Plan a Community Service Event

Community Service Event – Waterway Cleanup

So, what can you do to help our waterways?  September 17th is World Cleanup Day, but many areas have several events throughout the year.  Many of these organizations have river/stream/ocean clean ups events or provides information on how to organize your own.  One might not think cleaning up a waterway is directly connected to algae, but it is one way to keep our “blue arteries” of our planet moving.  Many of our world’s rivers and streams are severely blocked by pollution.  By organizing a waterway clean up, we can keep the arteries flowing.  This is just one step people can take to protect, preserve, and restore our natural environment. This will help the environment issues, provide awareness about our waterways, and provide you an opportunity to be an activist.  Let’s help make cleaner waterways – one river at a time.  

If organizing a clean is not possible, there are many other ways you can help and protect our waterways.   

1. help protect watercourses with natural landscaping
2. use permeable paving to reduce runoff to our sewer systems
3. consider installing a rain barrel to capture water and not rely on our waterways for our water for plants
4. check your toilets for leaks or always working – this is a source of excess use of water
5. delay using your dishwasher or washing machines
6. turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth
7. shorten your time in the shower

For more information on how to plan a river clean up and to find an event in your area, click on one of these sites:

• https://www.budgetdumpster.com/resources/river-cleanup-guide.php - information on how to organize your own clean up event.
• https://www.river-cleanup.org/en/cleanups - organization that hosts many events around the world
• https://www.americanrivers.org/make-an-impact/national-river-cleanup/volunteers/ - site with several river cleanup opportunities around the US 
• https://www.usgs.gov/educational-resources/stream-cleanup - government site with resources about what you can do to help our streams and rivers.

References: 
https://www.chicagoriver.org/issues has useful information about ways to improve the health of rivers and adjacent lands.