National River Cleanup Week
Since its inception in 1992, more than 500,000 volunteers have participated in over 4,500 cleanups across the country, covering more than 100,000 miles of waterways. This past spring saw a record 422 cleanups, with nearly 60,000 volunteers removing trash from their local rivers and streams.
American Rivers i is the new sponsor of National River Cleanup Week: June 2-10, 2007
Millions of tons of trash wind up in our nation’s rivers and streams every year, and American Rivers is harnessing the power of thousands of people and communities to do something about it. American Rivers is pleased to announce , National River Cleanup Week,a community-based stream cleanups planned for the week of June 2-10, 2007 and presented by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
Thanks to this venerable event adults and young people people help "their" rivers and streams and raise awareness of the magnitude of trash accumulating in our nation’s waterways.
Anyone wishing to organize a cleanup can do so by first identifying a stretch of river, stream or shoreline, and then registering the event online. www.nationalrivercleanup.org
“A healthy river is a tremendously valuable asset to any community, and we’re encouraging everyone to be a part of a program that has removed over 1,000 tons of litter and debris from beloved rivers and streams all over the nation,” said Rebecca Wodder, President of American Rivers.
Organizing a cleanup is fun and easy. National River Cleanup Week encourages environmental organizations, civic clubs, paddle-sports groups, federal and state agencies, and schools to organize cleanups in their local communities.
Once a cleanupleader identifies a river, stream or shoreline that needs a cleanup; they can register online at www.nationalrivercleanup.org . They receive tips for conducting a successful cleanup, including how to recruit volunteers and promote the event to the public. The website offers helpful tips for how to recruit volunteers and promote the event to the public, and other tips for conducting a successful cleanup.
American Rivers will supply trash bags and a Green Mountain Coffee Roasters coffee mug and coffee sample to organizers who register their cleanup online by April 15, 2007.
In addition, all volunteers will be eligible to participate in various contests (including best photo, video, and student essay) to win valuable prizesfrom Old Town, and Thule.
“You can’t find a more hands-on way to get people directly involved in protecting the rivers they love,” added Wodder. “A cleaner river is a healthier one, and healthy rivers benefit all the communities through which they flow.”
For more information or to register a cleanup, visit: www.nationalrivercleanup.org .
TRASH FACTS
Type of Litter: Fast food waste (33%); Paper (29%); Aluminum (28%); Glass (6%); Plastic (2%); Other (2%)
How Long Litter Lasts: Orange peel (2-5 weeks); Paper bag (1 month); Cigarette butt (up to 5 years); Leather shoe (45 years); Plastic bottle (430 years); Aluminum can (200-500 years); Disposable diaper (550 years); Glass bottle (Approx. 1 million years); Styrofoam container (1 million years).
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