Washington, D.C. - Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined the growing regional effort to rid the Potomac Watershed of trash when he signed the Potomac Watershed Trash Treaty earlier today.
“We are committing on a local level to a completely trash-free Potomac by 2013," said Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD-8), Chairman of the Trash Free Potomac Initiative Advisory Council. "The idea is as simple as it is profound: by removing the trash - the most obvious sign of carelessness and neglect - we as a community can begin to reclaim the river and, in so doing, a measure of our self-respect.”
“We have set a goal to be out of the trash business by our 25th Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup in 2013,” said Tracy Bowen, Executive Director of the Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF). This Maryland-based nonprofit began spearheading the Trash Free Potomac Initiative in 2005 upon completing its 17th Potomac Watershed Cleanup, which has removed 2.5 million pounds of trash from the Potomac Watershed. “We have taken the first step towards achieving our trash free Potomac goal by getting our leaders to agree that the region does have a significant trash problem, and together they are signing this mandate to help our citizens and community do something about it,” stated Bowen.
The Trash Free Potomac Initiative, has gained momentum with eight major Washington metropolitan area jurisdictions now signing the Trash Treaty, and additional jurisdictions lining up to sign onto the commitment for a trash free Potomac by 2013.
The Potomac Trash Treaty signers pledge to:
Additional signers of the
Potomac Watershed Trash Treaty include: Anthony A. Williams, Mayor of the District of Columbia; Douglas Duncan, County Executive of Montgomery County, MD; Jack Johnson, County Executive of Prince George’s County, MD; Wayne Cooper, President of the Board of Commissioners of Charles County, MD; Thomas F. McKay, President of the Board of Commissioners of St. Mary’s County, MD; Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County, VA; Jay Fisette, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for Arlington County, VA; William Euille, Mayor of the City of Alexandria, VA. (See below for a copy of the treaty language. See
www.potomaccleanup.org for a PDF of the signed treaty.)
In addition, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recently endorsed the Trash Treaty and the Alice Ferguson Foundation’s Trash Free Potomac Initiative by passing COG Resolution #R43-05, which commits COG to support the Foundation’s pursuit of a trash free Potomac River by 2013.
The Trash Free Potomac Initiative has an active Advisory Council, chaired by Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD). It is supported by five Action Committees that are focused on legislative, technical, economic and public education solutions to the trash issue. “This is an audacious undertaking and will require the sustained, coordinated and energetic effort of community leaders and citizens from across the watershed," stated Congressman Van Hollen.
The First Potomac Watershed Trash Summit is scheduled for March 16, 2006 and will be hosted by the World Bank. The Summit will provide a venue for the region to address trash from a watershed-wide approach. A 2006 Action Plan will be presented and elected officials will be asked to sign on to this one-year plan aimed at reducing trash.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation (
www.fergusonfoundation.org) founded and has coordinated the Potomac River Watershed Cleanups for the past 17 years. Since 1989, more than 35,000 volunteers working with over 250 partner organizations, businesses, and government agencies have removed 1,239 tons (more than 2.5 million pounds), of trash from the Potomac watershed. Since 2003, an average of 24% of all bagged trash removed was recyclable products. Over the years, volunteers have removed a wonderful collection of oddities including: a vintage Chevy; an airplane tire; a giant plastic hot dog; a tombstone from 1878; and a $50 check to the Internal Revenue Service.