New Brunswick, NJ, April 22, 2014— Students from Paul Robeson, Lincoln, McKinley and Woodrow Wilson Schools fought litter with action in honor of Earth Day. Unitex, a regional healthcare laundry industry business with locations throughout the Northeast (including New Brunswick), partnered with the City of New Brunswick to sponsor “Sweep Up Day.” Students were challenged to “Sweep Up” residential areas of the city, disposing of litter in an environmentally friendly manner. After, the kids were treated to a party sponsored by Unitex, where they enjoyed pizza and a magic show. They also learned more about recycling, and shared stories of how important recycling was in their lives.
“It’s important for students to learn not just how to recycle, but why it’s important,” said Seth Gershman, Communications and Marketing Manager for Unitex, “Unitex takes an active role in education and we want the students to learn how to identify recyclable materials as well as how to sort them. It is also crucial to help them understand the best ways to eliminate litter.
“Don’t do it in the first place” is what the students cheered when prompted on what they had learned that day.
Students showed their communities that fighting pollution is a team effort. Working along with their teachers, principals, city employees and Unitex volunteers, they cleared residential areas of debris.
As the students cleaned up the sidewalks, local residents came out to cheer them on. “Thank you for doing this!” one woman said to McKinley students as they cleared the sidewalk in front of her house. Other residents commented on how “wonderful” it was to see the effort being put into making their local community green.
The collected garbage was weighed and Unitex awarded cleaning-themed prizes based on what the schools collected—from the most garbage to the weirdest items. Students from each school talked about the hard work they did and their unusual items, which included broken chicken statues, a working mechanical skeleton hand and much more. The party continued with games for the kids and an awards ceremony. Unitex received a Certificate of Appreciation for their dedication to making New Brunswick a more eco-friendly city.
Students shared their feelings about how seeing litter made them feel after today. Mad, upset, hurt and sad were some of the feelings they conveyed, but after learning to conserve, reuse, and recycle, most expressed that they were excited and happy that they could make a difference.
Committed to giving back to the community, Unitex planned other Earth Day school events throughout the Northeast during the week of April 21st.
About Unitex Textile Rental Services
Headquartered in Mount Vernon, NY, Unitex Textile Rental Services currently operates eleven laundry processing facilities and one garment warehouse throughout the Northeast. With locations in Newburgh, Mount Vernon and Middletown, NY, Hartford, South Windsor and Middlebury, CT, and Perth Amboy and New Brunswick, NJ Unitex is able to efficiently service all of the hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, imaging centers, professional offices as well as specialized operating needs of their acute care facilities. For more than 90 years, Unitex has focused solely on their core business – providing and laundering comfortable, high-quality medical/patient care apparel and linen. Visit: https://www.unitex.com
Contact:
Seth Gershman
Unitex
sgershman@unitex.com
Lisa Miller
GMLV
201-532-0312 or lmiller@gmlv.co