Nonprofits could use some help cleaning up

METRO DETROIT — When school is out and the weather is nice, families can benefit from volunteering together to support local nonprofits and improve the communities they live in.

There are several different ways to volunteer throughout the local area. For families who like to spend time together outdoors, local cleanups can be a fun way to enjoy nature and impact the environment.

Environmental activist and artist Hannah Tizedes began the Michigan-based nonprofit The Cleanup Club to help create a more plastic-free environment.

The Cleanup Club is primarily based in Metro Detroit, but they also do programs in northern Michigan and along Lake Erie.

“I think it is so important to just talk about Great Lakes plastic pollution, because we hear about ocean pollution all the time, but no one ever hears about Great Lakes plastic pollution,” Tizedes said.

While they are still planning summer programming, Tizedes said there will be several exciting opportunities for Metro Detroit families to get involved. Once summer events are finalized, they can be found at thecleanupclub.org.

“I’m super passionate about involving kids and just having more youth education around plastic pollution and what we can do as individuals,” Tizedes said. “I think it’s super important to just show kids that this is part of (their) future, (they) can help out and get creative, and it doesn’t have to be like this.’”

The Clinton River Watershed Council also offers opportunities for families to help clean up their community through the Keeping-It-Clean program.

Several different Clinton River Watershed Council programs fall under the Keeping-It-Clean umbrella, including weekly cleanups, the Clinton Cleanup and Trash Runs.

The community is encouraged to join the Weekly Clean 10 a.m.-noon Wednesdays April-November. Each week, the Clinton River Watershed Council holds a Weekly Clean at a different park within the Clinton River watershed. The locations of this summer’s Weekly Cleans has yet to be released.

“We try to make sure that we have cleanup initiatives that hit almost all of the parks within the watershed that we can over the course of the summer,” said Cole Pachucki, the development and communication specialist for the Clinton River Watershed Council.

Volunteers are provided with the tools they need to conduct a simple cleanup. If they find anything big in the river that needs to be removed, the council coordinates with local municipalities to take care of it.

Clinton Cleanup is a larger event where they gather volunteers to clean up multiple parks on the same day. The next Clinton Cleanup will be Sept. 9.

Pachucki said some people get the most excited about the Trash Runs, which involve riding in a canoe or kayak to do a water cleanup.

Trash Runs will be held 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 9,  July 14, Aug. 18 and Sept. 8.

While the Weekly Clean and the Clinton Cleanup are appropriate for all ages, Trash Run participants should be 14 or older.

“I think it is really important for young people to get involved in any kind of youth programming that gives back to really cement the idea that being good stewards of our environment is something important,” Pachucki said. “If that kind of outdoor education and stewardship practices are instilled younger, it tends to grow lifelong stewards of the outdoors.”

To learn more about the programs offered by the Clinton River Watershed Council, visit crwc.org.