Environmental Justice Days of Action

November 13th, 2022, 9am-12pm – Gravois Park Neighborhood Clean-up

We are partnering with Gravois Park Neighborhood Association to help with an alley clean up around Gravois Park in South St. Louis City. We will meet at 3200 Potomac St, 63118, the corner of Virginia Ave. & Potomac. Volunteers will be treated to coffee and doughnuts!

October 15th, 2022, 9am-12pm – O’Fallon Park Clean-up

We are partnering again with North Newstead Association and the Young Friends of earthday365 for our bi-annual litter clean-up at O’Fallon Park. We hope to continue to help provide resources that contribute to maintaining the space. Volunteers will be treated to two scoops from Scoops Italian Ice Truck!

October 8th, 2022, 9am-12pm – Garden Work Day and Litter Clean-up

We are partnering with A Red Circle to pick up litter around the area and help close the garden at North County Agricultural Education Center in Pine Lawn, MO. Volunteers will be treated to juices from Juicemasters!

September 24th, 2022, 9am-12pm – Wells-Goodfellow Clean-up

We are partnering again with North Newstead Association, as well as Wellston Loop CDC, Cure Violence, and Employment Connection for a clean-up in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood. We’ll meet at Barrett Brothers Park and clean up some of the alleys close by. We’ll be doing a cook out after for volunteers to enjoy!

September 17th, 2022, 9am-12pm – Columbia Elementary School Garden Beautification Day

Join us on September 17th for a day of planting and painting! We’ll be cleaning up and planting in Columbia Elementary School’s Garden at 3120 St. Louis Ave., as well as painting some concrete planters to beautify the space. We’ll have coffee and doughnuts from Black Coffee. and Pharaoh’s Donuts for volunteers!

September 10th, 2022, 9am-12pm – Marine Villa Clean-up

Join us on September 10th for our next Environmental Justice Day of Action with Dutchtown South Community Corporation, Marine Villa Neighborhood Association, and Perennial for a clean-up in Marine Villa! We’ll meet up at Monroe Elementary School (3641 Missouri Ave.) and finish off at Perennial (3762 S. Broadway St.), where volunteers can have Steve’s Hot Dogs and participate in optional crafting!

August 6th, 2022, 9am-12pm – Disaster Sites Action Initiative

Empire13, the City of East St. Louis, and earthday365 present: Disaster Sites Action Initiative. Join us for this next Environmental Justice Day of Action on Saturday, August 6th 9am-12pm. ​We’ll meet at 3901 Lincoln Ave. in East St. Louis, IL for this illegal dumping and litter clean up. Look forward to seeing you there! We’ll have burgers and fries from local restaurant Sherry J’s for volunteers!

June 11th, 2022, 1pm – 4pm – George Washington Carver Farms Clean Up

We are partnering again with Ujima at George Washington Carver Farms in the 3rd Ward/Fairgrounds neighborhood, who we had a very successful Environmental Justice Day of Action with last year, which removed over 4,000 pounds of illegally dumped waste from surrounding alleys and vacant lots. Volunteers will receive a delicious juice from Juicemasters! A big thank you to MSD Project Clear for sponsoring this event!

May 14th, 2022, 9am-12pm – O’Fallon Park

We are partnering again with North Newstead Association and the Young Friends of earthday365 to return to O’Fallon Park for another litter cleanup. We hope to continue to help provide resources that can help maintain the space. Scoops Italian Ice will be onsite for volunteers to have Italian ice! A big thanks to StraightUp Solar for sponsoring this event!

April 9th, 2022, 1-4pm – New Roots Urban Farm

Join us for our first Environmental Justice Day of Action in 2022 at New Roots Urban Farm! In collaboration with New Roots, we will help with weeding, tilling, and planting in preparation for the Spring growing season. We are also partnering with The Open Space Council and the Confluence Trash Bash to pick up litter around the farm’s neighborhood. Volunteers will be treated to juices from Juicemasters!

October 9th, 2021 – Gravois Park Clean Up, 9am – noon

We are partnering with Gravois Park Neighborhood Association to help with an alley clean up around Gravois Park in South St. Louis City. We will meet at 3200 Potomac St, 63118, the corner of Virginia Ave. & Potomac. Volunteers will be provided with a boxed lunch from Dutchtown Market.

Partners: Gravois Park Neighborhood Association

September 11th, 2021 – Clean-up O’Fallon Park, 9am – noon

We are partnering again with North Newstead Association and the Young Friends of earthday365 to return to O’Fallon Park for another litter cleanup. Last April was such a success, we hope to provide more resources that can help maintain the space. Volunteers will be treated to 2 scoops from Scoops Italian Ice Truck.

Partners: North Newstead Association & Young Friends of earthday365

August 21st, 2021 – Penrose Garden Clean-up, 10am – noon

We are partnering with Ujima to provide assistance in cleaning up the vacant lot near their community garden space off Penrose St. near Fairground Park. Please join the movement! Meet at 3714 Penrose St.

Partners: Ujima

July 11th, 2021 – Clean-up in Jennings, 9 am – noon

We have again partnered with A Red Circle and Jennings Councilmember Gary Johnson for a clean-up event in Jennings.  We’ll meet at 5320 College Ave. 63136.  See you there!

Partners: A Red Circle, City of Jennings

June 6th, 2021 – Maline Creek Clean-up

24 volunteers met at Forestwood Park in Ferguson to cleanup about 3 cubic yards litter and a bag of recycling in and along Maline Creek and the surrounding park area.  Volunteers were treated to 2 scoops from Scoops Italian Ice Truck.

Partners: Employees Community Fund of Boeing, StraightUp Solar, earthday365

April 24th, 2021 – Dutchtown Neighborhood Cleanup

Despite the rain, this event was a success! Over 50 community members turned out to help clean up the streets of Dutchtown. A HUGE THANK YOU to the community & all of our incredible volunteers and partners.

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In collaboration with the Dutchtown Community Improvement District and Employment Connection, volunteers will help cleanup litter throughout the CID and we can use some volunteers that can partake in the Marine Debris Tracker Community Science research project. There are several “hotspots” needing concerted effort along Grand Ave., Virginia Ave. and Meramec Ave.  Rain or shine event!

Saturday, 9:30 am – noon, restrooms available at the Thomas Dunn Learning Center; light snacks and a simple bag lunch will be available. Face masks required.

April 18th, 2021 – O’Fallon Park Litter Cleanup and Restoration

A very successful event!  Over 60 volunteers turned out to help clean up O’Fallon Park. THANK YOU to all who showed up to put a shine on this fantastic space!

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Sometimes trash cans can be blown over, trash gets dispersed by the winds and with limited budgets for maintenance from a history of systemic disinvestment, beautiful parks like O’Fallon can end up with trash strewn about the fields, fences and wooded lots. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and in collaboration with the North Newstead Association and community members, join the Young Friends of earthday365 in this litter cleanup and eco-restoration project in O’Fallon Park.

We will have 4 projects: litter cleanup, rain garden maintenance, marine debris tracking and storm drain marking. Please pre-register and we will have an onsite registration tent in front of the YMCA for walkups. Opportunities for Community Science using the Marine Debris Tracker app and partnering with local community members for data collection on plastic trash as well as picking up windswept litter around the park, cleaning the rain gardens and tagging storm drains with MSD Project Clear labels to educate others that what goes down the drain, goes into our rivers. Includes Environmental Justice presentation and how community members are responding to issues of concern. Light snacks available and volunteers receive a coupon for ice cream at the Scoops food truck onsite! Face masks required.

April 10th, 2021 – Garden Work Day

Thanks to A Red Circle Nonprofit Organization and Custom Foodscaping for having us and a HUGE thanks to all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication! The rain couldn’t stop a crew like this!

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In collaboration with A Red Circle and Custom Foodscaping, help get the garden ready. Bring a trowel or wheelbarrow or just yourself to the North County Agricultural Education Center in Pine Lawn, MO. Parking details and refreshment and restroom access information provided in confirmation email. Face masks required.

#BeatPlasticPollution

All of the above events will need volunteers for Community Science Data collection.

Although the focus of this particular research project is over, the Marine Debris Tracker mobile app is available year-round to track where you are finding plastic waste!

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April 1- 25, 2021 – Plastic Waste Pollution Community Science

Be a part of Community Science using the Marine Debris Tracker mobile app to help researchers get a snapshot of plastic waste pollution in the Mississippi River watershed from Minnesota to Louisiana as you pick up litter that would otherwise end up in our waterways and oceans. 9 million tons of plastic waste ends up in our oceans annually.

Recordings of all the trainings for using the mobile app can be found in the Initiative’s website: www.unep.org/mississippi

Three ways to engage:

1. 1. Download the app on your phone and do it on your own anytime all year round (the collected trash should be disposed of in your trash)
   2. Sign up as part of one of our group cleanups listed above for this special research project focused on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, MN, St. Louis, MO, and Baton Rouge, LA. Data will be collected from April 1 – April 25.
   3. Other area cleanups will be listed on the Great Rivers Greenway website as part of the Confluence Trash Bash.

This event is in collaboration with the Confluence Trash Bash and the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative. Under the leadership of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), the mayors of the Mississippi River in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, National Geographic Society and the University of Georgia have launched an initiative to combat plastic pollution along one of the world’s greatest waterways that drains 40 of the contiguous lower 48 states.