(Courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation)
REGIONAL – Residents around the Chesapeake watershed donned gloves and packed rubbish for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) annual Clean the Bay Day, an event dedicated to waste disposal.
Clean the Bay Day has been held every year since 1989, with the exception of 2020 when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s event was the first since it was transformed into a weeklong, self-directed event.
Participants were able to take action at any convenient location, in their own time and at their own pace, and then log their results online. Volunteers also planted 512 native plants and installed nine rain barrels.
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More than 2,000 volunteers across Virginia collected 52,306 pounds of trash as part of the cleanup, according to a CBF press release.
“That was just amazing. Although they weren’t together, they all worked together for a healthy environment, ”said Kristin Webb, CBF Clean the Bay Day coordinator. “Everywhere in parks, creeks and beaches to streets and playgrounds, people have cleared away tens of thousands of pounds of rubbish. So many got involved, from families and friends to Governor Northam and members of Congress. What a wonderful week. “
Volunteers posted videos and photos on social media using the hashtag #CleanTheBayDay and entered to win prizes. Submissions are featured on CBF’s social media accounts and are also included in the compilation video here. More information about the event can be found at www.cbf.org/clean.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam was cleaning up trash along the James River with members of his cabinet and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
Northam also signed a proclamation declaring an extended Clean the Bay Day last week, inviting Virginians to help out in the effort. Many other officials attended, including United States Representatives Rob Wittman of Westmoreland State Park and Elaine Luria of the Cape Charles Rosenwald School Restoration Initiative, State Delegate Angelia Williams Graves, David L Lady Pamela Northam.
RELATED STORY: Virginia Commits to Reducing Polluted Runoff from State Lands to Help Restore Chesapeake Bay
Clean the Bay Day sponsors include Ulliman Schutte – Alberici Joint Venture, Anheuser-Busch, River Network, Port of Virginia, High Liner Foods, Avangrid Renewables, and Ball Corp. Clean the Bay Day also thanks REI, North End Bag Company, Virginia State Parks, Starbucks, Taste Unlimited, Rogue Oysters, and Chessie Seafood & Aquafarm for donating prizes.
For more information about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, visit their website by clicking here.
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