Local Students, CITGO Volunteers Join Forces in 41st Street Beach Cleanup in Chicago

LEMONT, Ill., November 15, 2016 /3BL Media/ – For the third consecutive year, in conjunction with the Chicago Parks Foundation and the Alliance for the Great Lakes, CITGO sponsored a Mid-Coast Cleanup as a part of its Caring for Our Coast initiative. Earlier this fall, students from King College Prep and the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences joined volunteers from the CITGO Lemont Refinery for a cleanup project at the 41st Street Beach in Chicago. In a one-mile area, the group collected 94.9 pounds of trash in just a few hours. The most abundant items picked up were cigarette butts and plastic water bottles.

“The Chicago lakefront is home to many species of marine life, birds and other animals, which can be affected by high usage and trash buildup.  Although the Chicago Park District is diligent about trash removal, during the high season it is often hard to keep up,” said Willa Lang, executive director of the Chicago Parks Foundation.

After the cleanup was complete, over lunch at Northerly Island, the group learned about the local ecosystem and discovered ways they can connect and utilize the parks in their community. In addition, the Alliance for the Great Lakes demonstrated water testing via the Hydrolab.

The CITGO Lemont Refinery, which this year is celebrating 90 years of serving the community, has numerous employee-driven environmental efforts and long-term programs dedicated to the restoration of natural habitats and promoting energy efficiency. 

“Environmental stewardship is a shared responsibility and we are always grateful for the opportunity to take part in an educational outreach,” said Jim Cristman, vice president and general manager of the CITGO Lemont Refinery.

To learn more about the CITGO Lemont Refinery's support of local organizations and natural habitat restoration, please visit http://www.citgo.com/SocialResponsibility/Community.jsp.  

About the CITGO Lemont Refinery
For over 90 years, CITGO Lemont Refinery has employed more than 750 Chicago area residents on a full-time and contract basis in support of the local economy. In addition to producing high quality fuels for a large portion of the network of nearly 5,500 locally owned CITGO stations across the country, Lemont Refinery employees also make a major positive impact on the community. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer hours and thousands of dollars are given in support of community programs such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Way and a variety of environmental and preservation programs. Operations at the Lemont Refinery began in 1925 with a major expansion, doubling the facility, in 1933. Over the years, new units were added to meet the demand for a better quality of gas for automobiles, aviation fuel for WWII, and the production of asphalt. Petróleos de Venezuela, PDVSA, acquired 100% ownership of the refinery in 1997 and began operations as CITGO Lemont Refinery. For more information, visit www.citgorefining.com/Lemont.

About CITGO
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.