Billboard Design Contest Winner for 2017 Announced

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The winning billboard design by Lily Woodring will be placed at two locations in Whitfield County during the month of November in celebration of America Recycles Day. The theme for her design is “I recycle! Do you?”. 

(Dalton, GA, October 24, 2017) – Valley Point Middle School 7th grader, Lily Woodring, is the overall winner of the 2017 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling at School. The winning design will be displayed on two billboards in Whitfield County (one on Glenwood Ave., and the other on E. Walnut Ave.) during the month of November.

 

Ms. Woodring’s design, which was chosen out of 106 entries, includes the phrase “I recycle! Do you?” one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is an illustration of the Earth surrounded by smiling bottles, cans, and paper holding hands with a girl. They’re joining together to make the Earthy happy by recycling which results in the conservation of natural resources.

 

The billboard design contest, now in its eighth year, has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade level including 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The nine winners, listed below, received a certificate of participation and a gift bag with items made from recycled materials. The first place overall, who is the winner of the billboard, was selected from the first-place design from each grade level.

 

6th grade:

  • 1st Place – Ruby Carrillo, Eastbrook Middle School
  • 2nd Place – Ismael Pimentel, Eastbrook Middle School
  • 3rd Place – Melanie Figueroa, Eastbrook Middle School

 

7th grade:

  • 1st Place and Overall Winner – Lily Woodring, Valley Point Middle School
  • 2nd Place – Ashlay Zamora, Valley Point Middle School
  • 3rd Place – Javier Ayabar, Valley Point Middle School

 

8th grade:

  • 1st Place – Rocio Arredondo, Eastbrook Middle School
  • 2nd Place – Yosdel Castañeda, Eastbrook Middle School
  • 3rd Place – Isaac Fraire, Eastbrook Middle School

 

Target Recycling at School provides recycling collection services and environmental education opportunities to schools in Whitfield County. For more information, call 706-278-5001 or visit www.DWSWA.org.

 

America Recycles Day is a community-driven event dedicated to promoting recycling awareness, commitment, and action in the U.S. thru its partnership with Keep America Beautiful. It’s celebrated annually on November 15. For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to #BeRecycled visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org. 

23rd Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-Up Next Saturday at 7 Locations

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River Cleanup Logo 2017.jpg

Whitfield County and Murray County residents are invited to participate in the 23rd Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up event on Saturday, October 28 to help keep local waterways clean at one of seven locations.

One of the largest local volunteer events in the community the annual Conasauga River Clean-up is hosted in partnership with several local non-profits, businesses, and environmental organizations during United Way’s Make a Difference Day.

Last year 290 volunteers picked up and removed more than 10,000 pounds of garbage from seven locations. “Volunteers that come out and participate are of all ages and walks of life so it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other people while doing a service for your community.” Said Amelia Atwell, an event participant.

One of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States, the Conasauga River supports 24 endangered species and a dozen other imperiled species, including the Southern Pigtoe mussel and the Conasauga logperch, a fish found nowhere else in the world.

This year’s event takes place concurrently from 9:00 am to noon at seven different sites across both Whitfield and Murray counties. Be a part of the tradition by volunteering at one of the following locations:

1. Conasauga River at Carlton Petty Road bridge

2. Conasauga River at Highway 2 bridge

3. Conasauga River at Lower King’s Bridge and Norton Bridge

4. Holly Creek, Murray County, on the Chattahoochee National Forest

5. Mill Creek tributary in the City of Dalton

6. Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill

7. Lakeshore Park in the City of Dalton

Participants are encouraged to arrive early for on-site registration. Volunteers can expect to spend a couple of hours in the morning picking up trash and, depending on the location, removing invasive plants like Chinese privet. Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, and long sleeve shirts. Gloves, and trash bags will be provided at each site. T-shirts with this year’s river cleanup logo will be available on a first come first serve basis.  

To learn more about the river cleanup call Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-278-5001 or visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org to download the event flyer with directions to each site. Join and share the event on Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.

Gretchen Lugthart, a long-time organizer of the event, stated “I think we have made some progress regarding people’s attitudes toward trash in this region, but until everyone respects our beautiful streams and rivers enough to dispose of trash properly, then we will have work to do.”

Event sponsors and organizers include: Shaw Industries, J+J Flooring Group, The Nature Conservancy, Rivers Alive, Dalton Utilities, United Way of Northwest Georgia, Dalton State College, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County Public Works, Conasauga River Alliance, Limestone Valley RC&D, US Forest Service, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Murray County and Whitfield County Extension, Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful, and Murray County Public Works.

2017 School Beautification Grant Winners

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(Dalton, GA, September 15, 2017) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the winners of the third annual School Beautification Grants for 2017. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening established the grant program in celebration of National Planting Day, which took place September 8 and is celebrated thru the end of November.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County were invited to apply for funding to implement a project related to planting native plants and beautifying the community. Each project aims to improve the visual aspects of the facility or provide an educational opportunity related to plants. Beautification grants range from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $250.

This year the following ten schools were awarded a grant for their National Planting Day project:

1.    Blue Ridge Elementary School: Bringing New Life to Our Garden

2.    Dalton Middle School: Pollinator Garden for Bird Sanctuary

3.    Park Creek School: STEAM Garden Georgia Style

4.    Dalton High School: Renovation Recovery!

5.    Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy and Phoenix High School: School Beautification

6.    Antioch Elementary School: Courtyard Beautification

7.    Morris Innovative High School: First Impressions

8.    Tunnel Hill Elementary: Recreating the LeVerne Damron Reading Garden

9.    Dalton Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology: Bringing the Beauty from Within to the Surface

10. Roan School: Garden Club Pollinator Project

 

Projects will be completed by December 1 and each recipient will submit a project summary by December 19 to showcase their work. Visit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s website www.KeepDaltonWhtifieldBeautiful.org or follow them on Facebook to get updates on the progress of these projects.  

National Planting Day is celebrated annually by Keep America Beautiful in the fall as an opportunity to encourage volunteers to plant native species restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. Learn more about this event at www.kab.org.

Closed for Labor Day - Landfill, Convenience Centers

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Four Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority facilities will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2017, in observance of Labor Day.

Locations include the

  • Old Dixie Landfill & Convenience Center,
  • McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center,
  • Westside Convenience Center, and the
  • M.L. King Convenience Center. 

 

All locations will reopen on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. 

For more information call the main office at 706-277-2545.

 

Labor Day Holiday Schedule:

 

Saturday, September 2, 2017 - All Locations Open - Normal Hours (7:00 am – 3:00 pm)

 

Monday, September 4, 2017 – All Locations Closed

 

Tuesday, September 5, 2017 – All Locations Open (7:00 am – 6:00 pm)  (Westside Normally Closed)

 

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 – Resume Normal Operating Days and Hours (McGaughey Chapel Closed)

America Recycles Day Billboard Contest Announced for Fall 2017

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The 8th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest is underway. Pictured is the winning design for 2016 designed by Madison Powell, an 8th grader from Valley Point Middle School.

The 8th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest is underway. Pictured is the winning design for 2016 designed by Madison Powell, an 8th grader from Valley Point Middle School.

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority is pleased to announce the 8th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Contest for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders attending public or private schools participating in the Target Recycling at School program in Whitfield County. 

 

Students are invited to design a billboard in keeping with the spirit of America Recycles Day, which is celebrated yearly on November 15. The top design out of the three grade levels will be displayed during the month of November on two billboards in Whitfield County.

 

Schools in Whitfield County eligible to participate include Eastbrook Middle, New Hope Middle, North Whitfield Middle, Valley Point Middle, Westside Middle, Dalton Middle, Northstar School, Crossroads Academy, Christian Heritage School, and Learning Tree School.

 

During the 2016 contest, Valley Point Middle School 8th grader, Madison Powell, won first place overall. Her design, chosen out of 91entries includes the phrase “I want to be recycled” which was one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is eye catching and very colorful showing an aluminum can that is dreaming of being recycled into a rocket ship traveling in outer space.

(See previous winning billboard designs here.)

 

Themes for this year are, “I recycle! Do you?” and “I recycle with Recycling Ben!” First, second, and third place prizes will be given in each of the three grade levels. The grand prize is chosen from the three first place winners. 

 

The Contest Guide with two versions of the official entry form can be downloaded at www.DWSWA.org. The deadline for entries is October 16, 2017. There is no entry fee, however, an official entry form needs to be included with the artwork. Only artwork submitted directly from a school representative will be accepted. Winners will be announced on October 23. 

 

For more information contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001 or e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org. To learn more about America Recycles Day visit www.americarecyclesday.org.