Monday, March 17, 2008
Weekly Column From WV Governor Joe Manchin
We’ve all been welcomed into a home or place of business and, based on the cleanliness of the surroundings, formed an opinion about the owner. The same principle can be applied when we think of tourists entering our state the first time. If you are fortunate enough to call West Virginia home, I hope you have gained the passion for a cleaner state.
Spring is here, giving us all a time to re-dedicate personal and group efforts toward cleaning up our communities. For those of you who already keep your respective communities pristine as second nature – I say thank you. To those who lag behind or forgo your responsibility to pick up after yourselves; or others who randomly break the law by dropping litter when no one is looking, now is the time to change your habits.
As governor, I spend a great deal of time crisscrossing this beautiful state, giving me a chance to get an accurate picture of which counties and communities really take pride in their surroundings. What I’ve seen has been very commendable for the most part, while at times it has made me wonder if some people understand the importance of a first impression. I often tell people that nobody will pay to see or invest in a garbage dump.
That is why back in 2005, I brought back the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) that was originated by my uncle, A. James Manchin, because of the adoration he shared for the beauty of West Virginia. One of the main objectives of REAP has been to make sure that the visual impression people have our state is favorable and appealing. Since its reappearance, REAP has made considerable progress to clear blighted lands and waterways of debris and also to encourage more people to take recycling and community clean-up more seriously.
Community clean-up efforts have been vital to sustaining the beauty of our homes and the places where we travel and vacation throughout the Mountain State. REAP and all of its umbrella programs have conducted nearly 3,700 cleanup projects that have removed an estimated 111,000 tons of trash, including 22,000 tons of steel, nearly 50,000 appliances and more than 400,000 tires with over 30,000 volunteers providing the necessary manpower. To keep the clean-up effort going, this week Jackson County residents will be able to dispose of old tires by bringing them to the Jackson County Solid Waste Authority Office and Recycling Center located on W.Va. Route 33.
So, I thank the many individuals who lead by example – continuing to make a conscious effort to keep our state free from debris and show others what it means to take pride in this great state. I intend to help keep our state one of the nation’s most beautiful places, but to accomplish this will take a collective effort. Let us all sow a seed of accountability and keep West Virginia litter-free. To get information on how to become involved with the REAP initiative, call 304-926-0499 or toll-free 800-322-5530.
Spring is here, giving us all a time to re-dedicate personal and group efforts toward cleaning up our communities. For those of you who already keep your respective communities pristine as second nature – I say thank you. To those who lag behind or forgo your responsibility to pick up after yourselves; or others who randomly break the law by dropping litter when no one is looking, now is the time to change your habits.
As governor, I spend a great deal of time crisscrossing this beautiful state, giving me a chance to get an accurate picture of which counties and communities really take pride in their surroundings. What I’ve seen has been very commendable for the most part, while at times it has made me wonder if some people understand the importance of a first impression. I often tell people that nobody will pay to see or invest in a garbage dump.
That is why back in 2005, I brought back the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) that was originated by my uncle, A. James Manchin, because of the adoration he shared for the beauty of West Virginia. One of the main objectives of REAP has been to make sure that the visual impression people have our state is favorable and appealing. Since its reappearance, REAP has made considerable progress to clear blighted lands and waterways of debris and also to encourage more people to take recycling and community clean-up more seriously.
Community clean-up efforts have been vital to sustaining the beauty of our homes and the places where we travel and vacation throughout the Mountain State. REAP and all of its umbrella programs have conducted nearly 3,700 cleanup projects that have removed an estimated 111,000 tons of trash, including 22,000 tons of steel, nearly 50,000 appliances and more than 400,000 tires with over 30,000 volunteers providing the necessary manpower. To keep the clean-up effort going, this week Jackson County residents will be able to dispose of old tires by bringing them to the Jackson County Solid Waste Authority Office and Recycling Center located on W.Va. Route 33.
So, I thank the many individuals who lead by example – continuing to make a conscious effort to keep our state free from debris and show others what it means to take pride in this great state. I intend to help keep our state one of the nation’s most beautiful places, but to accomplish this will take a collective effort. Let us all sow a seed of accountability and keep West Virginia litter-free. To get information on how to become involved with the REAP initiative, call 304-926-0499 or toll-free 800-322-5530.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 9:05 PM 
