AWS Hosts Annual Earth Day Cleanup on April 5

The Anacostia Watershed Society, a nonprofit organization currently celebrating its 25th anniversary of cleaning the water, recovering the shoreline, and honoring the heritage of the Anacostia River and its watershed communities, announced today that their annual Earth Day Cleanup will take place on April 5, 2014. During their 20th annual Earth Day event, Anacostia Watershed Society and its volunteers will spend the morning cleaning up sites along the Anacostia River and its tributaries. The cleanup will be followed by an Earth Day celebration held at RFK Stadium to thank all volunteers.

Anacostia Watershed Society’s Earth Day Cleanup is an annual event held to engage the community in improving the quality of the Anacostia River and its tributaries and to connect residents with the destination and resource they have in their backyard. This year’s Cleanup will take place from 9am – 12pm at 25 various sites, in honor of the organization’s 25th anniversary, along the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.

“We are very excited to celebrate our organization’s 25th anniversary this year by cleaning up 25 sites along the Anacostia River and its tributaries,” said Jim Foster, President of Anacostia Watershed Society. “Our goal for our Earth Day event is two-fold, we obviously want to clean up the river and pull out tons of trash that has built up this year, but we also want to bring out local residents and have them connect with this great amenity in their community. We are always interested in sharing the important work we do with the public, but this event is also about giving them a first-hand look at the work that needs to be done and the potential this river has to be a fantastic destination for the community.”

After Anacostia Watershed Society staff and volunteers have completed cleanup projects at their respective locations, a celebration will be held at RFK Stadium’s parking lot #7 to thank all volunteers for participating. The celebration will be held from 12pm – 2pm and will feature lunch provided by Seafarers Yacht Club, live music by the reggae band Proverbs, guest speakers, and special Earth Day exhibitors. The celebration will also feature a secure and complimentary bike valet service, provided by Two Wheel Bike Valet, for volunteers who choose to bicycle to the event. The valet services will be available from 9am – 2pm, so all those volunteering at RFK and nearby sites are welcome to use the service for the day.

In 2013, Anacostia Watershed Society’s Earth Day Cleanup attracted more than 2,300 volunteers from Washington, D.C. and Maryland who removed 49 tons of trash from the river. This included: 2,163 bags of trash, 946 bags of recyclable materials, and 395 tires.

Those interested in volunteering for Anacostia Watershed Society’s Earth Day Cleanup can sign up at www.anacostiaws.org/earthday2014.