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The community is invited to be part of the solution of eliminating roadside trash for good! Yarmouth, MA - CARE (Creating A Responsible Environment) for the Cape & Islands, Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition & Center for Coastal Studies will be hosting their bi-annual summit at the Heritage Museum and Gardens, 67 Grove St, Sandwich, on November 3rd from 8:30am - 1:00pm and extends an invitation to the community to attend this solutions focused event to discuss an issue that impacts us all. Deadline for registration is October 21st and the cost is $30 including lunch. The summit will present two panels of speakers bringing together local, county, and state officials, businesses and nonprofits, all of whom have one goal: reduce litter! The challenge of litter prevention is complex and requires a collaborative approach from all organizations involved, as well as the involvement of caring residents who want to see their home protected from the devastating impacts of litter. The first panel includes speakers from Cape Cod Canal Chamber, Nauset Disposal, Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition, MA State Police, and Town of Sandwich who will present the extent of the problem and the resulting impacts of roadside trash. In addition, well-known litter expert, Laura Ludwig from the Center for Coastal Studies, will discuss the harmful impacts of litter on marine life and habitats. Understanding the challenges and impacts of litter helps attendees determine where they can contribute to solutions. The second panel discusses viable solutions to how we might begin to stem the tide of litter here on the Cape and beyond. Alan Andrade, Deputy District Highway Director for MassDOT, will share current MassDOT initiatives to help reduce the likelihood of litter entering our water bodies. Sen. Susan Moran and Rep. Dylan Fernandes will provide insight to the steps that can be taken by our elected officials to facilitate a multi-level resolution of this ugly littering issue. Litter Free Falmouth, Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District, Cape Cod Commission, Keep Massachusetts Beautiful, and CARE’s Executive Director, Jill Talladay, will all share tools, strategies, and ideas for a collaborative solutions focused effort to prevent the litter problem that plagues the Cape and its surrounding waters. “Keeping litter out of our communities not only benefits our environment and saves wildlife, but also improves public health and safety,” said Rep. Fernandes. “I’m thrilled to join Senator Moran, the Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition, and other local leaders at the Take Care Summit this November to spread awareness for and promote actions that keep our streets litter-free.” Roadside trash is everyone’s business that has implications to our economy. It impacts us all, and requires all of us to work together to create and enact solutions. The help of locals is critical. We hope you’ll join us. ABOUT TAKE CARE CAPE COD Take Care is a messaging campaign that originated in Lake Tahoe and was introduced in 2019 to Cape Cod by CARE for the Cape & Islands. The messages are simple, eye-catching and humorous to encourage stewardship. For example, messages encourage proper disposal of dog waste, cigarette butts and general litter. Earlier this summer it introduced the three ARRR’s campaign using a friendly pirate that asks people to Reduce Reuse Recycle in order to reduce waste. ABOUT CARE FOR THE CAPE & ISLANDS CARE for the Cape & Island mission is to inspire stewardship to preserve and protect the natural environment, cultural and historical treasures of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Since 2012, CARE has ? Activated 4,200+ volunteer hours (delivering $100k of value to the community) to clean up and improve community infrastructure. ? Funded 50+ projects, including water filling stations, cigarette butt collectors, historical trail development and other amenities that benefit all of us. ? Spearheaded the Take Care Cape Cod campaign and bi-annual summits that have brought together more than 70 like-minded organizations to educate, inspire and boost our collective impact and to address challenges of solid waste and plastic pollution that impacts our land and marine environments. Learn more at https://careforthecapeandislands.org/ and https://takecarecapecod.org/