Call it giving back. Call it helping out the environment. Call it enlightened self interest. But also call it a really good idea.
That’s the Mayor’s Beautification Program that enlists businesses to help spiff up parts of the city through civic adoption projects. Currently 40 companies participate by signing a one-year contract to keep a designated public area — from shorelines and parks to median strips — looking good. That can range from picking up litter to picking up a paint brush.
Company employees are deployed quarterly. In their wake, they leave behind a cleaner public area and a company sign that amounts to free advertising in a high-visibility venue. They also leave behind a reminder that we’re all stakeholders. It’s everybody’s public areas.