Students Working Against Tobacco and Tobacco Free Polk’s Annual Park Cleanup Initiative

Provider staff, tobacco-free partnership members, Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) members, and parents came together to take part in Ocean Conservancy’s International Cleanup Initiative which also aligned with Tobacco Free Florida’s Parks and Beaches education month. Tobacco Free Polk (TFP), SWAT, and providers hosted the cleanup at Lion's Park, on the shoreline of Lake Alfred. This activity was selected because it provided an important opportunity to reconnect with Lake Alfred’s Parks and Rec Department, engage parents and community members, and gather information about the environment of Lake Alfred. Additionally, the presence out in the community helps to garner community support, government support, and creates unique talking points which will prove to be important as SWAT and Partnership plan to meet with the city Commissioners next quarter to discuss adopting a smokefree parks policy.

The Director of Parks and Recreation for Lake Alfred requested we target this park as they had an event coming up and said our help to clean the park would be greatly appreciated. This opportunity allowed SWAT Youth to visit the park and see firsthand the ways that a smokefree policy would benefit this park and its boat ramp and as a result, its residents as well. Attendees were provided educational materials about the dangers of tobacco litter in our parks and were engaged in conversations and play. Following the cleanup, volunteers weighed their collected trash, which came out to 24.3lbs. The majority of the littered items included bottle caps and cigarette butts. This cleanup was tracked and monitored using the Clean Swell App. SWAT Club Members took turns reading the Tobacco Free Spaces Rack Card aloud to educate themselves and their peers about the benefits of hosting park cleanups. As a result of the activity, providers, the tobacco free partnership, and SWAT will begin to gather information to support upcoming policy advocacy toward the officials of Lake Alfred.