ExxonMobil has partnered with the Louisiana Stormwater Coalition to fund three new anti-blight initiatives—including a new minigrant program—in north Baton Rouge, the organizations announced Thursday.
For years, Baton Rouge has struggled to tackle its issues with blight, litter and visual pollution. The Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Stormwater Coalition was launched in 2021 as a grassroots organization dedicated to cleaning up litter in the Capital Region’s watershed.
ExxonMobil donated three parcels of greenbelt land, near Amarillo and Hollywood streets, to BREC to create a new pocket park—in place of a former dumping site—that will eventually connect with a planned bike path for the area.
The company is also installing a boom on Monte Santo Bayou, which runs adjacent to ExxonMobil’s property, that will trap litter in the waterway as well as help pinpoint the sources of litter in that area. The coalition partnered with ExxonMobil last year for a project that removed more than 70 tires from the waterway, says Louisiana Stormwater Coalition member Jeff Kuehny in an announcement about the partnership.
In addition, the company is working with the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, Southern University and the LSU AgCenter on a community engagement initiative aimed at helping small businesses and community members develop more sustainable practices. The initiative will award minigrants to community organizations working to combat litter in north Baton Rouge.
