The Anacostia Watershed Society and its Earth Day partners need your help 'Pickup Mother Earth' on Saturday, April 26, 2008. We mean this literally!

AWS will be coordinating a massive, watershed-wide trash cleanup on April 26 between 8:30AM to 12:00PM at more than 30 sites throughout the District of Columbia, Prince George's County (MD), and Montgomery County (MD). Cleanups will go on rain or shine.

Join our army of Earth Day volunteers as we clean the watershed one plastic bottle and one old tire at a time. Last year, volunteers took 49 tons of trash out of the river in one day. Can we beat that record in 2008? Only if you help!

Volunteering for Earth Day 2008

As an Earth Day volunteer, you not only contribute to real, hands-on change in our local environment, you help us raise awareness about the importance of clean water on the Anacostia River and throughout the larger Chesapeake Bay watershed. At AWS we believe that maintaining clean water and a healthy river are pre-requisites for improving the health and well-being of communities throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Since trash and floating debris are the most obvious signs of a river in peril, removing this blight from the water is a critical step toward building great public awareness of the Anacostia's many problems and opportunities; as well as, building a general sense of stewardship and caring for this important, but long neglected national waterway.

When you become an Earth Day volunteer, you are signing up to donate your time and hard work to clean up trash and debris from one of 30+ sites located throughout the Anacostia Watershed. Each of our Earth Day partner organizations has agreed to lead a cleanup effort at a site in need of attention. Volunteers will be distributed among each of these sites based on location size and amount of trash identified in the area. Potential volunteers are welcome to select a convenient site from the list below and RSVP with the corresponding site leader for more information. Remember, while walk-up volunteers are accepted at some sites on April 26, an RSVP allows us to accurately estimate the amount of cleanup supplies (and, more importantly, t-shirts!) we have at each site.

Want to volunteer? Click here, choose a site, and contact the site leader for more info.

In addition to that sense of accomplishment you'll feel after participating in one of our trash cleanups, you'll also receive our thanks for lending your time and energy. To commemorate the event, all volunteers will receive a free Earth Day 2008 t-shirt featuring the art and poetry of young winners of our 2008 River of Words competition. You also have an open invitation to join AWS, our partners, and your fellow volunteers for a free lunch and entertainment at our 2008 Earth Day Rally Celebration. This year's rally will take place in the District of Columbia at Seafarers Yacht Club.

Volunteer Supplies

AWS and its partners will supply water, gloves, trash bags, and a limited array of tools at each of our cleanup sites. (Some sites will even provide canoes for venturing out onto the water!) Volunteers are wlecome to bring their own gloves, waders, or other tools, however, this is not necessary.

If you volunteer for a cleanup site, please remember to dress appropriately for the day. Layering your clothing is important, especially if the day promises to be warm. Boots, long sleeves, and long pants are encouraged. Rain gear will be important in the case of inclement weather. Ask your site leader for additional clothing recommendations or call AWS at 301-699-6204 for more information.

Thanks go out to all of our 2008 Earth Day sponsors for helping us provide supplies for this event! [link coming soon]