Sili-Blog
Organize Your Own Covid-Safe Earth Day Cleanup
5 MINUTE READ
As Earth Day approaches it’s time to pledge your support for environmental protection and inspire ways to combat global degradation. That’s just a formal way of saying it’s time to show a little kindness to Mother Nature! You can plant a tree, save on energy consumption, set up a bird feeder, or simply prepare a home-cooked meal with vegetables that are locally grown. However, one of the best things to do on Earth Day is to try and influence others to do something great for the environment.
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If you can’t locate a local community clean up event, the good news is that there is plenty of planet to go around! Organizing a casual community cleanup is totally doable and quite fun! We're here to help, no matter where you live or how big you want to go. Which is why we collected these tips to help you create a fun and Covid-safe event that gives back to the planet one piece of trash at a time.
Planning to Help the Planet
Before you do anything, ensure that it is safe and permissible by local authorities. Always follow health and safety ordinances before heading outside. If you live in an area where you can be outside, be sure to practice social distancing and robust sanitation practices before, during, and after your cleanup.
Next, identify the area of focus for your community cleanup - somewhere that you’ll have enough room to follow social distancing guidelines. Once you’ve recognized an existing problem, think about how you’re going to address it. For example, aside from trash and litter collections, community cleanup activities can also come in the form of beautification projects, beach/river cleanups, or flower planting.
Check with your city hall to see if there are any waivers, permissions, or forms needed to hold your event. Contact your local recycling and waste management centerters to see what they can and cannot take ahead of time so you know how to sort your collections. Also consider how you'll get the trash from point A to point B. If you don't have any truck-owning friends, you can try renting a Uhaul to transport your haul.
Distribute posters, reach out to friends, family, PTA members, churches, local businesses and co-workers to let them know about the event. Consider establishing a Facebook Group or email list to distribute information about the event itself, and ask people to RSVP so you know how many volunteers to plan for. Make sure to remind everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing — because a protected planet starts with safe, healthy people!
Even if you ask volunteers to bring their own masks/face shields, gloves, bags, or buckets (for sharp objects), be prepared with extras. Also consider bringing a first aid kit, water, hand sanitizer, sunblock, and snacks. If you're going to be cleaning over lunch, it would be a great idea to provide food for your volunteers as well. You might consider asking local businesses for donations of equipment and refreshments.
During the Cleanup
Have someone stationed at a designated meeting area in order to direct volunteers and help late-comers find their way. Children should always have adult supervision during a cleanup in case you come across any needles or sharp objects. This goes double if you're near water!
Ensure that everyone wears a mask and some form of gloves for protection. Additionally, BBQ tongs, salad tongs, or other pickup devices can help create further separation between you and the litter. Never touch the litter directly or your face during your cleanup. Only pick up litter that is safe to handle and can be easily disposed of or recycled.
Let people know how to sort their findings (sharp objects and hazardous materials in buckets, recyclables in one bag, trash in another), and where to put filled bags to make the post-cleanup clean-up a little easier.
Monitor your volunteers throughout the day and make sure they’re wearing their face coverings and gloves properly, have enough water, that they reapply sunblock often, and that they're safe! Your mother would be proud.
Getting to know your neighbors and spending a day outside helping to beautify nature can, and should be, fun! Bring a good attitude and a positive perspective and it'll spread throughout the entire group. Bring some snacks and have fun!
After the Cleanup
Make sure to wash your hands as soon as possible and disinfect all the reusable equipment that was used during your cleanup. Dispose properly. Don't just leave your bags near a garbage can! Make sure that what you've collected goes to the proper recycling or waste management center.
Say thanks. Share photos and other details with your volunteer group, like how much trash you bagged and recycled from your area. Take photos of your cleanups and share with the squad! We'd love to see you in action so tag us on Instagram!
Earth Day and Beyond!
The more we ignore our environment, the more it will become polluted with contaminants and toxins that have a harmful impact on our health. Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues, as rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them.
While silicone replacement alone won’t fix our global plastic problems, swapping single-use for reusable silicone is a step in the right direction. One Silipint product can replace hundreds, even thousands of single-use plastics from entering our landfills, oceans, and wild environments each year.
Take some time this Earth Day to consider how your everyday activities may be contributing to climate change and take steps toward correcting these actions. If we each do a little bit, over time and through the accumulation of each little bit, we can slow negative impacts and hopefully provide a better environment for future generations.
Make the change to reusable, unbreakable silicone products! At Silipint we have a wide variety of products - Wines, Pints, Bowls - all built to last a lifetime. check out our variety of products and see which Silipint is right for you!
