Millions of volunteers have been cleaning up American rivers for the last quarter of a century—listen up:
Rivers and streams provide drinking water and wildlife habitat, yet millions of tons of trash end up in our waterways each year.
The ultimate feel-good experience: Cleaning up your fave waterway with friends and family. (via NPS)
So, in the early ’90s, the American Rivers launched a National River Cleanup Week in order to support volunteers in local cleanup efforts across the country.
Since then, the cleanup has grown into a year-long program, and more than a million volunteers have collected roughly 25 million pounds of trash from 250,000 miles of waterways.
With events ranging from paddles to hikes, the cleanup is a fun way to get outside, enjoy nature, and give back to the rivers that provide so much to us.
Hats off to the millions of volunteers who have been pitching in for our rivers for the past 25 years—and counting!
Take action:
- Learn just how important our rivers are, with intel from American Rivers, then…
- Participate in the National River Cleanup, going down in a basin near you.
The fine print:
- This segment was produced in partnership with Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.
