George Washington Elementary School student Nora Buchanan won first place among third graders in the statewide Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Litter Hawk Youth Award Program.
The poster she made for the contest features people picking up trash, with the declaration: “We must all pitch in … open your eyes to litter.”
Nora attended the awards ceremony in Harrisburg, joining more than 50 people who celebrated the winners’ efforts, including Shannon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and Ramez Ziadeh, Department of Environmental Protection acting executive deputy secretary for programs.
“It’s been so rewarding to see the thoughtful and inspiring messages reflected in the hundreds of Litter Hawk entries,” Reiter said. “Each project is unique, reflecting the students’ own experiences, values and concerns. The nearly 1,000 entries are a clear indication that our youth are insisting on a cleaner, safer and more beautiful Pennsylvania.”
The program, funded by the DEP, provides a way for students in kindergarten through sixth grade to express their concerns about litter through art, words or video. Each participant completed a project specific his or her grade level.
To complement Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Open Your Eyes to Litter book series, the theme was: “Open Your Eyes to Litter – Show Us What You See.”
Next year’s Litter Hawk Youth Award Program will be announced this fall, with a new theme.
Since 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has worked with hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the state to pick up nearly 158 million pounds of trash from roads, waterways, greenways, vacant lots, forests and other spaces.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. For more information, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org.
