As a professional athlete, Dak Prescott understands small things can make a big difference.
So, it came as no surprise when, during a nationally televised football game, he was seen automatically placing his own trash into a receptacle. That small gesture spoke volumes to thousands of fans about Prescott’s character and his sense of personal responsibility, both on and off the field.
Now, Prescott will serve as the Honorary Champion for Keep Mississippi Beautiful’s upcoming Anti-Litter Campaign. The campaign will focus on keeping the highways and roadways litter-free and advancing the fight to End Littering in Mississippi.
“We are delighted to have Mr. Dak Prescott serving as Honorary Champion of this campaign,” said Sarah Kountouris, Executive Director for Keep Mississippi Beautiful. “Dak sets an example for not only our youth but for all Mississippians to put litter in the proper place. We believe his endorsement can positively influence the actions of others.”
The best leaders know that actions speak louder than words. “Don’t Litter… Can It, Mississippi!” is the key campaign message that KMB is using in the special anti-litter campaign to promoting personal responsibility and leadership.
“Pepsi and Dak have teamed up with Keep Mississippi Beautiful to raise awareness that it’s up to each of us to change our behavior,” said Shelley Brown Floyd, Chief Marketing Officer at Brown Bottling Group and President of the Mississippi Beverage Association. “Litter hurts our state’s image, is a drain on our resources and negatively impacts our quality of life, economic development, and jobs. Through Dak’s vivid example, we believe that this new campaign can make a positive difference.”
The image of Prescott, a graduate of Mississippi State University, will appear on outdoor billboards throughout the state for one year.
“Dak Prescott is a fine role model for our youth and young adults,” said Ron Aldridge, KMB Board of Directors and Executive Vice-President and General Counsel for the Mississippi Beverage Association. “As a great athlete, he understands that we each have duties to perform. Acceptance and ownership of those duties are necessary for the team’s success, and also for the good of the entire community and our state. By his example, Dak is challenging each of us to make a difference by making an effort to put litter where it belongs – in the trash can or recycled.”
Daily, on the nation’s roadways, thousands of people casually toss out litter, and that adds up to a big, costly problem for the nation with litter cleanup costing U.S. taxpayers billions each year.
In 2009, Keep America Beautiful did national visible litter survey and a litter cost study. The highlights of the survey are listed below:
- Visible litter on our nation’s roadways has decreased approximately 61% in the past 40 years
- Paper, metal, glass, and beverage container litter has decreased by 74.4% since the 1969 national study.
- However, the incidence of plastic items in the litter stream has increased over 165%. This reflects a 230% per capita increase in the use of plastic packaging over the past 40 years. This plastic has the ability to end up in storm drains and eventually into our waterways, causing significant harm to marine life or on land to wildlife.
“We attribute the dramatic decrease in litter to the education and ongoing clean-up efforts of Keep America Beautiful and their affiliates throughout the country. Plastic litter has increased by 165% since 1969. These changes in the packaging materials leave many opportunities for improvement,” said Kountouris.
Keep Mississippi Beautiful encourages Mississippians to be good stewards.
- Carry and use a car litter bag. When these are full, empty them into a trash and/or recycling receptacle.
- Use a car or portable ashtray to dispose of cigarette butts and lighting material.
- Do not throw any litter out of vehicle windows.
- Once the litter is on the ground, it attracts more litter.
“Everyone has a right to be proud of their community. A clean community helps preserve property values and economic development prospects. We want people to get into the habit of not littering, so doing the right thing becomes as automatic to them as it is to Dak. Start today. Can it, Mississippi!” concluded Kountouris.
