At Keep Philly Beautiful, community cleanup season is our favorite season. We live for getting our hands dirty in the service of making Philadelphia cleaner, greener and more beautiful. And this year we’re gearing up for a series of three educational waterway cleanups with our friends at United by Blue

Why, you say? Well, we’ve got a lot of reasons – and here are just a couple of them.

First, as we highlight in our workshops in schools throughout the City, trash travels. Windy days, snowy days, rainy days, you name it – litter can end up across the street, down the block, or (too often) in our waterways. And some folks think stormwater drains are an appropriate place for their trash!

What does all that mean for us? Toxins from illegal dump sites – and street litter – can leach into our waterways, causing significant environmental damage. And it all costs a lot of time and money to clean up. This spring and summer, KPB wanted to highlight the connection between litter and the health of our waterways.

Second, KPB doesn’t undertake any effort without thinking partnerships, partnerships, partnerships! Collaboration is the name of our game. And we couldn’t be more excited to team up with our friends at United by Blue, and to spotlight how nonprofit and for-profit organizations can work together to tackle a problem. UBB is committed to removing one pound of trash from our waterways for every product sold, the true definition of social entrepreneurship. We’re psyched to help them fulfill their mission, and in so doing – fulfill ours too!

So what can you do to help us this season? Sign up for Keep Philly Beautiful’s newsletter (keepphiladelphiabeautiful.org/contact) to get all of the details for our upcoming cleanups with UBB. And join our first one celebrating Love Your Park week – Tuesday, May 16th at Penn Treaty Park starting at 4pm!

Then, tell your neighbors and friends to join the civic fun, too. Philadelphians who clean up together, stay together.

Have questions? Give us a ring at 215-854-4000, or shoot us a note at michelle@keepphiladelphiabeautiful.org.

 

See you out on the cleanup trail!