DELRAY BEACH ROLLS UP ITS SLEEVES FOR NATIONAL CLEAN-UP DAY

As part of a nationwide effort to address the issues of excess litter and waste throughout the United States, the City of Delray Beach will host a National Clean Up Day event on Saturday, Sept. 16. From 9 a.m. to noon, Delray Beach Neighborhood and Community Services Department staff will be working alongside city residents to pick up litter and debris at designated locations throughout the city.

“National Cleanup Day is a perfect opportunity for cities like Delray Beach to show off our civic pride and keep our city beautiful,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said. “Volunteers are essential to this effort, and Delray Beach residents are the best at stepping up and working together when it counts.”

Volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pompey Park, 1101 NW 2nd St., for a light breakfast and to pick up their tools and supplies before they head to their designated clean-up area. Volunteers may also work in an area of their choosing in their neighborhoods or communities, though they are encouraged to register for the event, so they can be provided the supplies. Cleanup begins at 9 a.m. and ends at noon, then volunteers will be given lunch and hear final remarks at Pompey Park. Organizers are hoping to make this an annual, collaborative event.

To register for the Clean-up Day event, contact Delray Beach Neighborhood Planner Terra Couzens at (561) 917-8648 or email couzenst@mydelraybeach.com. Walk-ups will be welcomed on the morning of the event, though preregistration for participants is strongly suggested.

 “National Clean-Up Day is a pivotal partner of Earthday.org in our effort to draw attention to the global waste crisis, particularly plastics,” Earthday.org President Kathleen Rogers said. “Our goal is to build the world’s largest effort to eliminate plastics and other waste from our environment once and for all.”

1News.org is your source for news about the environment and the organizations in the Environmental Alliance. We are an all-volunteer organization dedicated to bringing individuals and organizations together with the shared mission to encourage a clean outdoors. We’re growing because of giving individuals that recognize the positive aspects of our mission. What can you do? Help out by taking ONE action. For example, the Adopt One Place concept is to take an area and do a cleanup, lite maintenance, beautification once per week for eight weeks. Take no more than 30 minutes each time and then do touchup to YOUR PLACE every month or two after that. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.