Published May 16, 2022
Keep up the Earth Day spirit
Heads up! This article was published 2 years ago.
At Five Rivers MetroParks, we embrace Earth Day every day with plenty of opportunities for you to live a more sustainable lifestyle — as well as opportunities to help your Five Rivers MetroParks protect the region’s natural heritage.
On April 20, hundreds of people attended MetroParks’ largest annual day of service, Adopt-A-Park. MetroParks offered participants an opportunity to sign up for specific service projects in a variety of parks, in addition to offering small groups Adopt-A-Park Service kids so they could spruce up any greenspace they wished.
If you participated in Adopt-A-Park, give yourself a pat on the back. Here was your direct impact:
More than 80 service kits were distributed for safe litter clean up throughout the community.
A total of 298 volunteers gave 860.5 hours of service to help with a variety of maintenance, conservation and gardening tasks in 13 different MetroParks locations.
- 1,845 pounds of landfill litter and debris was collected
- 820 pounds of recyclable material was collected and diverted from the landfill
- 1 miles of rivers and lakes were cleaned
- 17 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trail corridors were cleared of debris
- 6 acres of invasive plants were removed
- 8 play/recreation areas were cleared and spruced up
- 165 trees/shrubs were planted
- 750 flowers/bulbs were planted
Adopt-A-Park was sponsored by Montgomery County Environmental Services, Keep Montgomery County Beautiful, the CareSource Foundation, LexisNexis and QEI.
Keep making Earth Day every day
In addition to keeping your MetroParks free from litter, there are many ways you can be green in the parks and at home.
- Leave No Trace: Seven principles everyone should follow while outdoors: Following Leave No Trace ensures you leave the outdoors better than you found it when you visit nature.
- Digital resources: MetroParks’ Nature Is Open blog is home to many conservation and sustainability resources that help you live a greener lifestyle at home, from sustainable cleaning practices to gardening. Visit metroparks.org/at-home for a complete guide on how to live a greener lifestyle.
- Human powered transportation: Opt to walk, run or bike to your friend’s house or corner store. Doing so will not only improve your overall wellness, but it also means you are lessening your carbon footprint by not driving a vehicle.
Get in the habit of cycling as a form of transportation during Bike Month this May and join MetroParks for its annual Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast on Friday, May 20, from 7 to 9 a.m.
- Service Saturdays: Every third Saturday through October, volunteer to protect the region’s natural heritage during Service Saturdays. From 9 a.m. to noon, volunteer opportunities will be available in a variety of MetroParks locations. Check out MetroParks’ Get Connected volunteer site to sign up for Service Saturdays.
