Feb. 14, 2006
GLAD Partners with New Orleans Native to Tackle Trash for a Cleaner, Safer Mardi Gras
The City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation and the Katrina Krewe Join the Team to Spearhead Clean Up of the French Quarter.
NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 14, 2006) — GLAD ForceFlex®, the official trash bag for New Orleans' Mardi Gras 2006, is partnering with New Orleans native and New York starting quarterback Eli Manning and local organizations to support the city's tourism revitalization efforts after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Prior to the biggest parades of the festivities — Endymion, Bacchus, Rex and others — from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Feb. 23, the Glad ForceFlex Mardi Gras Clean-Up will mobilize hundreds of volunteers for a major French Quarter trash clearing effort. With the help of the City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation and the Katrina Krewe, a grassroots volunteer group that has contributed to the city's recovery by conducting bi-weekly trash removals, The Glad Products Company is helping to prepare the city for a clean and safe Mardi Gras celebration. Glad will be distributing its ForceFlex trash bags — which feature a unique diamond texture that stretches around objects so they can be stuffed with all kinds of Mardi Gras trash and debris — to festival-goers, encouraging them to do their part in keeping New Orleans clean.
"New Orleans is my heart and home," said Manning. "I'm proud to team up with Glad and be a part of a hands-on effort to help revitalize the tourism and culture of the city by supporting Mardi Gras."
Last year, via The Clorox Company Foundation, more than 1.2 million Glad ForceFlex trash bags were donated for Hurricane Katrina clean-up efforts throughout the Gulf region. To continue its aid, Glad will donate an additional 150,000 ForceFlex trash bags to the city for pre- and post-Mardi Gras clean-up efforts. In addition to the donation of much-needed supplies, the company was among the first to sign on as a high-level sponsor of a Mardi Gras tourism-targeted advertising campaign, an effort conducted by city officials to help bolster economic development in New Orleans.
"One of the biggest drivers of our local economy is the tourism industry," said Becky Zaheri, founder of the Katrina Krewe. "Keeping the city clean and safe during Mardi Gras is integral to welcoming visitors. The supplies and assistance from Glad will help spotlight our mission and encourage hundreds more volunteers to participate in our regular clean-ups after the big event."
Glad ForceFlex Clean-Up Route
The Glad ForceFlex Mardi Gras Clean-Up effort begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the New Orleans Tourism Media Center located at 500 Canal Street. Manning and the volunteer clean-up brigade will cover 15 blocks of the French Quarter, including Royal Street, Bourbon Street and ending at Conti Street. The Department of Sanitation will follow the volunteers with street sweepers and flushers. In addition to the Glad ForceFlex Mardi Gras Clean-Up effort, Glad also is working closely with the City of New Orleans in the sanitation maintenance and clean-up efforts surrounding Mardi Gras festivities, which would otherwise have mounted a considerable expense for the municipality.
Glad Encourages Everyone to Do Their Part
Veronica White, municipal sanitation director for the City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation, offers her simple tips for revelers, who can do their part in helping to preserve the historical city in the midst of the Mardi Gras celebration:
Prior to the biggest parades of the festivities — Endymion, Bacchus, Rex and others — from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Feb. 23, the Glad ForceFlex Mardi Gras Clean-Up will mobilize hundreds of volunteers for a major French Quarter trash clearing effort. With the help of the City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation and the Katrina Krewe, a grassroots volunteer group that has contributed to the city's recovery by conducting bi-weekly trash removals, The Glad Products Company is helping to prepare the city for a clean and safe Mardi Gras celebration. Glad will be distributing its ForceFlex trash bags — which feature a unique diamond texture that stretches around objects so they can be stuffed with all kinds of Mardi Gras trash and debris — to festival-goers, encouraging them to do their part in keeping New Orleans clean.
"New Orleans is my heart and home," said Manning. "I'm proud to team up with Glad and be a part of a hands-on effort to help revitalize the tourism and culture of the city by supporting Mardi Gras."
Last year, via The Clorox Company Foundation, more than 1.2 million Glad ForceFlex trash bags were donated for Hurricane Katrina clean-up efforts throughout the Gulf region. To continue its aid, Glad will donate an additional 150,000 ForceFlex trash bags to the city for pre- and post-Mardi Gras clean-up efforts. In addition to the donation of much-needed supplies, the company was among the first to sign on as a high-level sponsor of a Mardi Gras tourism-targeted advertising campaign, an effort conducted by city officials to help bolster economic development in New Orleans.
"One of the biggest drivers of our local economy is the tourism industry," said Becky Zaheri, founder of the Katrina Krewe. "Keeping the city clean and safe during Mardi Gras is integral to welcoming visitors. The supplies and assistance from Glad will help spotlight our mission and encourage hundreds more volunteers to participate in our regular clean-ups after the big event."
Glad ForceFlex Clean-Up Route
The Glad ForceFlex Mardi Gras Clean-Up effort begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the New Orleans Tourism Media Center located at 500 Canal Street. Manning and the volunteer clean-up brigade will cover 15 blocks of the French Quarter, including Royal Street, Bourbon Street and ending at Conti Street. The Department of Sanitation will follow the volunteers with street sweepers and flushers. In addition to the Glad ForceFlex Mardi Gras Clean-Up effort, Glad also is working closely with the City of New Orleans in the sanitation maintenance and clean-up efforts surrounding Mardi Gras festivities, which would otherwise have mounted a considerable expense for the municipality.
Glad Encourages Everyone to Do Their Part
Veronica White, municipal sanitation director for the City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation, offers her simple tips for revelers, who can do their part in helping to preserve the historical city in the midst of the Mardi Gras celebration:
- Put trash in its place. Place your trash in one of the many trash receptacles that can be found throughout the city. There are 800 barrels along the parade routes, as well as additional trash boxes.
- Don't add to overflowing trash. If you see a full trash can, please tie up the overflowing trash bags and replace it with another bag that can be found at the bottom of the receptacle.
- Recycle. Purchase your beverages in aluminum or plastic containers. Not only can these be recycled, but they are also a much safer alternative to glass containers.
- Lend a helping hand. Join local clean-up efforts (like the Katrina Krewe) in their mission to make this the cleanest and safest Mardi Gras celebration to date.
- Pledge to pick up at least one piece of litter a day that someone else has left behind. If everyone who celebrates Mardi Gras in New Orleans picks up one piece of trash, that amounts to thousands of pieces of trash a day.
