For the third year in a row, Clean Memphis, a grassroots organization that pursues a cleaner city, has organized 30 days of cleaning throughout the city to celebrate Earth Day.
This year’s Earth Day 30 Days Straight initiative, which began on April 1 and will continue until the end of the month, includes community clean-ups, environmental education, and recycling and beautification events held across the city in various neighborhoods.
The month kicked off with clean-up efforts in Orange Mound and Soulsville USA, and will continue with cleaning near Chelsea Avenue, Cordova, Covington Pike, Whitehaven, and other neighborhoods during the month of April.
There are over 20 local corporations and nearly 15 churches signed up tackle cleaning projects in particulars neighborhood this month. The number of participating teams has nearly doubled since Earth Day 30 Days Straight began in April of 2014.
Clean Memphis decided it would be a good idea to clean for 30 days during the month of April after the organization received a number of requests to hold Earth Day clean-ups.
Struggling to meet everyone’s request in just one day, the group decided to use the whole month of April for spring cleaning in the city.
The cleaning efforts are a part of the Greater Memphis Chamber’s Memphis Clean by 2019 initiative, which aims to make Memphis the cleanest city in the country by the bicentennial of the city, 2019.
“We are just trying to get people to be more aware of being cleaner, greener, and more environmentally sustainable,” said Janet Boscarino, executive director of Clean Memphis.
