Danielle Jackson

To lend “credibility” to its “Stop Trashing California” campaign among 12- to 24-year-old males, the largest group of litter offenders, San Diego-based Keep California Beautiful (KCB) is featuring World Champion pro skateboarder Tony Hawk in book covers with an anti-littering message.

This is the second phase of the KCB campaign. In the first phase, local advertising agency Imagewerks Inc. created Tony Hawk posters, and KCB distributed them at bus shelters in San Jose, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as at colleges and universities, state Department of Transportation (DOT) rest stops and Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) offices.

“Tony has been great because he is an icon for that age group,” says Marlene Mariani, KCB executive director. As proof of the campaign's success, she jokes that several posters have been stolen.

But joking aside, Mariani says the feedback KCB has received indicates the campaign is working. She estimates the posters have created more than 198 million impressions throughout the state.

“We've gotten some wonderful letters from kids addressed to Tony Hawk, saying that they get mad when they see someone trashing California,” she adds. “The message is really getting across.”

During the campaign's second phase, KCB will hand out book covers featuring Tony Hawk and the “Stop Trashing California” slogan. Local grocer Albertson's and Sacramento-based advertising agency Glass McClure will help to distribute the covers when school starts in September.

Kids also will be able to send in coupons found on the book covers for a chance to win a monthly prize — a Tony Hawk ProSkater 3 video game, skateboard deck or other skating merchandise — to further promote the effort.

KCB is hoping to feature Hawk in similar future campaigns. “As long as Tony is available and willing to help, we'll keep going with it,” Mariani says.

KCB, a statewide nonprofit organization incorporated in 1990, is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc. (KAB). The California Department of Conservation and several corporate sponsors have helped to fund the campaign. For more information or to order posters and book covers, call KCB at (858) 505-9936.