Keep Lakewood Beautiful Makes Everyday Earth Day
Keep Lakewood Beautiful Great American Clean - Up in Lakewood and Earth Day event was a huge success this past Saturday, April 30. Over 150 participants-children and adults picked up litter, raked up yard waste and collected recyclables in our community's public spaces. Armed with rakes, brooms, gloves, garbage and yard waste bags they spruced up our city parks, parking lots, tree lawns and curbs. Twenty-five individual and groups registered for this year's clean up and were assigned to clean up 22 of our city's public spaces. Many walked in that morning as well asking what can I do to help. The city provided us with assistance at our two big parks and picked up our collected bags at various sites through the city. Our city's biggest litter complaint was cigarette butts and we targeted that litter through out the city and specifically on our city sidewalks and curbs. Now that we got a head start on cigarette butt litter we are asking our businesses to continue the efforts by picking up and sweeping their store fronts daily. What a great community effort. Fortunately the weather was cooperative and we had warm and dry skies to make this clean up easier!
Volunteers were invited back to Lakewood Park after the clean up for a free lunch. Special thanks to Deagan's who so generously supplied us with lunch. Volunteers ate fabulous gourmet sandwiches and salads prepared by Deagan's restaurant right here in Lakewood. The KLB Board baked and served desserts to the hungry crew along with Elmwood Bakery's sweet donation of cakes for the entire crowd. The day continued with Lakewood's own Earth Day Event. The afternoon was spent with lots of information sharing of recycling/reducing/reusing, sustainability and greening of the community. Earth friendly crafts were available as well as hands on events. Many thanks to the following groups and businessess who shared their expertise with community members for t his free event: LEAF, H20, Nature's Bin, Lakewood Garden Club, Cleveland Bike Group, Rocky River Watershed and the NEO Green Building Commission.
Many thanks to all those who participated in this day's events. Each individual cannot be named who helped with the clean up by I am amazed at the responses to help: the retired couple who just moved to Lakewood and want to help, the 4 high school boys who get up at 8:00 am to do their part, our council members and the individuals who pickup litter everyday as part of their daily walks. Thanks to each of you! Also thanks to the many registered groups who helped with the clean up. They are: Y Adventure Guides, H20, GrafTech International Holdings Co., YMCA, Lakeland Block Club, Friends of Kaufman Park, Gold Coast Neighborhood Watch, Cub Scout Pack 512, Chamber of Commerce, Horace Mann Environmental Club, St. Charles/ Onondaga Block Club, New Life Church, and Girl Scout Troops: 188, 133, 352, 415, 70184, 70322.
Last but not least, come to KLB's semi-annual Flower and Leaf Humus Sale this Saturday, May 21 at the Old Stone House at Lakewood Park from 9am- 12 pm. Humus will be on sale for 2 bags for $5.00. Annuals, perennials and herbs will also be available. Humus is great for gardens and plants and is almost guaranteed to keep plants green and healthy. Proceeds from this sale benefit KLB and our Adopt-A-Spot program which now has 55 garden spots greening our community. This will be our biggest mound of humus ever so hopefully their will be enough to go around. See you there and as always thanks for Keeping Lakewood Beautiful and making everyday Earth Day.