R93-142 AUTHORIZING FILING OF APPLICATION - CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL

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. • ' • • ' Macon County in Central Illinois is made up of 11 villages and cities of contrasting beauty, from rolling green parks to scenic lakeshore to rich farmland to industrial skylines. It is diverse and friendly, and exudes a Midwestern hometown charm. The county has a population of 125,000. The largest city and the county seat is Decatur, population 83,000 and covers 42 square miles. The county is predominately rural but major industry in Decatur is varied. Decatur's industrial growth was propelled by the creation of Lake Decatur in the early 20th century. Today the city is home to a number of Fortune 500 compa- nies, including two of the world's largest agricultural processors. The business community in Macon County has a vested interest in our environment and supports CCS in all projects. CCS has been looking out for the environment Macon County for the past ten years. In 1981, the Metro. Decatur Chamber of Commerce and the Decatur Herald and Review sponsored CCS in conjunc- tion with Keep America Beautiful, Inc. At a time of great unemployment and economic uncertainty, the leaders saw the economic advantages that would stem from a clean, healthy, and well-informed commu- nity. New business is drawn to this beautiful community and local industries are happy to bring visitors to the county. The Clean Community System was made possible by contributions from local organiza- tions, businesses, and governmental bodies. Currently the Decatur Area Convention and Visitors Bureau provides office space, office equipment use, and advise about the community to CCS at a very small fee. All villages and cities in Macon County have participated in our environmental projects. Many have recycling centers or curbside recycling. All are concerned with the quality of their environment. Decatur has 16 active inner-city groups within the 60 neighborhoods throughout the city. The volunteer groups are committed to creating a better quality of life, improving the health and well-being of their neighborhoods and residents. Each group has supported and volunteered for CCS projects. All the work CCS does is through concerned, committed residents...only through their involvement can we help our environment. Decatur is also home to Millikin University and Richland Community College. There are 64 county schools including the private and parochial systems. Education is important to our community and to our organization. Many programs are for children and many are for their parents as well. We have seen that the children teach their peers as well as their parents. The high schools and colleges provide won- derful role models and mentors to the younger children for many of our programs. ', The Clean Community System now includes many other environmental projects in addition to litter pre- I vention and beautification. Current emphasis is on education in the area of solid waste management. Recently two of three non-hazardous landfills were closed in Macon County. Community environmen- tal education is no luxury. We must be a well educated community to make the necessary decisions that will affect us within the next 5 to 10 years. A new landfill must be sited, recycling must continue, land- fill diversion must increase, new industry must develop to take advantage of these concern5 and oppor- tunities. CCS must inspire the community to create and embrace solutions. The following projects give a simple description, timetable and budget. Budgets do not include volun- teer time or contributions in kind. page 6