Since 1985, waterfront communities have been coming together to clean up their most treasured natural resource. The effort is part of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, and has spread to all corners of the world. In fact, the endeavor is now considered the world’s largest volunteer effort, engaging schools, dive clubs, scouts, organizations, corporations, and individuals who care about the earth and the effects of pollution.
On Saturday, September 20th, 2014, from 10am to noon, Buffalonians will join upwards of 9 million volunteers in 152 countries to ensure that we are doing what’s best for our fresh water coastal environment. It is estimated that on that single “day of healing”, volunteers have been able to amass 145 million pounds of trash from the shores of our lakes, streams, rivers and oceans.
The more people that volunteer, the more trash we will be able to remove.
At this point, Riverkeeper is still looking for volunteers to help clean waterways from Scajaquada Creek to Red Jacket Riverfront Park. If you and your friends/family/coworkers are able to dedicate a couple of hours of your time, consider signing up for a cleanup location by clicking here. Also visit Riverkeeper on Facebook for details.
You can learn more about the regional effort, and sign up for additional sites, at Great Lakes Beach Sweep.