Summit looking at the problem, seeks solution

By CHERYL WHITTIER, T&D Staff Writer

You see them on the roadside from time to time, mixed-bag groups of bandannaed, begloved citizens dragging heavy-duty garbage bags with one hand, using the other to block the sunny glare as they scan the terrain for trash.

This is the Adopt-A-Highway program in action. PalmettoPride, a nonprofit umbrella organization that includes the Governor's Council on Beautification and Litter, leads the state's anti-litter effort with this and other programs designed to keep our state looking great.

The group is holding its aptly named 2003 South Carolina Litter Summit March 3-5 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbia.

The event offers a variety of seminars, puppet shows, expert speakers, food and festivities that deal with issues of enforcement, education and even celebration in the cause of keeping South Carolina beautiful and litter-free.

The opening ceremony today features a parade of South Carolina's litter-fighting mascots, celebrity guests and dignitaries, including Gov. Mark Sanford.

Sanford will probably be upstaged by the wide array of animal life that makes up the litter-fighting mascots.

The menagerie includes Louie the Lion (named for Lou Holtz); Charleston's pelican, Clean City Clara; Cocky, the USC Gamecock; Columbia's Litter Gator; Rocky the Recycler, a raccoon from Sumter, and the Lee County Litter Lizard. Jonathan Rush of WNOK will be the emcee.

Sanford said the state's participation in the Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest community improvement program, is designed to mobilize volunteers to make a visible difference in their local communities.

"Taking pride in our surroundings isn't just important to our sense of self and quality of life. It also affects economic development in two areas: attracting businesses and attracting visitors," Sanford said.

Litter's impact on economic development is one of the topics to be addressed at the event.

The conference includes seminars on the Adopt-A-Highway program, school-based anti-litter education programs, a seminar on how to plan a neighborhood cleanup event and even a session on speaking more powerfully.

The planned evenings are more relaxed, with down-home blues and barbecue one night, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres the next.

The organizers were thrilled to have 150 attendees preregistered for the three full days of the event.

Saturday, April 12, is the official day for South Carolina's Great American Cleanup, with dozens of events all over the state already planned.

PalmettoPride will work with local groups to organize and promote beautification efforts. Contact the organization through its Web site www.palmettopride.org or by calling toll-free 877-725-7733.

A new relatively new enforcement initiative that will be discussed is the Litter Busters Hotline which encourages citizens to report incidents when and where they happen.