FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
June 1, 2010 JASON SILVA, CHIEF OF STAFF
978-619-5603
Salem and Beverly Receive Grant for Pollution Abatement Equipment
The ad hoc committee Citizens for Salem/Beverly Water Resources received $1,500 for portable cigarette butt collection receptacles and water canteens
SALEM - The City of Salem is pleased to announce that the newly formed ad hoc committee Citizens for Salem/Beverly Water Resources, composed of members from various Salem and Beverly city offices and volunteer committees, has received a $1,500 grant from the New England Grassroots Fund (Montpelier, Vermont) to purchase pollution abatement equipment that can be used at public events in both cities.
“This project aligns with the significant progress we have made with Green initiatives. Salem hosts events on weekends year round, and the cigarette butt receptacles and water canteens are another step towards continually greening these events. We appreciate the creativity of the Citizens for Salem/Beverly Water Resources in applying for this grant,” said Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.
The equipment, approximately 20 cigarette butt receptacles and five 5-gallon water canteens, will help address two major pollution and waste streams generated from public events that attract citizens and visitors to localized areas—cigarette butts and disposable water bottles. Cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate that is non-biodegradable and are the most littered item in the world (Surfrider Foundation). In addition, Americans consume the world’s largest share of bottled water—about 26 gallons per person in 2005—and less than 20 percent of these non-biodegradable plastic bottles are recycled (American Museum of Natural History, Water: H2O=Life), producing a sizeable waste stream that is fast becoming a global problem.
“This project aligns with the current SalemRecycles initiatives surrounding public recycling and increased awareness of green practices throughout the area,” said Julie Rose, business manager for the city of Salem Engineering Department and co-chair of the ad hoc committee.
The grant application was based on various publicly-supported demonstration projects completed over a three-year period. Temporary and borrowed equipment resulted in capture of thousands of cigarette butts at local swim and road races and music festivals as well as a notable reduction in disposable plastic bottled water waste typically generated at such community events.
“The purpose of Citizens for Salem/Beverly Water Resources is to better conserve and protect our cities shared water resources. All of the public officials and committee volunteers, and Salem Sound Coastwatch as the committee’s fiscal agent, are together taking a pioneering first step in supporting and utilizing practical grassroots solutions to the most common pollution and waste problems,” said ad hoc committee co-chair and environmental advocate Andrea Fox.
The new portable equipment will be housed locally by the city of Salem Park, Recreation and Community Services Department and will be available to public event planners to help reduce the waste streams of seasonal events for years to come.
| 
