Issue: Winter 2023

“THANKFUL FOR THE SYSTEM… FOCUS ON THE GOAL”

As we all see with any organization, family, business, classroom or group, the goals are easy to set, but MUCH harder to obtain for the long haul if there is not a workable and dedicated “system” in place. The definition of “system” can be looked at in various ways, but to me the “system” is found within the daily, monthly and annual inner workings found at the heart of the organization, family, business, classroom or group.

As I review and continue to look at the “system” within the Alabama PALS organization, I continue to be humbled and amazed at how this “system” is successful, and by how many valuable parts work together to benefit so many. Thank you for being a part of the PALS organizational system, and for your monumental role in making Alabama The Beautiful a reality through your support and dedication to a common goal.

I want to thank the PALS Board of Directors for their leadership in determining the system that continues to work for Alabama PALS, and for their guidance and dedication to your organization. A system that works has to begin with the top leadership level and PALS continues to be blessed by this committed leadership team.

A successful system also has to include the partners and supporters that make the programs that are designed to reach the goals possible. Within this light, I want to thank the part of the system that affords Alabama PALS the opportunity to grow and offer all Alabama communities the programs that benefit their respective areas. A heartfelt thank you to ALDOT, ADECA, ADCNR, ALFA, Coca-Cola United, Vulcan Materials Company, Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Association of County Commissions of Alabama, Honda, Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and ALL of our valued Alabama Coastal Cleanup sponsors. Thank you for your partnership.

No system can be successful without a staff that is dedicated to the system and goals. I am blessed to be able to work with a dedicated, committed and supportive staff at Alabama PALS each day. Thank you Jamie and Christy for your hard work, attitude, and the genuine commitment to making Alabama PALS grow and prosper every day.

I also want to thank several other staffs that I have the pleasure of working with that are essential to making the programs of Alabama PALS successful. I want to thank the staff at ADCNR/State Lands/ Coastal Section for your unwavering dedication and partnership each year during the planning and implementation of the Alabama Coastal Cleanup. Each of you continue to be the reason that the Alabama Coastal Cleanup continues to be a beacon for other states for coastal cleanup efforts. Thank you also to the Zone Captains, Weeks Bay staff, Recycling coordinators, and the volunteers. Thank you being a part of this wonderful system that has been successful for 36 years!

As I had the opportunity to speak with many of you during the 2022 Governors Awards program, and began putting the newsletter together, it was evident that there are many that play such major roles in the system of Alabama PALS. In summary, thank you for your dedication to commitment to playing such a major role in this wonderful organization, and for your importance in continuing to make this system what it really is at the end of the day… a system that works because of your leadership, support, partnerships, commitment, dedicated staffs, and the goal of a cleaner and more beautiful state for the future.

Thank you again for your support, dedication, and most importantly your friendship. Let’s make 2023 a year to remember.

– Spencer

In December 2021, I was contacted by Chambers County Commissioner Sam Bradford regarding a new countywide anti-litter initiative. I attended a meeting soon thereafter with several leaders from the community, including School Superintendent Casey Chambley. Mr. Chambley was fully onboard with this initiative and made it a priority to have the Clean Campus Program presented to every school in the county.

Over a two-week period in February, I visited all 11 schools and presented the presentation multiple times at some locations. Thanks to the leadership of Chambers County, thousands of students were able to hear our anti-litter message just in time for the spring “Don’t Drop it on Alabama” Cleanup! All schools made a commitment to have at least one campus cleanup, and Alabama PALS provided bags and grabbers to the county to help the schools with their efforts. I also communicated with the two local private schools so that they could work the Clean Campus Program into their spring curriculum, as well.

In addition to the presentations, Chambers County had posters made to display at the schools with the tag line, “Be a Part of the Solution, Not the Pollution!” These posters helped reinforce the message that was delivered earlier in the semester. The county also has been promoting the Adopt-A-Mile program as a part of their anti-litter initiative, so we are looking forward to having several new miles adopted there in 2022!

It is always a pleasure to see leadership come together in a county to tackle a problem and work in unison to find a solution. If litter is a problem near you, please contact us to work on a plan to help make it a thing of the past! Visit www.alpals.org to learn more! Schools are always a great place to start with litter prevention and education. If a school near you would like to learn more, please have them contact me for a Zoom or in-person visit at (334) 263-7737 or [email protected]. As always, all Alabama PALS programs are free to the end user thanks to our state partnerships and corporate sponsors.

By Jamie Mitchell

Fall is always a favorite time of year for us at Alabama PALS. We love the fresh start of a new school year as the Clean Campus Program kicks off at many schools in the state. It is also the season for schools that participated last year to send in their scrapbooks for our Annual Governor’s Awards. The first-place winning school wins a $1,000 scholarship for their efforts with the program and will be recognized at the awards luncheon in November.

Fall is a perfect time for schools that have never participated in the Clean Campus Program to enroll and have me come speak to their students about litter prevention and cleanup. I was able to speak in person to over 25 schools last school year and hope to be back up to my normal visits of 40-50 schools in the 2022-23 school year. Our presentation is a perfect way to cover environmental education and plant seeds for the students to become lifelong stewards of our state and communities.

One of the schools I visited last school year was Rockwell Elementary in Spanish Fort. Their student government group met with me to learn more ways they could participate in cleanups and litter prevention opportunities on their campus. We discussed that they are the leaders of the school and ways they could convey the anti-litter message to their peers. Each of the students in my presentation was given a pencil made from recycled newspaper and a sheet of stickers to help spread the word.

We are thrilled that Rockwell Elementary is now a part of the Clean Campus Program! If a school near you would like to join or rejoin the program, have them visit www.alpals.org to learn more! They may also call or email to schedule a speaking session at (334) 263-7737 or [email protected]. Schools are always a great place to start with litter prevention and education. All Alabama PALS programs are free to schools and volunteers thanks to our state partnerships and corporate sponsors.

In a world where division is highlighted daily on television and social media, it’s always encouraging to attend the Alabama PALS Governor’s Awards, where unity and cooperation are on full display. Where else can you see conservationists and law enforcement officers dining together; children and retirees enjoying each other’s success; and business owners and sanitation workers showing appreciation for a shared commitment to their communities?

The Governor’s Awards is a celebration of our ability to set aside differences in pursuit of a common vision. We see glimpses of this human capacity following natural disasters, but with Alabama PALS, it’s a common occurrence. While programs like Adopt-A-Mile and Clean Campus are built on shared experiences, other PALS’ efforts bring together volunteers who don’t necessarily attend the same church, school or civic club. During the Don’t Drop It On Alabama Spring Cleanup and Coastal Cleanup, you’re likely to see Baptists and Catholics; Democrats and Republicans; and Tide and Tigers working side by side.

The single unifying factor is our mutual desire to keep Alabama the Beautiful and lessen the impact of litter on our environment. The Governor’s Awards showcase what can be accomplished when we focus on agreement rather than disagreement. Congratulations to all our award winners! Your work to curb litter benefits every Alabama resident, and your example of selfless teamwork is an inspiration to many.

I especially want to thank Secretary of Law Enforcement Hal Taylor and Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources Chris Blankenship for attending the Governor’s Awards. Having two members of Gov. Kay Ivey’s cabinet participate in our annual event demonstrates her commitment to Alabama PALS’ mission. As we embark on 2023, I hope the Governor’s Awards will motivate each of us to argue less, agree more and look for opportunities to work together for our common good.

Thanks to Alabama PALS’ volunteers, much was accomplished in 2022. Tons of trash were collected, hundreds of students learned lessons about recycling, and communities were strengthened as neighbors joined forces to fight litter. But there’s still much yet to do. The tight labor market and lingering effects of the pandemic have curtailed state, county and municipal cleanup efforts. That makes Alabama PALS’ work even more important.

With trees and grass dormant and creepy critters less active, winter is a great time to engage others in cleanup efforts. Remember, we don’t have to agree on everything — just that litter stinks and we want to do something about it!

– Jeff

Message from John Cooper – Director, AL Dept. of Transportation

The partnership between the Alabama Department of Transportation and PALS is one that I am particularly proud of. It is a model for how state government can work with non-profit groups and volunteers to make our state better and more beautiful. With the end of 2022 coming to a close, I like to reflect on how communities, service groups and other organizations have helped ALDOT Keep Alabama Beautiful.

Litter poses a serious threat to Alabama’s natural beauty. Together, ALDOT and PALS are dedicated to removing hundreds of tons of litter from highways and natural areas annually with programs like Adopt-A-Mile, Adopt-A-Stream, Coastal Clean-up and Spring Clean-up. This effort helps keep our state beautiful and saves Alabama taxpayers millions of dollars in clean-up costs. This is only possible with the dedicated volunteers who work diligently to ensure our roadways are clean.

We owe Alabama the gift of keeping her clean and we all have the power to do it. It only takes a little effort. From keeping a small bag in your car for trash or volunteering an entire day to picking up litter from roadsides or streams, it’s important to set a good example for young people. On behalf of ALDOT, thank you for your commitment to Keeping Alabama Beautiful. Together, we are making a difference.

Several Montgomery County students recently heard the Clean Campus message and learned about how litter negatively impacts their community. Within a week of each other, I spoke at both Trinity Presbyterian School and Forest Avenue Academic Magnet School (FAAM). Trinity has participated in the program for several years, but this is Forest Avenue’s first year to participate.

Each year, the third-graders at Trinity participate in a “Market Day” assignment. The students collect “star bucks” throughout the semester, then have a market day where they bring items or goodies to sell and purchase using their star bucks. The third-grade teachers have encouraged the students to consider bringing items that are made from recycled materials from home such as Christmas ornaments made from old light bulbs or birdfeeders made from plastic bottles. On the day I visited, I presented the normal Clean Campus material but made a special emphasis on how to turn trash into treasure! The students all had some wonderful ideas and had a very successful market day!

The fourth-grade students at FAAM also heard the Clean Campus message, but their focus for my visit was to encourage the students to participate in our Clean Campus Annual Poster Contest. We talked all about littering, recycling and reusing, and then we spent some time talking about ideas for the poster contest and the wonderful prizes they could win. The next week, I picked up a stack of posters from their students and even had two winners come from the school! The fourth-graders also participated in a campus cleanup of their own with bags provided by Alabama PALS. Great job, FAAM Students!

We are so happy to have both Forest Avenue Academic Magnet School and Trinity Presbyterian School as participants in the Clean Campus Program! If a school near you would like to join or rejoin the program, have them visit www.alpals.org to learn more! They may also call or email to schedule a speaking session at (334) 263-7737 or [email protected]. Schools are always a great place to start with litter prevention and education. Alabama PALS programs are free to schools thanks to our state partnerships and corporate sponsors.

By Jamie Mitchell

Every spring, several counties throughout the state welcome fourth-grade students to participate in their local water festivals. I have had the opportunity to work with many of these counties to incorporate litter prevention and removal as a part of their curriculum. We discuss how pollution and litter travels along ditches and streams, eventually ending up in our beautiful lakes, bays, and gulf.

This year, Tallapoosa County added the litter curriculum to their water festival and invited me to come speak to the participating students. I was able to speak to two large groups on two different days at the Wind Creek State Park on Lake Martin. We had two beautiful days that were just perfect to be outside learning about water and being surrounded by the beauty of Lake Martin.

The students gathered around and listened while John Thompson with the Lake Martin Resource Association described various types of litter that typically are found around the lake. My presentation came after Mr. Thompson’s introduction where the students learned all about pollution and litter in water. We even had student helpers to conduct experiments showing the movement of pollution from one body of water to another by using food coloring and cups of water.

Water festivals are a great way to get students involved in litter prevention and cleanup! If you would like to add the anti-litter message to your local water festival or add anti-litter curriculum at your school, please visit www.alpals.org to learn more! You may also call or email to schedule a speaking session at (334) 263-7737 or [email protected]. Schools are always a great place to start with litter prevention and education through the Clean Campus Program. Alabama PALS programs are free to schools thanks to our state partnerships and corporate sponsors.

It is hard to imagine that the 2023 “Don’t Drop It On Alabama” Spring Cleanup is just a few months away. I trust that each of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s holiday and that 2023 will bring you and your families much happiness, fulfillment and joy.

Due to many requests to extend the Spring Cleanup through the month of April, PALS has designated the ENTIRE month of April for the 2023 Spring Cleanup. This will give cities, counties and volunteers the opportunity to designate the time needed to complete their respective cleanups.

We have begun the initial planning for the 2023 Spring Cleanup and wanted to update each of you about the dates for the shipping of materials for the cleanup. PALS is so very fortunate to have Coca-Cola United as our Title Sponsor again in 2023. Coca-Cola United and our other valued Sustaining Corporate Sponsors make the cleanup materials available to all Alabama counties, cities and communities a reality. These dedicated sponsors make all of the statewide PALS programs possible, so please be sure to take time to thank each of these sponsors for all that they continue to do to accomplish the goal of a clean and more beautiful Alabama.

Feel free to contact your respective County Commission Chairman or Engineer and thank them for their part in supporting the “Don’t Drop It On Alabama” Spring Cleanup each year. Also, take time to thank them for their willingness to pick up their respective county’s materials in Montgomery, as they did in 2022. The willingness of the Alabama Association of County Commissions to assist PALS in this distribution plays a huge role in PALS being able to meet the growing needs for each county. Each County Commission office will be contacted prior to the 2023 cleanup.

Also, on a very important note, PLEASE fill out the attached information sheet, complete with email address and return it to the PALS office at 340 North Hull Street, Montgomery AL 36104. We will be sending out e-newsletters with information for the 2023 Spring Cleanup, as well as using the PALS web page (alpals.org) and the PALS Facebook page (facebook.com/alabamapals) to send out information, as well as posting updated pictures and news relating to the 2023 statewide cleanup.

Important Facts for Counties Recycling Plastic Bottles

For 2023, PALS is offering cities, counties and volunteer groups the opportunity to recycle plastic (PET 1) soda bottles and aluminum soda cans. Recycling bags will be provided for those that will be participating. PALS is extremely excited about furthering the recycling effort into the 2023 Spring Cleanup. Please fill out the Information Form and indicate if you and your locality will be participating in the recycling effort during the 2023 cleanup.

Important Dates Relating to the 2023 Spring Cleanup

• January: PALS has Ordered all Spring Cleanup Materials
• January/February: All County/Group Contact Info to PALS Office
• March: Groups may order additional materials if needed and if AVAILABLE
• March 15: Materials and Supplies in Warehouse for Pick up and Shipping
• April 1: Groups may order additional materials if AVAILABLE
• April 2023: “Don’t Drop It On Alabama” Spring Cleanup Month
• May 30: All Report Forms Due in PALS Office

Materials Provided by PALS for 2023 Spring Cleanup

• Large Trash Bags with Corporate Sponsor Logos
• Recycling Bags for Counties and Groups Participating
• Spring Cleanup Ad Slicks
• Reporting Forms
• Window Decals
• New PALS Program Brochures
• Adopt A Mile brochures
• Clean Campus brochures

I would also like to encourage each of you and your groups to commit to adding new participants in the Adopt A Mile, Clean Campus and Adopt A Stream programs during this year’s cleanup. This is an excellent opportunity to involve additional numbers of groups and volunteers for the cleanup, as well as growing the active involvement in the mission of Alabama PALS. PALS is setting a goal of 50 new adopted miles during cleanup week. If you need additional brochures for any PALS program, please let us know and we will mail the brochures prior to the cleanup date. The program brochures can also be found at alpals.org.

Please let us know if we can assist you in any way in your planning for the 2023 Spring Cleanup. Thanks again for all that you and your groups do to further the goal of a clean and more beautiful Alabama. It is because of each of you that we can truly say “We Are Making A Difference.”

– Spencer Ryan, Executive Vice President, Alabama PALS