November 22, 2005

Contact: Charles G. Sturcken (718) 595-6600

New York City DEP Distributes Environmental Favors to Thanksgiving Day Parade Watchers

Commissioner Emily Lloyd announced that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with the support of it’s environmental partners, the New York City Departments of Parks and Sanitation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will be visiting the Thanksgiving Day parade route and distributing small “green” gifts to New Yorkers and visitors to help welcome in the Holiday Season.

Commissioner Lloyd said, “This is the most joyous season, and we are adding our City’s contribution to the spirit of the Holidays, and to spread the word that we need to protect our natural resources.”

DEP representatives will be handing out gift bags with a “Please Don’t Litter” logo and a Sponge Bob sponge that carries a water conservation message.

“We want to give thanks for all our good fortune and for our precious earthly goods as well, “continued Commissioner Lloyd. “Every year we announce a CLEAN STREETS =  CLEAN BEACHES anti-litter campaign in cooperation with our Agency partners.   We communicate the important information to the public about how litter disposed of on sidewalks and into the street, travels down into catch basins and is swept up on our harbor shores. Not only do we need to conserve our most precious resource, drinking water, but we must keep our local waterways clean for recreational use as well as for the health and vitality of our local wildlife.”