Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Clinton, Mayor Villaraigosa Kick-Off Great American Cleanup in Los Angeles

Effort is nation's largest community improvement program

LOS ANGELES -- Hillary Clinton joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, local officials and community leaders Saturday morning to launch a major national community improvement campaign.

Kicking-off the 2007 Great American Cleanup on the steps of City Hall, Clinton urged a large and enthusiastic crowd of local citizens and community activists to take pride in cleaning up their neighborhoods and preserving our environment.

"I know that if we all work together we will have a cleaner and greener and more beautiful environment," Clinton said Saturday after releasing her energy plan this week. "It's not just government that needs to lead. All of us have to make decisions about how we clean up our environment and how we begin to plan for a different energy future."

After the rally, volunteers fanned out to neighborhoods across Los Angeles to plant trees, remove graffiti and debris and clean up downtown areas near senior homes and community centers.

A project of Keep America Beautiful, this year's Great American Cleanup activities are expected to involve more than 2 million people, volunteering in 30,000 events that touch all 50 states. Activities will include beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, handling recycling collections, removing graffiti, picking up litter and removing scrap tires, planting trees and flowers, remediation of illegal dump sites, and conducting educational programs and events.

For more information, visit www.kab.org.