Sat 5/02 @ 9AM
Founded in 2014, Green Up Cleveland is a nonprofit organization with the mission to help beautify the city and generate awareness around the problem of litter and dumping in our neighborhoods. On May 2nd, Green Up will kick off its first annual event from 9am-1pm in the Stockyards Neighborhood at 3167 Fulton Ave. What better way to start the morning than to cleanup and beautify our Cleveland neighborhoods? All are welcome to participate and join in on the mission of beautifying our city!
“The more hands we have to help clean up, the better,” says the president of Green Up Sharon Holbrook. “This is everyone’s community. The more people that realize how we need to take care of our city, the more pride we can have in our city and the less likely a resident or visitor will be to litter. We want to make a physical improvement to our city on May 2nd, but that’s not all.
It’s also about setting a standard of care, showing our pride, and raising expectations about how our city should look and feel,” Holbrook says. “This is a continuous process, and not something a one-day cleanup can solve. By hosting this event and continuing to grow in future years, we’re inviting everyone to join us in building a movement towards an entire city where folks can be proud to live, visit, or do business.”
Which is exactly why Green Up was founded.
“We were frustrated by sad piles of trash everywhere and inspired by other cities and states that have huge community cleanup days,” continues Sharon. “Cleveland has no citywide cleanup event, but now it will. Since this is our first year, we chose to focus on one area by picking a ‘flagship’ neighborhood as a beacon to the rest of the city. Being a new organization our resources are lean, and we’re putting our all into this event. We expect to add more neighborhoods in upcoming years as our numbers and resources grow. Meanwhile, we encourage neighborhoods to run their own events. We can all cross promote our collective efforts as partners in these efforts to build a movement for a clean, beautiful Cleveland.”
On a daily basis, there are some things you can do to create sustainable change so that cleanups aren’t so enoromous. We can all maximize the impact by regularly beautifying our region and adopting a few easy habits, such as being careful about what you dump into the ground — remember it ends up in our water systems since it is carried by stormwater, through sewers, etc. Keeping this in mind, NEVER litter or dump toxic liquids, period. Reduce trash by using reusable materials and containers often. Upcycle and recycle whenever possible. The way we behave on a daily basis in regard to being green affects each of us, our wildlife and our Earth’s atmosphere, so take it seriously and be an advocate for making it a better place!
To sign up for the May 2nd flagship event, click HERE. You can also register the day of, on location. Should you want to get involved on a regular basis, have an event idea, want to volunteer or become a Board Member, email greenupcleveland@gmail.com or tweet the pertinent info to @GreenUpCLE. Green Up will gather details and any other necessary information and would happily publicize the event. If your neighborhood doesn’t have a cleanup, let Green Up know — they’d be glad to tell your neighborhood leaders that residents are asking for one.
“There is no garbage fairy...if someone litters, someone has to pick it up,” says Sharon. “That someone is us, and by us I mean all of us, not specifically Green Up Cleveland. The more we all see ourselves as those responsible for our city, the fewer of us will carelessly dump on everyone else.
Cleveland, OH 44109