Don’t Trash Arizona! Awarded PRSA’s Silver Anvil Award of Excellence
Anti-Litter Campaign Earns National Recognition for Innovation and Creativity
NEW YORK (June 16, 2009) — Don’t Trash Arizona, an anti-litter campaign conducted jointly by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), has received a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The Award of Excellence, which recognizes outstanding strategic public relations planning and implementation, was presented to the agencies during the Silver Anvil Awards Evening held June 4 in New York City. Also recognized for the campaign was RIESTER, which assists MAG in the implementation of the campaign.
MAG and ADOT received the 2009 Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for the anti-litter campaign in the Public Service category. According to a recent survey, the first two years of the campaign have delivered a 29 percent increase in awareness of the litter problem as well as a 22 percent decrease (among admitted offenders) in littering while driving. ADOT also reports a 66 percent reduction in litter complaints since the campaign was implemented in 2006.
“The Award of Excellence recognizes top public relations programs in our industry,” said James J. Roop, 2009 Silver Anvil Committee chair and president of Roop & Co., Cleveland, Ohio. “To receive an Award of Excellence, programs must be of Silver Anvil caliber and represent some of the finest strategic and creative thinking in our profession.”
MAG Chair Peggy Neely, a councilwoman from Phoenix, said it is encouraging that the program is receiving national recognition. “Our region spends more than $3 million a year to clean up more than a million pounds of litter off our regional freeways every year,” says Neely. “We believe that the Don’t Trash Arizona program serves as an important reminder to residents to take pride in our state and dispose of trash properly. The fact that the campaign is held up as a national best practice underscores that we are addressing the problem strategically and that we are making a difference in our regional quality of life,” she said.
The Silver Anvil Awards program has grown in scope and stature since its inception in 1946, and awards are now given in 59 categories and subcategories. To date, more than 1,200 organizations have received Silver Anvils for excellence in strategic public relations planning and implementation.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and 10 Districts nationwide, and 20 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 302 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.
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