Wrangell High School cheerleaders helped SEARHC Health Educator Tammi Meissner pick up cigarette butts around Wrangell. The cigarette pick up was meant to help clean up the town, and also to support Alaska's new law requiring smoke-free workplaces. Pictured (left to right) are Aria Chase, Danika Smith, Coach Stephanie Cartwright, Mercedes Morgan, and Savannah Smith.
Several high school cheerleaders and their coach, Stephanie Cartwright, helped SEARHC Health Educator Tammi Meissner clean cigarette butts off of Front Street last week for the Great American Smokeout. The Smokeout is an annual event in November organized by the American Cancer Society, meant to showcase the dangers of smoking and encourage people to quit. The cheerleaders went down Front Street picking up cigarette butts, collecting about six pounds according to Meissner.
"It took us about an hour and a half, an hour and forty-five minutes to pick all those up," she said.
Meissner pointed out that they cleaned up only one street of cigarette butts, they did not go into alleyways or other parts of town. She also added that they all had protective gear on, as cigarette butts are toxic. The cheerleaders helped Meissner with the cleanup project as part of their community service, which is required to participate in high school sports. Meissner said she was grateful for their help.
According to the CDC, approximately 40 million Americans smoke cigarettes. In Alaska, according to data from 2016, about 19 percent of the population smokes. A new law was passed by the state government this July, prohibiting smoking in workplaces and enclosed public places. More information about Alaska's smokefree workplace law can be found at http://www.smokefree.alaska.gov. Meissner will put a display together on the dangers of smoking, which will include the cigarette butts they picked up, in the coming weeks. More information on the risks of smoking can be found at http://www.cdc.gov.
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