Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Md) chaired the first Trash Free Potomac Initiative Advisory Council meeting at COG on January 18, when he signed a treaty to clean the Potomac Watershed within the next seven years.

"The idea is as simple as it is profound," said Van Hollen. "By removing the the trash -- the most obvious sign of carelenssness and neglect -- we as a community can begin to reclaim the river and, in so doing, a measure of our self-respect."

Several local governments have also signed the Potomac Watershed Trash Treaty, spearheaded by the Alice Ferguson Foundation.