*RSVPs Required*

Background Info:
Keep America Beautiful is celebrating the Great American Cleanup’s 23rd year in 2021, between March 20th to June 20th. Celebrating its 23rd year, the most recent Great American Cleanup created 15,000 opportunities for millions of volunteers to have remarkable results – picking up millions of pounds of litter, cleaning over 100,000 acres of public spaces, and tens of thousands of miles of roadways and shorelines.

This year, we will be partnering with the Town of Columbus in celebrating “Columbus Proud” Litter Awareness Month – April 2021-
Every day, excessive waste and single-use products pollute our land and water. Litter will always be a problem if we do not tackle it at the source. Inspired by the City of Lancaster’s Litter Letter Project, Conserving Carolina will be creating a “ReThink” art installation, located in Stearns park during the month of April. This installation, made from roadside litter, intends to bring awareness to the issues of litter pollution, and to inspire those to “rethink” waste.

To be part of the solution:
1. REFUSE to use plastic single-use items, such as plastic grocery bags, plastic tableware and plastic cups
2. REDUCE the amount of plastic and other waste you use by Bringing Your Own: water bottle, coffee mug, bag, etc
3. RECYCLE (correctly) as much as possible
4. BUY products with little or no plastic packaging, and products made from recycled materials
5. DISPOSE of your waste properly, and secure your loads
6. KEEP storm drains clean
7. SPREAD the word! Tell friends how to properly dispose of waste, and encourage them to Bring Their Own
8. PARTICIPATE in an cleanup event

Workday Description:
Be part of the solution, participate in a cleanup! For this workday, we will be completing a roadside cleanup along one of Polk County’s heavily trashed areas, Shuford Road. Volunteers will be guided along the shoulder, picking up roadside litter – the most common source of ocean plastic.

*safety vests, trash bags, and gloves will be provided*

What to Bring:
• Work gloves (if you have a personal pair)
• Drinking water

What to Wear:
• Face mask
• Closed toed shoes
• Work pants; dress for the weather

COVID-19 Protocol:
We will be following Phase 3 COVID 19 Standards, this will include:
• Hosting groups no larger than 10 participants
• Providing every volunteer with their own, disinfected, set of tools
• Physical distancing of 6ft+ between every volunteer
• Wearing face masks when around the group

Interested in joining this workday? To RSVP or for more information email [email protected] or call Meredith at 828-697-5777 ext. 211.