Citizens of Kelowna are invited to join the Downtown Kelowna Association in their celebration of Earth Day as they grab butts on Wednesday, April 22nd.
Downtown Kelowna will lead the Downtown Butt Grab campaign, which is aimed at reducing harmful cigarette waste and facilitating a healthier community by minimizing tobacco related litter.
“To celebrate Earth Day, the Downtown Kelowna Association decided to hit the streets to pick up butts,” said DKA Executive Director Peggy Athans. “Our Clean Team does this every day and it’s unfortunate that people think it is appropriate to discard their butts by throwing them on the ground for someone else to pick up. We hope to educate people on how harmful it is to do this and to change the mindset of why this is an acceptable practice.”
Cigarette waste is a primary polluter in our community. According to the Surfrider Foundation, an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are disposed of in our environment worldwide on an annual basis.
The real trouble is that cigarette butts never fully decompose and are often littered on sidewalks and streets. The butts leach toxins that are poisonous to wildlife and contaminate our water source.
More than six million Canadians are expected to participate in Earth Day events and projects on Wednesday, and along with the Downtown Kelowna Association, you can help to preserve our delicate environment one butt at a time.
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