OAKLAND, Calif., April 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "As part of the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Great American Cleanup(TM) campaign, Keep Oakland Beautiful (KOB) and Keep Los Angeles Beautiful (KLAB) have been selected to be the spotlight communities in California for the first-ever 'National Day of Action,' held on Saturday, April 28," said Christine Flowers, Executive Director, Keep California Beautiful (KCB).

In Oakland, 500 volunteers, KOB, the Oakland Parks Coalition and the Oakland Landscape Committee were out in force to "spring clean" some of the city's most blighted areas in Mayor Quan's "100 blocks," including the Bancroft Median, Verdese Carter Park and PRIDE Elementary School. In addition, KOB and its community partners built raised planter beds for residents to grow food at Verdese Carter Park and planted 20 fruit and ornamental trees at East Oakland PRIDE Elementary School. Waste Management supported the effort and presented a $5,000 check to KOB as well as donating 20 yards of WM EarthCare organic products to support the cleanup and planting efforts.

The Oakland volunteers were joined by Oakland Mayor Jean Quan; City Councilmember Larry Reid; Chris Waters, Board Chair of KOB; Christine Flowers, Executive Director, KCB; Leonard Robinson, Board President KCB; Matt McKenna, president and CEO of KAB; and David Tucker, Waste Management of Alameda County, Director of Government Relations and Community Affairs. "Waste Management is pleased to support Keep Oakland Beautiful with a Think Green grant of $5,000. Oakland is a cleaner, safer place for people to live and work, thanks to the efforts of KOB, volunteers and donors," said Tucker.

In Los Angeles, KLAB teamed up with the Friends of the LA River (FoLAR) to engage with 4,000 volunteers in a litter cleanup at multiple sites. In addition they kicked-off the promotion of the campaign with KCB and the County of Los Angeles at LA Live on Earth Day.

"Today's efforts in Oakland and Los Angeles demonstrate that Californians continue to show national leadership in community action and individual engagement that result in clean, green living," said Leonard Robinson, Board President of Keep California Beautiful.

Keep California Beautiful, Inc. is an environmental education non-profit 501c (3) whose mission is to work together to ignite individuals, state and local governments, communities, and corporate responsibility through strategic initiatives and volunteer action to preserve and protect California's beautiful natural resources for generations to come. As the State Affiliate of KAB, KCB forms public/private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For additional information, visit

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