DETROIT (WXYZ) — Earth Day 2023 cleanup events have been announced by the Detroit Parks Coalition (DPC) and Detroit River Coalition (DRC). The announcement calls on community members to help beautify Detroit’s parks and remove waste and plastic pollution from the Detroit River ahead of summer.
“These Earth Day cleanups are a team effort to make our natural spaces healthier and more beautiful,” said Sigal Hemy, Executive Director of the Detroit Parks Coalition. “We invite the metro Detroit community, as well as our neighbors in Windsor and beyond to join us.”
DPC has partnered with DRC for a binational environmental resource hub for removal of plastic pollution and to protect the Detroit River.
“It’s estimated that more than 22 million pounds of plastic pollution end up in the Great Lakes every year,” said Genevieve Rattray, Director of Sustainability and Advocacy at the Belle Isle Conservancy and founder of the Detroit River Coalition. “Together, we can remove pollution at the source and prevent it from flowing through our local waterways, into the Great Lakes and eventually the world’s oceans, where it is significantly more difficult to retrieve.”
Volunteers are asked to dress for weather conditions. Boots or closed-toe shoes and gloves are recommended at cleanup events.
Here is a full list of DPC and DRC Earth Day 2023 events:
SATURDAY, APRIL 22
Chandler Park Conservancy — 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
12600 Chandler Park Dr., Detroit
Meet at the Chandler Park Comfort Station
Register at https://smpl.is/6ni6r or call 313-469-7414
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy — 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Dequindre Cut Greenway
Gloves, trash bags and a limited number of pickers and rakes will be available.
Those volunteering who are under the age of 18 must volunteer with an adult.
Register at https://detroitriverfront.org/springcleanup2023
DNR Outdoor Adventure Center — 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Milliken State Park, 1801 Atwater St., Detroit
Trash bags and nitrile gloves will be provided to all volunteers.
Register at https://secure.rec1.com/MI/michigan-dnr/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI0MDM3MTY%3D
Friends of the Detroit River — 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
On-land and on-water cleanup. Boat owners encouraged to sign up.
Trenton Rotary Park, 1 Riverside Dr., Trenton
Register at www.detroitriver.org/events
Friends of Rouge Park — 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Rouge Park
FORP will be giving away free trees in three-gallon pots.
Meet at the Buffalo Soldier Farms at the intersection of Joy Rd. and Lahser.
Register at rougepark.org
Friends of the Rouge — 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Fort Street Bridge Park, 150 Denmark St., Detroit
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfctHkg1H4huIFp85XRs4gBvRaVjG39qCVzrhRVPUbclvph-Q/viewform
Clark Park Coalition — 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
1130 Clark St., Detroit
Meet at the Clark Park parking lot.
Sidewalk Detroit — 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Eliza Howell Park and Brightmoor neighborhood
Meet at Brightmoor Artisans Collective (BAC), 22735 Fenkell Ave., Detroit
Wear boots and bring gloves and water bottles to refill.
Register in advance at https://forms.gle/gbUPdDp8X4ZXhENM7
Belle Isle Conservancy — 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Outside the Belle Isle Aquarium, 3 Inselruhe Ave., Detroit
Trash bags (made of recycled ocean plastic pollution) and gloves will be provided at check-in.
Each volunteer is required to sign a digital waiver in advance of the event.
Volunteers encouraged to return collected litter to the Belle Isle Aquarium to be weighed to document the impact made on Belle Isle and along the Detroit River.
SUNDAY, APRIL 23
People for Palmer Park — Cleanup: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Trash pick-up, weeding, sweeping, raking and clearing.
Meet at Palmer Park Community Building, 1121 Merrill Plaisance St., Detroit
Gloves, trash bags, tools, hand sanitizer and light refreshments will be provided.
Palmer Park — Old Growth Forest Ceremony: 12 p.m.
Palmer Park’s Witherell Woods will be inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network
The 70-acre Witherell Woods in Palmer Park is the largest old-growth forest in the tri-county area, and one of only seven forests in the City of Detroit.
Palmer Park — Aziza Fairy Forest Trash & Treasure Hunt: 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Bring the kids to search for the treasures: the tiny, invisible, magical Aziza Fairies from Africa and their hand-painted doors that will hang from branches throughout the forest trails.
Along the way, families are encouraged to pick up trash to leave the woods sparkling clean.
Register at palmerparkearthday2023.eventbrite.com
Essex Region Conservation Authority — Earth Day Community Tree Planting: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Help plant more than 1,800 native trees in the City of Windsor
Meet at green space south of Wyandotte Street East between Florence & Martinique in Windsor, Ontario.
Register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/earth-day-community-tree-planting-2023-tickets-542823538817
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy — Rain Barrels on the Riverfront: 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hands-on workshop to build and paint rain barrels.
Gabriel Richard Park, 7130 E Jefferson, Detroit
Free event, rain barrels available for the discounted price of $75.
Register at https://mirainbarrel.com/signup/?action=evregister&event_id=97
