# Presentation: 382939

## Alice Ferguson FoundationExperience, Education & Action

- Presentation to theSustainable Water Resources Roundtable**April 25, 2006**

## Trash Free Potomac Initiative

- Background of AFF and Potomac Cleanup
- Getting Beyond Cleanups – Overview of Initiative
- How SWRR Can Help!

_**Presentation Overview**_

**Where is the Alice Ferguson Foundation?**

- Hard Bargain Farm – 330-acre education facility along the Potomac
- Ten-miles south of Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Accokeek, Maryland – PG County

## Alice Ferguson Foundation – a regional treasure

- Alice and Henry Ferguson purchased Hard Bargain Farm in 1922
- Nonprofit chartered in 1954 as an education organization.
- AFF mission is to *provide experiences that encourage connections between people, the natural environment, farming and the cultural heritage of the Potomac River Watershed - that lead to personal environmental responsibility*

## Education Programs

**Education Programs**

## Potomac River Watershed Cleanup

- The cleanup began in 1989 when the Alice Ferguson Foundation wanted to clean the Hard Bargain Farm and the Piscataway Park shoreline.

## Why AFF Cares About Trash

- Potomac Shoreline at Hard Bargain Farm

## Potomac Watershed

## Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanups

- 1,240 Tons (2,480,000 lbs.) of trash
- 36,000 Volunteers
- Hundreds of Partners in four states & DC

**17 Year Grand Total**
***1989 to 2005***

## Cleanup Grows & Expands Each Year

## After 18 Years of Cleanups...

- We Want a Trash Free Potomac!

- We want out of the Trash Business!
- Let’s get to the source!

## 
How Do We Get to a 
Trash Free Potomac
by 2013? 

**How Do We Get to a **
**Trash Free Potomac**
**by 2013? **

- Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative

## Adopt a Successful Model

## Anti-Smoking – A Multifaceted Approach

- Public Education & Awareness
- Research
- Legislation & 	Enforcement
- Economic Incentives & 	Disincentives

## Trash Free Potomac Framework

**Alice Ferguson Foundation**

**5 Action Committees**

## Advisory Council

- Congressman Chris Van Hollen signing  Trash Treaty – February 2006

**Chaired by the Honorable Chris Van Hollen**
**2 Congressman serving Anacostia River**
**2 federal agencies focused on the Anacostia**
**3 Chiefs of Staff to DC/PG and Montgomery**
**Funder – Chesapeake Bay Trust Director**
**COG Environmental Programs Director**
**AWS - Robert Boone**
**Media – WTOP General Manager**

**High profile leaders driving the effort **

## Potomac Watershed Trash Treaty

- 23 elected officials have currently signed (Federal, State and Local)
- Representing 16 major jurisdictions in Metropolitan Area

- Frederick County Supervisors sign   Trash Treaty  - March 2006

## 1st Annual Trash Summit

**Hosted by The World Bank**
**March 16, 2006**

## 265 participants  
Federal, state & local leaders 
Business leaders
Non-profit leaders 
Media 
Concerned citizens 
Students

- Federal, state & local leaders
- Business leaders
- Non-profit leaders
- Media
- Concerned citizens
- Students

- 1st Annual Trash Summit

## 1st Annual Trash Summit

- 16 elected officials committed to the
**2006 Action Agreement!**

## 2006 Action Agreement

_**Highlights**_**:**
- Map trash “hot-spots”
- Trash Indicators & Monitoring
- Regional public education campaign
- Regional policies to address illegal dumping & enforcement

- Judith Davis, Mayor of Greenbelt, MD signs the 2006 Action Agreement

## 18th Potomac Watershed Cleanup

- 18th Potomac Watershed Cleanup

- 4,000 + volunteers
- 145 + tons of trash
- 73,000 + recyclable containers
- Top brands reported:
**Budweiser/Bud lite**
**7-11**
**Coca-Cola**
**McDonalds **
**Pepsi**

- Congressman Steny Hoyer pitches in at the 18th Potomac Watershed Cleanup, April 8, 2006!

## Bringing Attention to Trash!

## Partners Taking Action

**Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments**
- Trash Questionnaire
- 1-800-Trash Hotline to report dumping
**2 Companies – LMI and Strategic Analysis**
- Professional scientists support data analysis
- Trash flows simulation model

## Governments Taking Action

**District of Columbia** – Listing the Anacostia River as “Impaired” for trash
**State of Maryland** – Considering listing the Anacostia as “Impaired” for trash

## We Have Made Progress!

- 1) Acknowledgment that trash is an issue!

- 2) Created framework for multi-jurisdictional collaboration!

- 3) Garnered Political Will!

- 4) Developed process for accountability!

- 5) Engaged thousands in Citizen Action!

- 6) Brought Greater Awareness!

- 7) Creative Partnering and Leveraging of Resources!

## Opportunities Ahead

**Enlist Citizens and Businesses**

**Actions:**
- Create infrastructure to capture and engage citizens
- Collaborate with businesses on public education

## Opportunities Ahead

**Regional Public Education Campaign**

**Actions:**
- Target audiences and develop messages and methods
- Incorporate innovative communication techniques – “viral marketing”
- Leverage resources of region to support effort

## Opportunities Ahead

**Actions:**** **** **
- Facilitate collaboration among key departments
- Implement unified policies

**Unified Regional Public Policy        and Practice**

## Opportunities Ahead

**Economics of Trash & Recycling**

**Actions:**
- Examine real cost of trash and recycling
- Economic-based Models of trash reduction strategies
- Use business plan framework

## Opportunities Ahead

**Research – Applied Data & Analysis **

**Actions:**
- Gather key data and research
- Develop framework and models for analysis –
-      including simulation model
- Incorporate cost benefit analysis

## Opportunities Ahead

**Improved Water Quality through Trash!**

**Consider what happened in Los Angeles:**
- Public overwhelmingly supported passage of Proposition O in Nov. 2004
- Resulted in issuance of $500 million bond to fund removal of trash from storm water – *in addition to other water quality measures*

## Immediate Possibility

**SWRR collaborates with TFPWI to develop & report on Trash Indicators for Potomac Watershed as national pilot!**

- Identify and develop manageable number of indicators for trash – start with three indicators
- SWRR coordinates annual report on the trash data

## We are Ready for Your Help!

## ...with many opportunities ahead