Every day is Earth Day at Groundwork — but Trusts across our Network mark April 22 and the week that follows with special events to protect and beautify their local environment. Here are some of the ways Groundwork Trusts celebrated Earth Day and Earth Week 2018:
Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek Alliance led community volunteers and students from the University of Cincinnati’s Office of Sustainability in planting trees and removing invasive species along a restored section of Cincinnati, Ohio’s Mill Creek.Groundwork DC led an Earth Day Clean Up as part of the annual Anacostia Watershed Society’s event. Located along the Bandalong Littertrap in Kenilworth Park, GWDC skillfully worked with a small and mighty team of 15 volunteers, four staff, and one GWDC Board member to divert over 500 pounds from the Anacostia riverbanks in just three hours.
Groundwork Elizabeth, in conjunction with 75 volunteers from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, held a “Morning After Earth Day” volunteer event. Joined by Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage and other elected officials, the group built garden beds, prepped land, built walkways, removed debris, to prepare for a busy spring season in urban agriculture and conservation programming behind the Elizabeth Public Library’s Elmora Branch.Groundwork Hudson Valley hosted its ninth annual Saw Mill River Clean Up, which attracted over 200 volunteers to haul tons of trash and construction debris— leaving the river cleaner and freer-flowing for both humans and wildlife to enjoy.
Groundwork Jacksonville hosted its regularly scheduled monthly litter cleanup on Hogans Creek and helped to fund No Mow signs along a buffer planting along McCoys Creek.Groundwork Lawrence celebrated its ninth annual Groundwork Lawrence Earth Day / Comcast Cares Day with a city-wide clean-up, tree planting, and building of schoolyard gardens.
On April 21, Groundwork RVA opened its new satellite location, the Bellemeade Enterprise Center and Charlie Thomas Bike Repair Shop, celebrating Earth Day with invasive species removal, planting flowers and saplings, and bike repairs! This public-private park project — a space for bike repair, bike skills training, bike trail planning (to connect the neighborhood via shared pathways to the James River), and bike barter for community service –was designed and built by Groundwork RVA’s Green Workforce program.Over 200 volunteers from NASSCO, PIC, UCSD/SDSU students, area K-12 youth, and community members celebrated Earth Day at the Groundwork San Diego/Chollas Creek EarthLab Climate Education Center. Volunteers planted natives, restored habitat, and removed invasives, and were treated to a powerful presentation by Millennial Tech Middle school students about solutions to climate change.
