earthday.dmgov.orgHome - Earth Month Trash Bash 2023

Earth Week 2024 Earth day is every day April 20-27 Greater DM Metro Important Announcement: Postponing Earth Day Projects For the safety of our volunteers and staff, due to the forecasted severe weather, we are postponing our Friday and Saturday, Earth Day projects. With thousands of volunteers out in the community, we are busy rescheduling. You will be getting updated information or invitations with more details. We are sorry for the inconvenience and cannot thank you enough for your volunteerism and your flexibility. If you have any questions, please let us know. Earth Day Trash Bash, is a collaboration between the cities & citizens of Clive, Des Moines, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Polk County Conservation, Polk Soil and Water Conservation District, Iowa Rivers Revival, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and Des Moines Water Works. Earth Day means Action!This year’s Earth Day Trash Bash takes place over Earth Week, April 20-27, and offers opportunities across a wide range of dates for individuals and groups. We are excited to be working together with thousands of volunteers and community partners, celebrating Earth Day and greening up the entire Des Moines metro and Iowa. Earth Day is Every Day! Earth Day in the U.S. began in 1970 as 20 million Americans, from all walks of life, mobilized in an effort to change our environment. Today, Earth Day is celebrated by more than a billion people per year in 192 countries. In 2023, over 5,600 volunteers cleared away more than 29,000 pounds of trash, recyclables, and compostable materials from our public spaces in Des Moines and more throughout the Metro. Volunteers donated more than 14,000 hours to our community. View Des Moines’ 2023 Recap Video ! Schedule Volunteering for Earth Day is a great way to build team culture and enjoy the great outdoors. So, whether you are working remotely or in an office, a student, or living in our community...we have lots of way for you to get involved. So grab your "team" or sign-up as an individual for one of our metro-wide volunteer opportunities from April 20-27. While our event began years and years ago by picking up litter, we’ve expanded our opportunities to also include planting trees and flowers, improving the health of our watersheds and woodlands, and more. Our week of greening up and giving back kicks off with Confluence Brewing hosting a Gray’s Lake Watershed Clean-up on April 20th, 9-11 a.m. Participating volunteers will be treated to a free tote bag and brew after the clean-up. Other activities on Saturday, April 20, include a youth clean-up (Silver Cord volunteers metro-wide are welcome) of the Franklin Community Garden , from 10-Noon, and a public High Trestle Trail clean-up, from 1-3 p.m. (view details on the drop-down below). Volunteer We will help you or your team plan ahead, protect yourself, and get connected with ways to give back making the Metro a great place to live, work and play in! Tools and supplies will be provided for hosted sites. TEAMS: If you have a confirmed group, and you see enough openings online, let us know and we can reserve them for you. For our Des Moines and Pleasant Hill sites, we will provide a password-protected link for your reserved spots so that your teammates can each fill out their individual registration/waiver and get the confirmation details for your site. Email trashbash@dmgov.org your group details to start. INDIVIDUALS: If you don’t have a team, feel free to register for a spot on your own. YOU-DO-YOU (SELF-LED): If our staff-led activities don’t fit your schedule and you need greater flexibility, pick one of our "You-Do-You" self-led options and select the location you’d like to help at or contact us to schedule an area not listed. Don’t forget afterwards to share with us how much you cleaned up and where you cleaned to help our communities reach their goals. To find a location to volunteer, click a City or tab below to view opportunities. Registration Clive City: Clive Who: City of Clive Parks and Recreation Jeff Lucas, Recreation Manager, (515)867-5127 , jlucas@cityofclive.com Where: 9 locations-73rd Street Trail Area, Linnan/Harbach/Indian Hills Woods, Porter Shelter & 86th Street Bridge, Rio Valley/Walnut Ridge/Karp, Campbell Park (East to 108th St.), Campbell Park (West to Country Club), Lions/Wildwood/Trail Connections, Canary/CC Glen/Stonegate, and Shuler Pond Why: This community clean-up event is part of Iowa’s largest Earth Day volunteer event, Earth Day Trash Bash. From April 20-27, volunteer events will be held throughout the entire Metro celebrating our Earth and providing opportunities to give back on your public lands. The events below are held throughout Clive and focuses on making Clive parks and trail areas "Distinct By Nature." We ask that each individual volunteer register themselves and complete the required waiver, at the end of the online registration process. This will also help us measure the Earth Day volunteers impact! One week prior to Earth Day Trash Bash, an informational email will be sent to each volunteer, with more specific logistical information. Volunteers will meet at their registered volunteer location at 12:45 p.m. Staff will provide equipment, safety gloves, vests, trash bags, etc. Clean-up efforts are from 1:00-3:00 pm. When: April 26, 2024, 1:00-3:00 p.m. (Meetup at 12:45 p.m.) Registration: Visit Clive Parks and Recreation online under Volunteers" at https://bit.ly/EDTB2024-Clive Note: Adults 18 and older. Training and tools provided on-site by Parks staff. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own gloves and water bottles. Restrooms will be available at some areas throughout the Greenbelt Trail (plan ahead). Des Moines City: Des Moines Who: City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation trashbash@dmgov.org Where: Various Locations Throughout the City When: April 20-27 Registration: View Openings Who: City of Des Moines Public Works parksvolunteer@dmgov.org Where: Various Street Corridors When: Throughout the Earth Month (April) Registration: View Openings Who: Des Moines Water Works Where: Water Works Park When: Monday, April 22 Volunteers Needed: Full Who: City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation and Confluence Brewing Where: Gray’s Lake Watershed. Meet on the back patio of Confluence Brewing (directions will be included in your registration) to give back and then gather afterwards to celebrate the week to come. When: Saturday, April 20, 9:00-11:00 a.m. Registration: View Openings Sites: Choose from Gray’s Lake Park, Thomas Beck Road, and Fleur Drive along Gray’s Lake Who: Trees Forever Bianca Cook, 515-450-1632 , bcook@treesforever.org Where: Oakland Avenue, between Franklin Ave. and College Ave. Why: Volunteering with Trees Forever is the perfect way to get your hands dirty while caring for and building your community forest. Planting trees along the streetscape reduces energy usage, removes air pollutants, filters stormwater, and cools hot city streets by providing shade. All the tools, supplies, snacks, and tree planting instruction will be provided. Dress for the weather and wear close-toed shoes to ensure your safety while planting. Minors may register if they are accompanied by an adult. When: April 22, 10:00 a.m.-Noon Registration: https://bit.ly/EDTB2024-TreesForever Johnston City: Johnston Who: Johnston Parks and Recreation Staff Lead: Kari Allen, kallen@cityofjohnston.com , 515-710-1519 What: Park Beautification (Tree Planting and Litter Cleanup) Where: Terra Park , 6400 Pioneer Parkway, Johnston When: April 26, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Registration: https://bit.ly/EDTB2024 Madrid City: Madrid What: High Trestle Trail Cleanup Who: Boone County Conservation and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation When: April 20, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Details: Join in Iowa’s largest Earth Day volunteer event, Earth Day Trash Bash, while we beautify Iowa and keep Boone County litter-free. Boone County Conservation, Friends of the Trail, and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation are hosting a FREE event at Grants...