Introducing Yardley | Project Front Yard's First Anniversary

Project Front Yard is celebrating its first anniversary and held a press conference today to recap all the accomplishments so far, and announce all the awesome new initiatives for the coming year.

I've been a big fan and support of Project Front Yard from its early days, because it takes a full look at how to clean up Lafayette's physical landscape. As Mayor Joey Durel said this morning:

"It's not about a litter pickup, it's about cultural change. We all have to take ownership and do something. And as you can see today, the momentum is going too strong for us to stop now."



What can we expect to see from our neighborhood beautification, cleanliness and education project?
  • A brand-new storm drain awareness campaign.
  • More focus on the Bayou Vermilion District river app.
  • Embrace the Space program expansion.
  • A "Protect Your House" house numbering safety campaign, along with a new general PSA.
  • More painted electrical boxes at intersections all over Lafayette.
  • The second annual Project Front Yard awards.
  • YARDLEY! Project Front Yard's brand new spokesgnome.
  • Coloring and activity books featuring Yardley for children (and some adults, including myself.)
  • A Project Front Yard exhibit on display at the Lafayette Science Museum for the year.

Phew! What a jam-packed hour of announcements.


 

Cydra Wingerter, Katherine McCormick and Carlee Alm-Labar, the main Project Front Yard gurus, spoke about the accomplishments so far and gave a preview of what's to come, before a host of community members spoke on particular areas.


Artist Kelly Guidry was on hand to unveil the new spokesman, in conjunction with Right Angle Advertising. And you might remember Blake from his shining moment as the Project Front Yard logo during the Krewe of Rio parade earlier this year!

Yardley is watching to make sure we keep our front yards clean. After all, it IS his home.


Katherine and Gretchen Vanicor, my UL Office of Sustainability girl, unveil the new storm drain campaign. Gretchen and Kate Durio work with ReCover Acadiana, and are using the organization to print these decals and place them on city storm drains to remind us that what goes into the storm drains comes out in our waterways. Think twice before you toss your trash onto the sidewalk or road. Once rain washed trash into the drains, it starts affecting our water quality and wildlife.

And now Yardley is watching to make sure you don't litter our waterways!


Speaking of waterways, Eric Chapman with CGI spoke about their role in developing the Paddle Trail app over the past year, which provides information on waypoints along the Vermilion River for kayakers and other outdoorsy adventurers. Everything is accessible via mobile phone, but as Eric stated, CGI is not responsible for wet phones!


Yours truly shared updated on Keep Lafayette Beautiful and our litter index project, which ties in to a lot of work for both groups. The final results on Lafayette's index should be coming in the next few weeks!

As an inaugural Project Front Yard award winner, I was also excited to announce the second annual award ceremony, happening on September 30 at Iberia Bank downtown. I cannot wait to see who wins this year!

 
Fire Chief Robert Benoit and Randall Mann introduced the Protect Your House campaign, which focuses on the importance of having clearly marked and visible house numbers, so in the event fire, police or EMS needs to get to you, they can find you. 


Project Front Yard Iberia homegirl Shelley Duran makes an appearance in the newest general PSA, soon to grace your TV screens!
 

The Lafayette Science Museum downtown is now holding a Project Front Yard Exhibit for the next year, where you can explore the Bayou Vermilion river app, see a video on Amelie (the most adorable six-year-old treehugger you will ever find) meet Yardley, and learn a lot about the lifespan of litter. Quick quiz. How long does it take a baby diaper to biodegrade?
 
  


 


You can also pick up your own copy of the coloring and activity book! I now have my next rainy day plan.



Will you make the pledge to be a litter quitter??

To keep up with all of the PFY happenings, hop on over to their Facebook page.

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