organization focused on achieving a clean and beautiful Louisiana through education, enforcement, public awareness, and community engagement. Keep Louisiana Beautiful is affiliated with Keep America Beautiful and is comprised of a statewide network of 40 Community Affiliates and seven University Affiliates. Learn more at www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
