National Park College’s (NPC) Recycling and Sustainability Committee coordinated a
clean-up of Mountain Pine Highway, as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program last week.
Seven volunteers from NPC spent their Saturday morning picking up litter along the
one-mile stretch of road that NPC adopted in 2021. The volunteers, who included students,
faculty, and staff, filled 16 bags of trash and wore reflective vests and gloves to
ensure safety during the clean-up.
The Adopt-A-Highway program is a statewide initiative that encourages individuals
and groups to adopt a section of highway and commit to cleaning it at least four times
a year.
In 2021, the Recycling and Sustainability Committee was approved for NPC to join the
Arkansas Department of Transportation's Adopt-a-Highway program. In 2023, the committee
started organizing monthly cleanups during the fall and spring semesters.
“We have a core group of committed students, faculty, and staff that regularly participate
in these cleanups, and new students usually join us each time. I'm grateful for their
willingness to come out on Saturday mornings to help make one of the main roads near
campus look a little nicer. It's good exercise too. NPC employees can get two hours
of activity through the Well Yes! Program,” said Alex Barnard, associate professor
and chair of the Recycling and Sustainability Committee.
The next cleanup is scheduled for March 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Anyone interested
in volunteering can contact the committee at recycle@np.edu.
Photo caption: NPC volunteers pose for a photo after cleaning up Mountain Pine Highway
on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. From left to right: Ottis Walker, Aprile Garner, Kira
Hall, Christina Gump, Kyra Chaney, Alex Barnard, Rob Gump. Not pictured: Darlene Gentles.
