River in Trouble

Join us in our efforts to help

clean-up the Anacostia River

For Years groups have worked together to clean up and Restore the River to its

original beauty.

The Anacostia’s the Talk of the Town

• “In the district, 15 miles downstream, the Anacostia is burdened by tons of floating trash, millions of gallons of raw sewage, and deposits of toxic chemicals.” – Washington Post

• “The Anacostia is closer to a dead river: To pick one example, more than half of its brown bullhead catfish have tumors on the livers from a life rooting in chemical-laden sediment.” – Washington Post

• “The D.C. Water and Sewage Authority, whose old pipes dump raw sewage into the river during heavy rains, made changes that cut these discharges by 40 percent.” – Washington Post

The Anacostia’s the Talk of the Town

• “One major problem – a failure to tackle an odd-sounding polluter: RAIN” – Washington Post

• “Where the rain goes after it falls. Much of it hits sidewalks and rooftops and parking lots, then flows down storm sewers, carrying bottles, bags, road oil and pet waste into the river.” – Washington Post

• “We’re pretty good in this country – or at least we have been in the past -- addressing problems that are staring us right in the face, like rivers on fire. We have a harder time addressing problems that are less immediate, or where the causes of the problem are less apparent.” – David Uhlmann, director of the Environmental Law and Policy Program at the University of Michigan

The Anacostia River is not only filled with trash – but

with recyclable plastics!

WHY SHOULD WE HELP????

Our Industry is under attack….

Protests from NGOs

and environmentalists

are being heard by our

government leaders.

Everyday a new ban

on plastic bags or

products pops up!

IN THE NEWS…

Our members are doing it ACC members in Pittsburgh sponsored a river

clean-up with Popular Mechanics.

Social Responsibility

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8WTiW71yBY

The Anacostia River resides in ACC’s backyard

ACC’s involvement

• November 6 - 3rd annual Debris Clean-Up & Anacostia Celebration Event at Kingman Island

– Hosted by Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region

– American Chemistry Council has partnered with LC-NCR on this event clean-up since its formation

– Approximately 100 students worked with 10 ACC staff and other sponsors to clean up the Island and the Anacostia River.

– The event provided education to students on environmental issues and the impact that storm water pollution has on the health Anacostia River.

– “Living Legend” Awards were given to Senator Ben Cardin (MD), Shell Hydrogen and Dottie Yunger- Anacostia Riverkeeper.

New Recycling Partnership Plastics. Too Valuable To Waste. RecycleTM. Campaign Expands! Caltrans - American Chemistry Council - KCB

The H. Dana Bowers site near the San Francisco

Golden Gate bridge was chosen as our “launch site”

because of its high visibility and high user traffic (3

million visitors a year), its location on National Park

Property, and its proximity to San Francisco/Marin

County

ACC Litter Prevention/Marine Debris efforts

• Supported the development of the NOAA Marine Debris Program website

• Partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and is working with NOAA-Fisheries Science Centers in CA, AK and MS to study plankton and coastal debris.

• Developed, supported and convened a workshop to obtain major stakeholder input regarding solutions for marine debris problems.

• Donated to the Aquarium of the Pacific for the development of a watershed exhibit that educates visitors on marine debris prevention and the importance of recycling.

ACC Litter Prevention/Marine Debris efforts

• Developed, with SPI, the voluntary program Operation Clean Sweep, to promote best practices to prevent plastic pellet losses to the environment.

• Launched a new partnership with the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) and Keep California Beautiful. – Purchased and placed 529 new recycle bins, along with educational

signage and advertising, in 19 locations in the San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Monterey/Santa Cruz areas.

Reinforce Our Commitment Toward Stewardship of the Planet

As members of this community its important to show that we are dedicated to

environmental stewardship and the future.

ACC Staff and Others

Volunteer with Living

Classrooms to Help Local

Students Understand the

Importance of Planet

Stewardship

• What you can do to help

– Tell your friends & family and invite them to help

– Put an announcement in your community newsletter/bulletin and help spread the word about our clean-up

– Put on your old shoes and sweats, grab a bag, and start collecting!

Can We Count on Your Support?

How to Get Involved

• When: Saturday, April 24, 2010

8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

• Where: Kingman Island* RFK Stadium Parking Lot #6 Benning Road, NE (Eastbound side) Washington, DC

• How: Sign up: http://www.anacostiaws.org/ and click on AWS Event Form.

Don’t wait! Clean-ups are filling up fast!