‘Love the Boot Week’ begins this week in Abbeville

On April 17-23 Keep Abbeville Beautiful will spend the week cleaning around the city focusing on the watershed as part of Love the Boot Week, Louisiana’s largest litter cleanup effort held in conjunction with Earth Week, April 17-23, 2023. Love the Boot Week is organized by Keep Louisiana Beautiful and supported by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
The City of Abbeville has a total area of 5.7 square miles. The Vermilion River runs through downtown, and several canals and coulees run through other parts of Abbeville. Keep Abbeville Beautiful has as a goal to not only address litter issues but to stress watershed concerns.

Charlene Beckett, the Keep Abbeville Director, said, “We’ve all seen it: paper, aluminum cans on a sidewalk, plastic wrappers, unwanted food, tons of cigarette butts, diapers and more, on the side of the road. When it rains that goes into our ditches or the storm drains which get clogged and can cause flooding. What does not stay trapped washes directly into the Vermilion River or into the coulees.
She added, “This not only hurts our wildlife but effects the recreational experience we so love in this community. Another serious drain offender is blowing your leaves or grass into the street which also causes flooding. It all adds up. It all comes back. And we are the solution! Be the difference! Keep Louisiana Beautiful! Keep Abbeville Beautiful! Let Louisiana Shine!”
“We see these efforts by Keep Abbeville Beautiful members, Abbeville Garden Club, and citizen volunteers make a difference. It is just not sustainable until we all take responsibility into where our litter and household items get placed,” said Charlene Beckett

Litter is not a new problem for Louisiana’s 64 parishes. For decades, litter has become increasingly detrimental to our communities, leading to a multitude of repercussions such as:

• Blight on natural areas, cities, towns, roadways, and waterways
• Death of wildlife due to polluted habitats
• Decline in quality of life in neighborhoods
• A negative impact on economic development, infrastructure, and tourism
• Flooding caused by storm drains clogged with litter and debris

Despite spending over $40 million in litter abatement each year, Louisiana is still experiencing shocking levels of litter statewide.
“Sportsman’s Paradise won’t be litter-free overnight, but by coming together during Love the Boot Week, we can bring awareness to the issue and take steps toward achieving a more beautiful Louisiana,” says Susan Russell, Executive Director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful.
Following the conclusion of Love the Boot Week, Keep Louisiana Beautiful will release an outcomes report summarizing the collective impact of the registered cleanup and beautification events. This report will include the total number of events, volunteers, bags of trash collected, pounds of trash collected, and other relevant statistics.
Volunteers can register for ditch cleanup event at www.lovetheboot.org. Questions about this specific event should be directed to the event organizer, Charlene Beckett, KAB Director at 337-652-2239 at abbevillemainstreet@cityofabbeville.net.
Love the Boot Week is made possible by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Coca-Cola, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
For more information about Love the Boot Week, visit www.lovetheboot.org. or contact info@keeplouisianabeautiful.org.

Keep Abbeville Beautiful
Keep Abbeville Beautiful will address litter reduction, beautification and community awareness. Promote the public interest in the maintenance of a clean and beautiful environment through ongoing education efforts.

About Keep Louisiana Beautiful
Keep Louisiana Beautiful is an anti‐litter and community improvement non-profit organization focused on achieving a clean and beautiful Louisiana through education, enforcement, public awareness, and community engagement. Keep Louisiana Beautiful is affiliated with Keep America Beautiful and comprised of a statewide network of 40 Community Affiliates and seven University Affiliates. Learn more at www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org.