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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
2015 KEEP CHICAGO BEAUTIFUL AWARDS
WHEREAS, in 1987, as part of the budding movement to address issues of sustainability, several companies including American National Can, Anheuser-Busch, Canfield’s, Coca-Cola, International Sanitary Supply Association, Miller Brewing Company, Pepsi-Cola, 7UP, Waste Management and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company came together to form Chicago Clean and Beautiful which would be the Chicago-area affiliate of Keep America Beautiful; and
WHEREAS, in 1988 the name of the organization was changed to Chicago Clean Streak with a goal of providing environmental education and community awareness with the help of funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and the Chicago Community Trust; and
WHEREAS, Chicago Clean Streak provided the guidance on how community groups could improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods through clean-ups and graffiti removal, and it created the first guide to recycling at city festivals; and in 1996, the name of the organization was changed to Keep Chicago Beautiful; and
WHEREAS, from those humble beginnings inspired by the vision of its founders, Keep Chicago Beautiful has remained true to its mission of emphasizing education, community awareness, and working cooperatively to make Chicago a more healthy, prosperous, and beautiful place to live; and
WHEREAS, over the course of its 28 years as an organization, Keep Chicago Beautiful has provided thousands of public and parochial school teachers with the tools and resources they need to educate their students on the benefits of litter prevention, waste reduction, community greening, and recycling; and
WHEREAS, Keep Chicago Beautiful has been instrumental in launching effective recycling programs at popular neighborhood festivals throughout Chicago, thereby diverting tons of waste that would otherwise be destined for landfills; and
WHEREAS, over the years and throughout many changes, Keep Chicago Beautiful has proven itself as a highly respected and effective community organization, dedicated to its principles, faithful to its vision, and greatly valued for its positive impact on the environment; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County does hereby thank the staff and volunteers of Keep Chicago Beautiful, and offers our gratitude to its corporate partners for their generous support of the ongoing work to make Chicago one of the cleanest and greenest cities in the world; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County does hereby acknowledge the outstanding contributions of MRC Polymers, winner of the 2015 Corporate Vision Award, Method Products, PBC and Testa Produce, Inc., winners of the 2015 Sustainability Awards, Ronald McDonald House Charities, winner of the 2015 Community Vision Award, and Garfield Park Conservatory, winner of the 2015 Cultural Restoration Vision Award; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the Official Proceedings of this Honorable Body, and a suitable copy of same be tendered to Joyce Kagan Charmatz, President of Keep Chicago Beautiful, in commemoration of this occasion and in sincere appreciation of the important work done by Keep Chicago Beautiful in the effort to protect and preserve our environment. end