Cigarette Litter Ignites Student Activism

Nov. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- November 1, 2011- This weekend there is an impromptu cigarette butt cleanup sponsored by helloCHANGE, the nation’s largest youth-led anti-smoking campaign. The clean up is open to any and all willing hands and completely free of cost.

This cleanup is part of the Billons of Butts (BOB) campaign, an initiative focused on the negative environmental consequences of littered cigarette butts. The goal of the campaign is to pick up 1 million cigarette butts by the end of the year.  

Teen Choice Award winner and national anti-smoking activist Chad Bullock will lead the clean up. “Sadly, we live in a society when littering a toxic cigarette butt is not a big deal,” said Bullock. “Hopefully this cleanup will encourage our Florida smoker friends to think twice about littering.”
The clean up will begin on Saturday, November 5th  at the Orange Park Town Hall parking lot on the corner of Kingsley Avenue and US HWY 17 in Orange Park, FL. The clean up will be from 10am-2pm. Bags and gloves will be provided to all volunteers.  All students will receive community service hours. The clean up is a joint effort with Clay County SWAT, Students Working Against Tobacco.  The Orange Park date is the first in a series of five clean ups scheduled around Clay County from now until February 4, 2012.  

Local organizations, civic, church & school groups are encouraged to participate by holding their own clean ups to help contribute to the goal of collecting 1 million butts.  Contact Tobacco Free Clay for instructions, free bags & gloves.

Go to http://www.billionsofbutts.com to learn more about the campaign. For all press inquiries, please call Tobacco Free Clay at (904) 529-2810 or email tobaccofreeclay@gmail.com.  

About helloCHANGE
helloCHANGE is a national youth-led organization working to change the way young people see and react to tobacco. Through a number of unique and fun campaigns helloCHANGE brings light to issues surrounding smoking and other tobacco-use. http://HelloCHANGE.org received $250,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Project, a philanthropic effort to fund community projects. With the funds, helloCHANGE is aiming to reach 100,000 young people per year, and will launch a smoking cessation program that provides resources and counseling for young smokers who are trying to quit.